LEWISTON – Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District has received a Maine NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant to expand a pilot program to develop a soils carbon baseline database from Androscoggin and Sagadahoc counties to Kennebec and Aroostook counties.

The baseline is necessary for the establishment of a soils carbon credit program in the state. A carbon credit program will allow farmers and other landowners to participate in a voluntary market, selling carbon-offset credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange or through another entity.

The baseline information will be collected by participating soil and water conservation districts (Kennebec, St. John Valley, Southern Aroostook and Central Aroostook).

The pilot program is intended to be a statewide initiative, beginning with education and outreach, which began last fall. Information will be gathered to be used for modeling existing carbon stores.

Once the baseline is established, management practices that will increase carbon will be modeled. The difference between the two, or the net carbon gain, can be used as a credit or offset and sold to companies that need to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.

A carbon credit program has the potential to provide extra income to landowners who wish to implement conservation practices that will increase carbon storage, such as switching from conventional tillage to no-till.

Additional co-benefits of the program, when fully functional, will include reduction in harm to water quality, the maintenance of open space, increase in soil productivity and protection of wildlife habitat.

The pilot program is under way in Androscoggin and Sagadahoc counties and, with the new grant, will start in Kennebec and Aroostook counties. Funding is still being sought to include the rest of the counties in Maine.

Additional grants for the program have been received from Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Farm Credit North East AgEnhancement Program.

Other partners in the effort include Maine Department of Agriculture, University of Southern Maine, Maine Association of Conservation Districts, Kennebec and Aroostook counties Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Maine Rural Partners, Farm Energy Partners Network and Time and Tide St. John Valley RC & D, Maine Farm Bureau.

Letters of support were received from Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and Rep. Tom Allen.

The district invites landowners who may be interested in participation in the pilot project to call their local soil and water conservation district.