The Gulf of Maine Coastal Program Office in Falmouth, Maine, has a new Project Leader – Jed Wright. February 2015 Journal

Jed is excited about his new role and for opportunities that lie ahead for the Coastal Program, including reaching out to engage a new generation of conservation leaders. Jed hopes to offer more internships, details and volunteer opportunities. One of his foci will be to help better understand how habitat protection, restoration and management activities can contribute to resilience of coastal ecosystems. He has a particular interest in watershed-scale approaches to restoring aquatic connectivity. Increasing connectivity will improve the resilience of coastal ecosystems and coastal communities in the face of projected increases in stream temperature and increased precipitation events.

Jed’s office is one of 24 Coastal Program offices in the United States, established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to build partnerships to identify, protect and restore nationally significant habitat for fish, wildlife and people. Jed and his staff members direct their attention to conservation projects in the coastal watersheds of Maine that provide habitat for migratory birds, sea-run fish and federally threatened and endangered species.

Jed has worked in many locations, including Washington, D.C. and Southern Africa. He attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and always saw Maine as a very special place. In 1994, he jumped at the chance to work there for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Atlantic Salmon habitat projects. He feels lucky to have this job, a great cadre of co-workers and partners, and opportunities to connect his love of watersheds and aquatic species with people living from Massachusetts to Maine – the coastal region of the Gulf of Maine.