ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 12, 2021
Maine’s land conservation program will get one of the largest funding boosts since its inception under the state’s budget. Lawmakers included $40 million for the Land for Maine’s Future Program. It’s the largest allocation to the program since a voter-approved bond in 1999. The state administers the program, which provides grants to conserve land for uses such as recreation, wildlife habitat and environmental protection. The program has protected more than 600,000 acres since it began in the late 1980s.