ENVIRONMENT

	OUR VISION
	We envision a region that respects and nurtures the physical environment and its resources, ensuring its sustained health and wellbeing that it may continue to support all forms of life.

 

	GOALS
	To maintain the rural character and ecosystem health of the KEYS communities. Land Management Decrease the spread of development in rural parts of the region, focusing it instead in regionally designated growth centers. Water Management Improve the quality of regional fresh, estuarine and marinewaters to ensure that they are drinkable, fishable and swimable. Stewardship Increase the percentage of KEYS communities’ waste that is recycled

 

	Next Steps: Action Steps 2006 – 2010
	Create a regional forum for implementing growth management objectives commonly held by the KEYS towns.

 

	REGIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
	MT A to the Sea Conservation Initiative has conserved 1304 acres since 2002. Watershed-based planning has been implemented in four KEYS region watersheds and several regional watershed and rivers associations have been established.  In the last decade, nearly a dozen environmental volunteer monitoring programs have been established and continue to operate in the KEYS region. Habitat restoration efforts have been initiated as several KEYS region sites. Read more

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

• Maine Sea Grant

• University of Maine Cooperative Extension York County Office

• University of NH Cooperative Extension & Clearinghouse for Integrative Regional Problem Solving

• Changing Face of the Seacoast

• GrowSmart Maine

• KEYS Cool Communities listserv  (regarding energy solutions)

More Resources

View of York River and Mount Agamenticus. Photo courtesy of Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve

Community Indicators

Land Management: Change in Population vs Total Housing Units

Although Kittery experienced the slowest population growth in the region, it simultaneously showed the greatest relative change in total housing units during the same period when compared with population. In 1990 the total number of housing units was 3927 and in 2000, 4375, resulting in an annual change of 1.09 percent or 11 percent increase over the 10 year period. This suggests that housing units in Kittery grew at a 9 percent faster rate than population. Eliot’s growth rates also favored housing over population at a rate of 8 percent. In South Berwick and York, population grew at a slightly faster rate of 4 and 7 percent respectively.

 

Water Management: Shellfish harvesting areas closed

* In recent years, the KEYS region has experienced an increase in the acreage of shellfishing areas closed to harvest.

Stewardship: Solid waste recycling rate

In 2004, the KEYS region demonstrated an average of 40% of solid waste recycled.

Read more about the indicators.

Citizens Say....

"We need to consider all elements of community life in coordination. For example, economic development can be complimentary with environmental conservation."

--Participant comments,
Our Future By Design Community Forum, Sept. 29, 2005

Link to all citizen comments on environment.

It's All Connected

Our natural resources are the foundation upon which our communities are created and sustained.

• How is workforce housing linked to the total number of housing units in the KEYS region? How do median home sale prices relate to population growth? See Housing pages.
• How does median income in the KEYS region relate to the median home sale price? See Housing and Economy pages.
• Is there a relationship between obesity rates and spread out development patterns? See Health and Human Services pages.
• Is there a relationship between commuting patterns and spread out development patterns? See Transportation pages.