AG ALLIES: SUPPORTING GRASSLAND

BIRDS & FARMERS ACROSS MAINE

Ag Allies works with Maine landowners and land trusts to increase the nesting success of grassland birds through on-farm incentive payments, technical assistance, outreach and education.

We seek to empower landowners to make sustainable bird-friendly management changes on their land and improve the opportunity for nesting success of grassland birds.

Ag Allies aims intervention at breeding grounds in Maine, and in doing so, addresses components of many conservation actions prioritized by the state’s 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan. Bobolinks and other grassland birds have been on the Watchlist of birds since 2014 and have been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Maine’s 2015 SWAP.

Ag Allies Conservation Achievements

Since 2016, the Ag Allies program has worked with local landowners and farmers to increase nesting success of grassland birds through technical assistance, outreach, education, and, when necessary, on-farm incentive payments. With changes made in land trust policy/agreements and landowners who have adopted grassland bird practices into their farm management, many of these changes will be permanent ones.  This will positively impact the nesting success of local grassland birds for years to come. 

Highlights of the 2022 Season Include:

• Worked with 14 land trusts and 2 municipalities. Assistance included: site assessments, grassland management and habitat workshops, signage, and support for habitat quality improvement. Adopted practices included adding delayed mowing to lease agreements, changing location of walking paths from field centers, and implementation of leashed dog policy during nesting season

• Worked with 52 individual landowners/farmers and other entities, including dairy, beef, horse, and sheep farmers, to provide nesting habitat for grassland birds. 

• Enrolled over 1000 acres in habitat protection, up from 780 in 2021.

• Protected habitat resulted in the fledging of an estimated 2,300 birds, including bobolinks, Savannah sparrows, meadowlarks and harriers.

Through our collaboration with the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, in 2022 Ag Allies worked with:

• The Georges River Land Trust to refurbish the 40-acre Riverview Fields in Thomaston and provide 10 site visits and technical consults for grassland conservation easement properties.

• The Kennebec Land Trust and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to continue a multi-year project to restore and enhance grassland bird habitat at Surry Hill.

• The Bangor Land Trust and Maine Audubon to improve grassland habitat at the Penjajwoc Fields.