The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Overview:
The Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program (MNRCP) – which is administered by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – was created to manage the allocation of funds collected through Maine’s In Lieu Fee Compensation Program. This voluntary program allows entities that are impacting natural resources, primarily wetlands, to make a payment directly to DEP as an alternative to the traditional mitigation process. Fees collected by DEP are deposited in a Natural Resource Conservation Fund administered by the Conservancy. Funds are then awarded through a competitive grants process to projects that restore, enhance, or preserve high quality natural resources throughout the State of Maine.

To Apply for Funding:
MNRCP funding rounds are typically announced in June of each year. Public agencies, non-profit conservation organizations and municipalities are encouraged to submit a letter of intent for eligible restoration and preservation projects in Maine. Applicants whose proposed projects meet the program’s requirements are invited to submit full proposals. Proposals are evaluated by a Review Committee, convened by DEP, and made up of public and nonprofit entities. Final allocation decisions are made in December of each year by an Approval Committee comprised of state and federal agencies. The Nature Conservancy administers the process but does not decide which proposals receive funding.

• Click here to visit the Maine Natural Resources Conservation Page and apply for funding.
   
• Biophysical Regions of Maine (pdf). The MNRCP regions can be viewed by downloading this file. They may also be viewed in Google Earth by following this link. Zoom into your area and click on the map and it will show your Biophysical Region. To assess the proximity of a potential project to permitted impacts, please follow this link. Google Earth must already be installed on your computer to view and can be downloaded at: http://earth.google.com/
   
• MNRCP Funds Available. Interested applicants may follow this link to review the ILF compensation funds currently available by Biophysical Region.

Contact
Alex Mas, The Nature Conservancy in Maine

Other Information
• 2011 MNRCP Award Memo (pdf)

• 2011 Request for Full Proposal Package (pdf)

• 2010 MNRCP Award Memo (pdf)

• 2009 MNRCP Award Memo (pdf)

• Review Committee & Approval Committee Members (pdf)

• Maine In-Lieu Fee Program Instrument, US Army Corps of Engineers, New England District