Habitat Conservation
The people of Downeast Maine are protective of the region ’ s wealth of natural resources and rely on it to support their way of life . Downeast Maine ’ s greatest asset is its unique and dynamic natural capital : intact ecosystems , healthy watersheds , and distinctive glacial geology . Scientific studies show that the Downeast region contains many of the cleanest , most natural , and least developed watersheds and wildlife corridors on the East Coast of the United States .
Land Use
Washington County
Hancock County
Size – Square Miles 3,258 2,345
Land 2,563 1,587
Water 695 758
% Conserved Land 25 12
# Towns 42 36
# Cities 2 1
# Unincorporated Villages 0 19
# Unorganized Territories 34 15
# Indian Reservations 2 0
A total of 702,654 acres has been conserved in Downeast Maine as of June 2017 , including national and state parks , wildlife refuges , working forests , and land trust preserves . Of the total land in the two-county area , 19.6 % is held in some type of conservation status . In Hancock County , 12.5 % of its 1,500,800 acres are in conserved land ; in Washington County , 25 % of its 2,085,120 acres are conserved .
Together the two counties have 200,000 + acres of ponds and lakes ; 3,300 + miles of streams ; 1,000 + river miles ; and 2,700 sq miles of forest cover . Of Maine ’ s 87 globally significant seabird
86