July 12, 2007

MCHT transfers seabird nesting island to Fish & Wildlife Service

Jordan’s Delight now part of Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently acquired Jordan’s Delight, an island offering prime habitat for nesting seabirds, from Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), a statewide land conservation organization. Located in Narraguagus Bay in Washington County, the island will be managed as part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, according to Refuge Manager Charlie Blair.

The Service assumed ownership of 27 acres of the 30-acre island in June. The acquisition excludes a 3-acre conservation easement that allows members of the family that previously donated the island to the Trust to maintain a small house and to visit the island when the seabirds are not nesting.

“The Service would not have had the opportunity to protect this important seabird nesting area without the generosity of a conservation-minded family and Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s dedicated stewardship of our coastal resources. It is due to this successful partnership that Jordan’s Delight is now part of the National Wildlife Refuge System,” said Blair.

Seabirds that nest on the island include black-backed gull, herring gull, double-crested cormorant, common eider, Leach’s storm petrel, and black guillemont.

"MCHT is pleased to have been able to play a role in saving Jordan's Delight - one of Maine's most beautiful and diverse nesting islands," said David MacDonald, Director of Land Protection at Maine Coast Heritage Trust. "With the generosity of a private family and the long-term stewardship commitment of the refuge, together we were able to bring this island back from the brink of development."

Jordan’s Delight is within the approved boundaries for the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and is immediately east of other refuge properties including Bois Bubert Island and Petit Manan Point Division.

The island originally came on the market in 2000 for $1.6 million. At that time, a 3,000 square foot house was under construction on the island. An anonymous private family foundation acquired the island to conserve the property's sensitive features. The foundation donated 27 acres to MCHT, with the hope that MCHT would remove the large house and restore the island to its natural state. The Trust deconstructed the house in 2001, restored the damaged habitat, and provided interim ownership and management of the island until the USFWS could secure appropriated funding from the LWCF to purchase the property this June at a sale price of $70,000.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. (http://www.fws.gov)

Maine Coast Heritage Trust conserves and stewards Maine’s coastal lands and islands for their renowned scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, ecological diversity and working landscapes. MCHT promotes the conservation of natural places statewide by working with land trusts, communities and other partners. Founded in 1970, the trust was a pioneer in the use of conservation easements as a way to protect land. Since this time we have worked to protect more than 125,000 acres in Maine, including more than 250 entire coastal islands. (http://www.mcht.org)

For immediate release: July 12, 2007

For further information:

Charlie Blair, refuge manager, 207-546-2124
David MacDonald, MCHT, 207-244-5100

Images available for download at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/images.html