Native plants and pollinator habitat · Maine
Hancock County SWCD Backyard Rewilding Program
Run by Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District
OpenLast checked October 17, 2026
- What you get
- Free comprehensive site visit and scoring sheet; free certification lawn sign if your yard scores high enough; free pH soil testing (drop box in Ellsworth); native plants sold (not free) in annual Native Plant Sale. Follow-on Technical Landscape Design is paid at $60 per hour.
- Who qualifies
- Hancock County landowners; residential yards
- Where
- Hancock County landowners with residential yards.
- Status
- Open. Free services listed on district page (accessed 2026-10-17)
- Type of payment
- Other
What you do
Replace lawn with native plants, limit mowing, remove invasive species and build pollinator habitat, starting with a free staff site visit that identifies native and invasive plants and scores your yard against Conservation Landscape Certification criteria.
Requirements
- Request the free site visit from the district
- Yard evaluated on 5 principles: wildlife habitat, soil and water conservation, invasive species control, ecosystem support, integrated pest management
- Certification requires a high enough CLC score
- Plants must be purchased (Native Plant Sale at start of each year, delivered in spring) - no cash payment to resident
How to apply
- 1Open the Backyard Rewilding Services page and contact the district to request the free site visit
- 2Walk the property with staff and receive the scoring sheet
- 3Implement improvements; request certification when score is high enough
- 4Optional: buy native plants in the annual sale or hire paid design services
Timing and deadlines
not published
not published
Combining it with other programs
not published
Sources
- https://www.hancockcountyswcd.org/backyard-rewilding-services (official page)
- https://www.hancockcountyswcd.org/programs
Last checked October 17, 2026. See something out of date? Tell us.
Sow is not affiliated with any of these agencies or utilities. Amounts and rules change, often at the start of a fiscal year, so confirm the details on the official page before you start a project. How we research these programs