I’m a glass-half-full kind of person, so I see the end of Daylight Saving Time as a gift: Soon we’re about to get another hour of daylight in the morning. PSA: Remember to set your clocks back an hour on November 7 at 2 am (or when you go to bed Saturday evening).
I will concede that leaving work when it’s dark out does make for a tough adjustment. It feels a bit like fall just started, what with all those warm days in October, so the setting back of the clocks really feels like we’re admitting that winter’s coming. And I’ll be honest, I’ve already started thinking about the holidays.
In thinking about Thanksgiving, I feel thankful for so many things. For one thing, I’m thankful it’s not November 2020! But even though this election is nothing like last year’s tumultuous Presidential election, it’s still important to exercise your right to vote. Make sure you know your polling place and vote on Election Day. We’ve prepared an information sheet around the Clean Energy Connect issue on Referendum 1; read it here before you head to the polls.
I’m thankful that at Maine Audubon we’ve been able to continue our important work to protect our state’s wildlife and habitat, increase our work on renewable energy and climate change, and help support the next generation of environmental stewards. Though COVID has taken its toll on us, we’ve been able to carry on most of our conservation and education work, thanks to your continued support.
Looking ahead to the holiday season of gift-giving, there’s no greater gift than the gift of wildlife. If you keep Maine Audubon in mind as you prepare for the holidays, you’ll be supporting Common Loons, Monarch Butterflies, Bald Eagles, and Brook Trout. You’ll be supporting pollinators and insects and birds who rely on habitats we are working to restore and native plants we grow and sell, from asters to milkweeds to blueberry bushes. You’ll be supporting our educators who are working with students in grades pre-K to 12, across the state, in urban and rural areas, connecting them with wildlife, teaching them about water cycles, adaptations, migration, and much more.
You can support our work by shopping in our Nature Stores where we’ve got locally-made and unique gifts, bird-friendly products, and engaging books for those quiet evenings in front of the fireplace. This year we’ll have gift cards available as well, if you can’t think of the perfect gift for that certain someone. You can also give a gift membership so that others can experience the benefits of a Maine Audubon membership.
One of my favorite gifts is Peter Vickery’s Birds of Maine. This is the first comprehensive overview of Maine’s incredibly rich birdlife in more than seven decades. It not only provides a detailed account of all 464 species recorded in the Pine Tree State, but also provides a well researched portrait of a region undergoing rapid changes. This book makes a wonderful gift for anyone interested in Maine’s birds.
In the quiet post-pumpkin pie evenings, I’m thankful for the gift that is life in Maine, and the Maine Audubon community that supports and participates in the efforts to conserve this beautiful state and all its inhabitants.
