Two local residents to receive national conservation award

Durham, NH - Two local residents will soon receive national recognition for their contributions in support of a significant environmental conservation project in Maine.

Deirdre Raimo of Lee and Neal Bungard of Rochester are among several people and organizations scheduled to receive the USDA Forest Service’s “Wings Across the Americas Award for 2006.” The national award recognizes outstanding contributions in support of environmental conservation. Raimo and Bungard are being awarded for their work on the Machias River Project in Downeast Maine. The project helps to conserve more than 400,000 acres of pristine land to serve as a critical North American bird habitat.

Raimo and Bungard work out of the Forest Service’s Durham, N.H., field office. Raimo is the Forest Service State and Private Forestry Northeastern Area Forest Legacy Program Coordinator. Bungard assists her. They work together to administer the Forest Legacy Program across a 20-state area of the United States encompassing the Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Midwest and Great Lakes States.

The Forest Legacy Program is a partnership between states and the Forest Service to identify and help conserve environmentally important forests from conversion to non-forest uses. The main tool used for protecting these important forests is conservation easements. The Federal government may fund up to 75% of program costs, with at least 25% coming from private, state or local sources.

The Machias River Project Phases I, II, and III, brought public and private sector partners together to conserve forests, riparian areas, lakeshores and wetlands through land acquisitions and easements. By the end of Phase III, the project will invest more than $5.4 million in federal funds, leveraged by more than $8.8 million non-federal matching dollars. By connecting with other protected tracts, the project will help preserve 416,301 acres.

The Wings Across the Americas Program is a Forest Service initiative bringing together partners from around the western hemisphere to manage, restore and maintain the habitats of the hundreds of species of birds native to the Americas. Forest Service employees apply their skills in land management, research, and private land assistance to advance bird conservation science and address management opportunities and concerns. Local and regional partnerships and projects promote bird conservation on the ground on the National Forests, National Grasslands and with private landowners.

“It’s wonderful to get the award,” said Raimo. “We had a lot of partners, and it’s representative of the level of projects put forth in forest protection programs. It shows what Forest Legacy is doing across the country.”

The Awards will be presented March 23 at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

On the Net: Forest Legacy Program: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/legacy/