It's worth reminding yourself once in a while that life may not exist anywhere else but Earth. We are incredibly lucky to be sharing this planet with the products of billions of years of evolution, in which life has wriggled itself into seemingly every nook and cranny possible. We live among birds …
Federal Advocacy
Why Maine Needs The Great American Outdoors Act
The Great American Outdoors Act is on path to becoming law! This bipartisan piece of legislation has passed the Senate and is expected to pass the House in late July. If and when it becomes law, this Act will benefit Mainers by providing permanent funding for thousands of acres of public outdoor …
Maine Audubon and Patagonia Freeport Join Forces for the Endangered Species Act
Shop and save has new meaning this month as Maine Audubon and Patagonia team up to protect the Endangered Species Act. Shoppers at the Patagonia Freeport store (100 Main Street, Freeport) are now greeted near the doors by an Endangered Species Act (ESA) display, featuring free "trading cards" …
Destructive Changes Proposed to Important Bird Law
The changes to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) most recently proposed by the Trump Administration are almost impossible to comprehend. Proposed rules state that migratory bird death will only be prosecuted if the express purpose of the action was to intentionally kill birds. This means that the …
Endangered Species Act: What Do the Changes Mean for Maine Wildlife?
An estimated one million species of plants and animals currently face an imminent threat of extinction. Nevertheless, the Trump Administration has just issued new regulations significantly weakening our nation's most successful wildlife conservation law, the Endangered Species Act. On Thursday, …
Renewed Urgency for Protection of Maine Wildlife
The most challenging aspect of human impact on the environment is that we get used to it. It's easy to see colorful birds at your feeders this spring and forget that there are billions fewer songbirds than there used to be, or enjoy a day at the beach in Maine without realizing that the Gulf of …
Disgusting Photos of a Maine River Before the Clean Water Act
October 18 marks the 46th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act. That's a long time, and it can be difficult to remember just how bad things were on some of Maine's rivers before the Clean Water Act forced pollution to be cleaned up. We'd like to remind you how far we've come. Between …
Congress Has Let the Land & Water Conservation Fund Expire
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has expired. Congress failed to reauthorize the program over the weekend, meaning the 52-year-old fund is no longer collecting money to conserve parks, forests, watersheds, recreation areas, and open spaces as of this week. At the time of my writing, …
Honoring Dick Anderson with a Congressional Proclamation
Last weekend, we set sail on the 50th anniversary voyage of our Bald Eagles of Merrymeeting Bay boat trip (it was an incredible day -- you can read about it in Nick's excellent write-up). We saw 47 Bald Eagles, which is a thrill in and of itself...but the highlight of the day was having an …