To: Susan Collins, US Senator, Bruce Poliquin, US Representative, Angus King, US Senator, Chellie Pingree, US Representative, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate

Congressional Representatives of Maine: Please Save the Wells Reserve

Fully fund NOAA's Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Wells, Maine, in 2017 and 2018 so coastal communities will continue to benefit from the reserve's education, conservation, and research programs.

Why is this important?

The Wells Reserve at Laudholm protects 2,250 acres of coastal lands in Maine; is a center for education, conservation, and research; and welcomes 30,000 visitors each year. Wells Reserve programs inspire thousands of people annually, help keep coastal waters clean, and ensure citizens have access to science-based knowledge to make important decisions.

Two-thirds of Wells Reserve funding comes through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Trump Administration has proposed eliminating funding for the Wells Reserve and the other 28 reserves in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. A loss of federal funds will devastate the Wells Reserve's education, conservation, and research programs and put the popular Laudholm campus at risk.