DNR Receives $905,000 From U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service To Benefit Species At Risk On Private Lands

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

DNR Receives $905,000 From U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service To Benefit Species At Risk On Private Lands
ANNAPOLIS – Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Heritage Service (WHS) announced today that it has received $905,000 in funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the newly created Maryland Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) to restore habitat for rare and threatened plants and animals inhabiting private lands.

The Landowner Incentive Program is a voluntary, cost-share program that reimburses conservation-minded landowners for up to 75 percent of costs associated with restoring habitat for declining species such as dwarf wedge mussel and bog turtle, both of which are federally listed species.

“Wildlife and Heritage staff has been compiling information on species-at-risk in Maryland for nearly a century. This new funding opportunity is an important addition to existing habitat protection programs across the state,” said Paul A. Peditto, Wildlife and Heritage Service director. “In Maryland we have identified 607 plant and animal species at risk. Most of these species are found on private land. Unfortunately, in the past conservationists have focused more on public land protection and have neglected many of the real causes of these species’ declines. This funding will go a long way toward reversing that trend in Maryland.”

More information about the Maryland Landowner Incentive Program is available on the DNR website at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/lip.asp, or by calling 410-260-8540.
August 29, 2005
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 18,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov