It’s estimated that one million birds die�per day�around the country after colliding with glass windows.�We need your help understanding this problem so we can craft and implement solutions. We are looking for volunteers this spring migration to join us on the early-morning streets of Portland to look for birds that have struck buildings to help […]
New Bill to Protect Water Quality in the Presumpscot (and Beyond)
Fifty years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, our fight to protect clean water in Maine continues. There was a public hearing on February 28 on LD 1964, a bill to reclassify certain waterways in Maine to reflect their improved status. This happens every three years, when the Maine Department of Environmental Protection […]
Encouraging Climate Education in Maine Public Schools
Maine�s climate is changing rapidly, and our best chance to mitigate or prevent harm in the future is to act decisively now. That means reducing greenhouse gases, transitioning to a clean energy climate, and preparing our children for the future. A bill moving forward in the legislature, LD 1902, would address the latter point and […]
Priority Legislation: Improving Maine’s Ecological Reserve System
Among our priority legislation for the second session of Maine’s 130th legislature is LD 736, An Act To Enhance the Ecological Reserve System. As Maine faces growing threats from irresponsible development, pollution, and climate change, it is more important than ever to protect rare, threatened, and endangered species and ensure ecosystems remain intact. Maine�s ecological […]
Priority Legislation: Encouraging Climate Change Education in Public Schools
One of Maine Audubon’s priority bills during this, the second session of the 130th state legislature, is LD 1902: Resolve, To Establish a Pilot Program To Encourage Climate Education in Maine Public Schools. Supported by a strong coalition of local nature-based education organizations and youth activists, LD 1902 would give teachers the tools they need […]
The Climate Action Plan: A Full Year of Progress!
It�s been a full year since Governor Mills released the Climate Action Plan (CAP), a blueprint for meeting Maine�s ambitious climate goals authored by the Maine Climate Council. One year isn�t a very long time, especially when much of the public focus has remained on dealing with the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, but the state has […]
Bird/Glass Collision Project Wraps Fall 2021 Season with Record Numbers
Every morning between September 7 and October 31, 2021, more than 20 volunteers woke up early to hit the streets of Portland to search for birds that collided with glass windows. This monitoring program began just a year ago, during the fall of 2020, and so we were able to compare seasonal data for the […]
Tracking an Invasion at Gilsland Farm
All the basic information about the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is right there in its name: “emerald” refers to the hue of its iridescent body; “ash” for the family of trees that these jewel beetles feed and lay their eggs on; and “borer” for the tunnels young beetles dig through the bark, eventually leading […]
Major Energy Upgrades at Fields Pond Audubon Center!
The Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden got some major energy upgrades this fall with the installation of rooftop solar panels and heat pumps. The Center, which was also recently outfitted with a Motus tower to track migratory animals moving overhead, is now set to be 100% powered by its rooftop photovoltaic system, and heated […]