One of many benefits of the land preserved through the Rural and Critical Lands Program is the tremendous and diverse wildlife habitat including the beautiful fall meadow pictured above. The Program has protected 400 acres of maritime forest, 8,970 acres of different wetland communities, 2,000 acres of hummocks and islands, and almost 7,000 acres of both pine and hardwood forests. This mosaic of lands throughout the County provides nesting, breeding, and foraging habitat for songbirds, nectar sources for bees and butterflies, and much more. Twenty five sites provide habitat for rare, threatened, or endangered species. Here are just a few pictures from the field today:
