HARRISON — Maine scientists have launched what is being called a “unique and groundbreaking” carbon offset program to protect local area water from greenhouse gas emissions.

The project is teaming up with the Western Foothills Land Trust in Norway to plant trees along the Sebago Lake watershed and Crooked River to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, keep water clean and create wildlife habitat. Some 57 gravel pits are being eyed to help in the reforestation effort.

“We want to work with the owners of retired gravel pits to reforest their areas,” Lee Dassler of the Western Maine Foothills said. She lives along the Crooked River and knows the problems associated with sand and gravel in the soil, she said.

“You can put cow manure on it until the cows come home. It’s the geology,” she said of the efforts she and others have undertaken to grow gardens in the sandy areas along water bodies.

The first step in the project locally is to identify gravel pits. Sixteen of the 57 have been identified as priorities in the program for affecting either groundwater and surface water or both. Agricultural lands that go down to the water are also being identified.

William Van Doren of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Forest to Faucet Partnership said gravel mining is a possible source of contamination for surface water and groundwater.

“We need to see what needs to be replanted,” Dassler said of the ongoing sand and gravel pit survey. “It (forest) doesn’t grow back very quickly. “

The Brunswick-based Clear Water Carbon Fund was developed by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.

“You can take responsibility for your carbon footprint while protecting clean water and wildlife habitat in your community,” Ethel Wilkerson, program manager at the Manomet Center, said. “There are a lot of local and global benefits wrapped up in one responsible action.”

Dassler said anyone who has property along Crooked River who would like trees monitored for 40 years may participate in the program. “You’re making a commitment.”

Each tree planted by the Clear Water Carbon Fund will remove at least 0.14 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To put this in perspective, officials said a round-trip flight between Portland, Maine, and Chicago adds 0.4 metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere per passenger. Planting three trees will remove these emissions over time.

The initiative was rolled out at the Norway triathlon this summer. The triathlon is sponsored by the Western Foothills Land Trust.

To learn more, visit the program’s website (www.clearwatercarbonfund.org). On the site, you can also learn more about the science behind the offset model (http://tinyurl.com/3wx8q4k).

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