News & Notes

Dear Friends and Supporters,

In the coming weeks the Legislature will decide whether or not to merge Maine’s Department of Agriculture and Department of Conservation. LD 837 – the “merger” bill – would boost agricultural programs at the expense of conservation programs and shift the focus away from stewardship and toward marketing and development of our natural resources.

How can I help?

Contact your local representative and ask him/her to vote in opposition to LD 837, An Act to Clarify the Laws Establishing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Call or email now!

House (800) 423-2900

Unsure of your local legislator?  Need their contact info?

Visit http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/townlist.htm

The Facts

The “merger” bill would finalize the tentative merger of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Conservation that was passed last year. In the past year, it has become clear that strong separate departments can best meet the needs of all Mainers.

We oppose this bill and the proposed merger because:

1. The new merged Department would focus on economic development, which is a distinct change from the previous Department of Conservation’s purpose, which was to preserve, protect, and enhance the land resources of the state of Maine.

2. The merger would boost agricultural programs at the expense of conservation programs and shift the focus away from stewardship and land protection toward marketing and economic development.

3. Maine’s parks and lands and ecological reserves are not commodities to be exploited; they are our state’s natural treasures and part of our outdoor heritage. They also are the foundation of our tourist economy.

4. Agriculture can be boosted and supported in many ways that do not undermine conservation, none of which are discussed in this bill.

5. The Commissioner recently presented 45 “New Initiatives” that showcase why the Administration thinks merging these two departments is helpful. This list’s goals for our Division of Parks and Public Lands, includes NO initiatives to promote conservation or stewardship of Maine’s public lands. To us, this demonstrates that a merged Department will not value conservation or appreciate its importance to Maine’s economy.

• Learn more about the merger
• Stay up to date on all advocacy efforts

Thank you for your support!

For questions, please contact: 

Jennifer Burns Gray
Staff Attorney and Advocate
jgray@maineaudubon.org
(207) 781-6180 x224

Guest Judy Camuso, wildlife biologist with Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife joins us to talk wildlife habitat. We focus on vernal pools, New England cottontail, brook trout and other fish, birds, and more…

Reporting Period: May 7 – 13, 2013
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Doug Hitchcox

Noteworthy Species Mentioned:

• Redhead
• Tricolored Heron
• White-faced Ibis+
• Black Vulture
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Caspian Tern
• Common Murre
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Golden-winged Warbler
• Summer Tanager
• Orchard Oriole

Continue reading →

Maine Audubon, Trout Unlimited and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) are seeking volunteer anglers to survey remote ponds in western and northern Maine for brook trout this coming fishing season. Survey information collected by anglers will be used by the nonprofit organizations and IFW to help identify populations of brook trout to be eligible for conservation management practices.

There are still hundreds of ponds in the state have never been surveyed by fisheries biologists nor have any record of being stocked with fish. We plan to continue volunteer survey efforts in 2013.  The project’s focus on remote lakes and ponds offers anglers a chance to explore new areas of the state.

“Volunteers should be enthusiastic about fishing for brook trout, be comfortable in remote settings and have a sense of adventure!” noted Jeff Reardon of Trout Unlimited.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, please contact Emily Bastian at Maine Audubon at 207-781-6180 x207, or ebastian@maineaudubon.org.

An amended version of LD 730: An Act to Protect Maine Loons by Banning Lead Sinkers and Jigs will be coming up for a final vote in the Maine House and Senate in the next few days. We need your help to move this legislation forward so that we can protect Maine loons from lead poisoning.

How can I help?

Contact your local representative and senator and ask them to vote in support of the majority ought to pass as amended report on LD 730 An Act to Protect Maine Loons by Banning Lead Sinkers and Jigs. If you would like to share details, please refer to the fats below.

Call now!

• Senate: (800) 423-6900
• House: (800) 423-2900

Unsure of your local legislators? Look them up!

The Facts

The amended version of LD 730 will ban the use and sale of lead sinkers up to one ounce in weight and bare lead headed jigs up to two and a half inches in length. Passage of this bill will reduce loon mortality and improve the long-term sustainability of our adult loon population.

• Lead poisoning from lead jigs and sinkers is the leading cause of death of adult loons in Maine. It is responsible for almost one-third of the documented mortality over the past 25 years.
• Adult loons catch fish with lost or broken lead jigs and sinkers or they accidentally pick up lead objects while eating gravel from lake bottoms.
• Once ingested, lead objects quickly dissolve in loon gizzards, which elevates lead levels in blood and tissues and causes death in as little as two weeks.
• Lead-free alternatives are available.

Reporting Period: April 29 – May 6, 2013
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Doug Hitchcox

Noteworthy Species Mentioned:

• Redhead
• White-faced Ibis+
• Sandhill Crane
• Northern Lapwing+
• Iceland Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Glaucous Gull
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Louisiana Waterthrush

Continue reading →

In this episode we discuss financing Maine’s natural resources agencies and specifically funding the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Guest: Maine Senator Emily Cain, District 30, Chair Government Oversight Committee and member of the Appropriations Committee.

Well, maybe not quite desperately, but we would love to have your help! Maine Audubon is looking for birders willing to travel to bird habitat “hotspots” throughout the state, and report back their findings via e-Bird, the on-line checklist program from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  The goal of this effort is to expand Maine’s Important Bird Area program to include some of the many places we believe are important for species of high conservation concern, but for which we lack quantitative data.

With every new checklist added by birders, we’ll be able to build the case for the more than 20 sites that have been identified by the Important Bird Area Technical Committee as needing more information before they can be approved as Maine IBAs. See the map below for the sites we are focusing on this spring. If you have additional sites you’d like considered as IBAs, or if you have questions about the locations or using e-Bird to report your sitings, e-mail Susan Gallo at sgallo@maineaudubon.org.

Visit the IBA home page for more information about the Maine IBA program or to see a list of current, approved IBAs established in Maine.

Thank you for your help, happy birding!

Representatives from each of Maine Audubon’s 7 regional chapters gathered in Lubec recently for a semi-annual exchange of information and ideas. Volunteer-run organizations, the chapters are a local presence for Maine Audubon’s work of conserving Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat, organizing programs, walks, and events.

If you belong to Maine Audubon and live in one of the areas highlighted on this map consider yourself a member of that local chapter too!

The Store Coordinator’s primary responsibilities will be running the Nature Store, including merchandising, cash out, and inventory. This position requires managing volunteers.

Qualifications and Essential Duties:
▪   Retail experience, including cash out, inventory and merchandising;
▪   Able to multitask;
▪   Canoeing experience – be able to lift and paddle canoes;
▪   Able to manage and recruit adult and teenage volunteers;
▪   Knowledge of basic natural history and ecological concepts;
▪   CPR and First Aid certification;
▪   Ability to work with minimal supervision;
▪   Experience working with children;
▪   Friendly, high energy and good sense of humor;
▪   Ability to work outdoors in challenging environmental conditions;
▪   Other duties as assigned.

Physical requirements:
▪   Ability to stand for extended periods of time;
▪   Ability to lift 75 pound canoe with another person, carry that canoe 30 feet, and physical movement necessary  for putting the canoe up on a rack;
▪   Ability to canoe against the wind and current;
▪   Ability to operate canoes, computer and other program equipment.

The position runs from late-May until mid-September. From late-May until Labor Day, the week consists three, nine-hour days, including at least one weekend day a week and some evenings. Holiday work is required.

To apply: Please send a cover letter, resume and two references to jobs@maineaudubon.org. Include job id# SMAC-SC13 in the subject of your email. We will begin reviewing applications immediately, and will be accepting applications until the position is filled.

Maine Audubon is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
 Any job offers are contingent on a successful background check.