York Town News
Mount Agamenticus to the Sea honored by EPA
By Jennifer L. Saunders
The Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative was honored last week by the Environmental Protection Agency for its work in the local area. Representing the 10 Mt. A to the Sea partners at the award event on April 18 were, from left, Carol Donnelly of the York Rivers Association, Tin Smith of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and Ala Reid of the York Land Trust. Seen here, the three are accepting the EPA's 2007 Environmental Merit Award.
Courtesy photo
The awards, recognizing significant contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving, are a unique way the EPA uses to recognize individuals and groups making a significant impact on environmental quality.
"Mt A to the Sea is honored to receive the Environmental Merit Award from the EPA," Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Coordinator Roger Cole said Monday evening.
Given out by the EPA since 1970, the merit awards honor individuals and groups that have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the environment, according to a release issued by the EPA.
"Our Environmental Merit Awards are among the highest honors EPA can bestow to recognize environmental accomplishments," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA New England.
In the "Environmental, Community, Academia and Non-Profit Organizations" category, it was the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, known in and around York as Mt. A to the Sea, which took the top honor.
The coalition is a collaboration of 10 local and state nonprofit and governmental organizations that have been working together for years now to protect thousands of acres in the six-town region surrounding Mount Agamenticus. The EPA and local conservationists alike have pointed to the Mount Agamenticus region as the largest unfragmented coastal forest between Maine's Acadia National Park and the New Jersey Pine Barriers.
"This award also recognizes Mt. A to the Sea's outreach program in the six municipalities within the Mt. A to Sea focus region, which assists communities with achieving community conservation goals," Cole explained.
In the Mount A area, southern hardwood forests overlap with the northern softwood forests to create a rare and biologically diverse ecosystem with the largest number of endangered species in the state, according to the EPA.
The region also includes the headwaters of the York River, which provides safe habitat for more than 100 coastal and migratory bird species and for half of all the fish species found in the Gulf of Maine, according to information provided by the EPA.
The Mt. A to the Sea initiative was praised by the EPA for achieving "remarkable results" by raising millions of dollars and protecting 1,600 acres of land in 33 individual conservation projects.
"I offer my gratitude to these citizens for their extraordinary contributions in protecting our shared environment," Varney said. "Their work reflects the best attributes of New Englanders, working to find solutions to tough environmental issues."
In addition to Mt. A to the Sea, a Kennebunkport resident and Hannaford Brothers were named as winners in the individual and business categories. This year's competition drew 54 nominations from across New England.
"The conservation successes of the 10-member Mt. A to Sea Initiative would not have been possible without the support of many funders and individuals that have embraced conservation organizations joining together in a regional collaboration," Cole said.
For more about the coalition, visit www.mta2c.org.
