Maine Audubon Action Alert
Part K-48 of Governor LePage’s budget proposes to eliminate almost all income tax check-offs.
This is a voluntary source of funding. Chickadee Checkoff revenues support important wildlife programs through the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. Together, the loon license plate and the Chickadee Checkoff provide the CORE state funding for Maine’s nongame and endangered species programs. This funding is also used to match federal funds, so the loss would also mean a loss of federal dollars. 16 programs were funded by the Chickadee Checkoff in 2014:
- Assessing Freshwater Wetlands
- Heron Observation Network
- Development of a Remote Sensing Tool for Predicting Tidal Marsh Communities
- Snowy Owl Irruption
- Piping Plover Conservation
- Semipalmated Sandpiper Conservation
- Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
- Maine Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project
- Rare Turtle Conservation
- Bumble Bees: Native Pollinators in Trouble
- Stalking Rare Damsels and Dragons: The Maine Damselfly and Dragonfly Survey
- Arrowhead Spiketail Dragonfly Conservation
- Maine Butterfly Survey
- Rare Mayfly Conservation
- Rare Freshwater Mussel Conservation
- Special Habitats for Reptiles, Amphibians and Invertebrates
Without the chickadee money, these efforts are at great risk!
Please contact the Taxation Committee as soon as possible and urge them to oppose eliminating the Chickadee Checkoff.
Thank you for being part of the solution.
For more information, please contact:
Jenn Burns Gray
Maine Audubon Staff Attorney and Advocate
jgray@maineaudubon.org
(207) 781-2330 x224
