AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine is looking for proposals of working farmlands and forests to preserve through its conservation grant program.
Maine uses the Land for Maine’s Future Program to conserve land around the state. The program has existed for more than 30 years, and more than half of the 600,000 acres it has protected have been working lands, Gov. Janet Mills said.
Mills, a Democrat, said the program’s board has been aggressive in its efforts to “protect the cherished lands and waters that form the backbone of our heritage industry — our working farms and forests.”
The program is accepting proposals from state agencies, land trusts, municipalities and others, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said.
The state approved $40 million for the program over four years as part of the Maine budget.
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