Portland Maine News

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) welcomed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams to Maine for a tour of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. Pingree, who is ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the FWS, and Director Williams got a first-hand look at how the Refuge and FWS are working to protect native Maine shorebirds like saltmarsh sparrows and piping plovers. 

“Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is an iconic gem of coastal Maine, and I was honored to welcome Director Williams here today to see their conservation efforts up close. With climate change and rising sea levels already having an impact on our environment and wildlife, especially on the coast, we need to keep special places like Rachel Carson protected now more than ever,” said Pingree. “During my time as Chair and now as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, I have continuously pushed to increase funding for the Fish and Wildlife Service, to ensure National Wildlife Refuge System has the federal support it needs to ensure refuges across the country are protected for generations to come.”

"Coastal refuges like Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge are natural barriers that protect wildlife and people by absorbing the forces of nature," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. "Today we have learned that conserving marsh habitat for climate-vulnerable species like saltmarsh sparrows and piping plovers also provides storm protection, recreational opportunities, and a host of other natural benefits to people. And with additional investments from sources such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can continue to restore and build a more resilient coast that will endure in the face of a changing climate." 

As Chair of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee in the 117th Congress, Pingree oversaw a significant funding increase for the FWS, securing $519 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System, $15 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level.

The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was established to preserve migratory bird habitat and waterfowl migration routes associated with southern Maine's coastal estuaries. In 1970, the refuge was renamed in honor of the scientist and author Rachel Carson, who spent much of her life along the Maine coast. The refuge now stretches 50 miles along the coast, and shares more than 5,000 acres with the municipalities of Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, Biddeford, Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, Wells, Ogunquit, York, and Kittery.

Original source can be found here