The York Rivers Association

Our Projects > Studies and Information About York's Rivers, Maine > Plants: Endangered, Threatened and Invasive

Overview

The Maine Natural Areas Program is the primary agency that has collected information about plants in the York River watershed. Their database does have a concentration of data in Southern Maine, but the agency does not generally release data except by special request in order to minimize damage to rare plants.

The Natural Areas Program collects information about plants that are state-listed as Rare, Threatened, or Endangered, and about Rare or Exempliary communities. The Natural Areas Program does not have a written report on the York area, but they do have a GIS database with locations, habitats, legal status, etc.

If specific parcels are being considered for protection, the Natural Areas program is able to release any information they may have about important habitats/plants in support of funding proposals.

The Natural Areas Program is working with land trusts to identify habitat at a landscape-level; this program is in conjunction with Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and the Maine Audubon Society. However this program is available only to a few pilot land trusts. The York Land Trust is working to become one of these. However, this effort would still be based on somewhat spotty survey data.

Contact: Natural Areas Program, Molly Docherty 207-287-8045

Gaps

Invasive species have not been mapped or catalogued.

Endangered and threatened species data is incomplete. More habitat sites will be surveyed in the summer of 2000 for the Southern Maine ecosystem, through a joint program of the Natural Areas Program and Inland Fisheries & Wildlife's Endangered Species Group. However, field biologists will be able to survey only targetted sites due to limited funding.

Specific Studies

P1. Habitat Consultation Areas Maps. Maine Natural Areas Program and Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. 1999.

These maps, jointly produced by the Natural Areas Program and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, block off at very broad scale, areas with endangered plant or animal habitat. They are available in the York Planning Office, and are used in DEP's permitting process under the Natural Resources Protection Act.

Much of the area along the York River and its marshes appears on these maps; specific species and locations are not included due to the sensitive nature of this data.

Contact: Phil Bozenhard, IF&W Regional Biologist in Grey field office. 207-657-2345.

P2. Invasive Plants of Maine. Maine Natural Areas Program.

Several species have been designated as Invasive to Maine. Last year, Maine had a task force on invasive plants, but there has not yet been an attempt to inventory the extent of Maine's invasive problem. Factsheets about particular species are available on their website.

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
Common Buckthorn and Glossy Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica and Frangula alnus)
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Shrubby Honeysuckles - Tartarian, Morrow, and Belle's Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.)
Japanese Knotweed / Mexican Bamboo (Fallopia japonica / Polygonum cuspidatum)
Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculata)
Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

Contact: Don Cameron, Natural Areas Program. 207-287-8041.

P3. Rare and Endangered Wildlife, Plants and Natural Communities in York County Wetlands. Maine Natural Areas Program and Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. 1996.

Field surveys of wetlands along the river, tributaries and ponds, including fact sheets for each species. This report does not pinpoint a particular species to a particular location, but indicates the presence or absence of endangered species at a given location.

Contact: Mark McCollough, Maine IF&W Endangered Species Program. 207-941-4474.

Continue to Human Use Studies: Boating & River Access.

Return to the Index.