MCPI's Vision for the Coast

Through a year of Coalition gatherings and discussion, a shared vision for the coast emerged:

In 2025, despite increasing development pressures, the Maine coast will still be a landscape characterized by wild rocky shoreline and pristine coastal islands, protected tidal rivers and estuaries, active fishing access, working farms and forests, abundant recreational opportunities, and scenic views. Looking back from that time, we expect to see that MCPI helped catalyze Maine’s conservation community to work together for over 20 years to increase the pace and quality of coastal land conservation, resulting in significant on-the-ground conservation results. Thanks to this unique partnership of land trusts, conservation organizations, local, state and federal agencies, recreation and tourism groups, and private fishermen, the Maine coast will continue to thrive as a vibrant natural, recreational, and commercial resource. A network of the Maine coast’s most special places, large and small, will have been conserved for all time, sustaining Maine citizens and visitors through increased access to the ocean, preserved coastal scenic and cultural features, and protected habitat for native plants and animals.

From this fittingly breathtaking statement of hope for coastal Maine, New England pragmatism moved the conversation swiftly to creating the playbook for implementation. Through their intensive planning work, the Coalition created a Strategic Conservation Framework with three overarching goals (see insert). Underpinning these long-term goals are sixteen short-term strategies to be accomplished by 2007. To achieve these, the MCPI Coalition combines its national and regional perspectives and resources with its local knowledge, community support, and landowner relationships to achieve a new level of coordination, efficiency and effectiveness in coastal conservation.

Beginnings << MCPI's Vision >> Goals