ANEP: About Estuaries

About Estuaries:
Insights on the NEPs - Casco Bay

The Casco Bay Estuary Project is working to preserve the ecological integrity of Casco Bay and its watershed. Casco Bay is one of the beautiful island-dotted estuaries on the coast of Maine as well as the largest oil port on the East Coast. It is a popular tourist destination, home to a thriving lobster fishery, a recreational playground for many outdoor enthusiasts, and high value habitat for important fish and wildlife species. In addition to working to preserve and protect the Bay’s ecology, we are working to ensure compatible human uses of the Bay's resources through public stewardship and effective management.

The Project's expertise is in bringing partners together to work collaboratively. The focus areas of the stakeholder-developed "Casco Bay Plan" are: habitat protection, stormwater, clam flats, toxics, and stewardship. In addition, we are conducting extensive environmental monitoring to track the health of the Bay.

The problems that we find today in Casco Bay are primarily the result of development, stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflows, and failing septic systems. Stormwater runoff is thought to be the single greatest contributor of contaminants to Casco Bay. In addition, the greater metropolitan Portland area is experiencing rapid development and habitat loss. In response to these pressures, CBEP’s top priorities are:

habitat – protection and restoration

stormwater mitigation. Through our work with our partners we are opening clam flats to harvesting, protecting significant wildife habitat, reducing pollution that enters the Bay, monitoring the overall health of the Bay and its watershed, fostering stewardship, and promoting collaboration among the many groups working to protect the environment of Casco Bay and its watershed.

For more information about the Casco Bay Estuary Project:

Call (207) 780-4820

Write the Casco Bay Estuary Project, University of Southern Maine, 49 Exeter Street, Portland, Maine, 04102

E-mail us at cbep@usm.maine.edu

Please visit our website at http://www.cascobayestuary.org