Earlier this week, I had a great opportunity to collaborate with AMC, National Audubon Society, and other members of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition to ask for congressional support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). LWCF is an important 52-year old funding mechanism …
Federal Advocacy
Andy’s Note: Mr. Beahm Goes to Washington
Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, to take part in the annual gathering of the "Independent Audubons." Around the country, many Audubon organizations -- particularly in the northeast -- predated the creation of the National Audubon Society. Many of those have remained …
Federal Whistleblower Joel Clement to Speak at Maine Audubon
On Thursday, March 15, Maine Audubon will host climate whistleblower Joel Clement at Gilsland Farm as part of our Speaker Series. The event -- Silencing Science: An Insider's Take on the Trump Administration's Efforts to Undermine Federal Climate Policy -- features Clement, former director of the …
Action Alert: Speak Out Against Offshore Drilling
As you likely know, the Trump Administration has announced a proposal to open nearly all U.S. coastal waters to oil and gas drilling, including along the coast of Maine. Our coast is essential to Maine's natural and cultural heritage, critical to our wildlife, our economy, and our daily lives. …
Is the Endangered Species Act an endangered species?
As a biologist and the director of Maine Audubon's Coastal Birds Project, I see first-hand how essential the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is for protecting our most at-risk flora and fauna. The Piping Plover is listed as a threatened species under the ESA. As a listed species, that means …
Oil drilling in the Arctic will spoil coastal plains
On November 27, 2017, Maine Audubon's wildlife biologist Susan Gallo wrote an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News on the need to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. Despite urging from Maine Audubon and the environmental community, Senator Collins voted for a tax bill …
My DC “Fly in” to protect ANWR for wildlife
Although Maine Audubon's lens is usually (and rightly) focused on wildlife and habitat issues within the state of Maine, there are times when issues "from away" warrant our time and attention. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is one of those. Maine is an unparalleled fall destination …
Action Alert: Last chance to speak up in defense of Maine’s new National Monument
We have a few days left to weigh in with our comments in support of the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Your comments can help ensure this new national monument remains a protected piece of Maine's landscape. The Department of Interior (DOI) is accepting public comments as part of …
Our response to the president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord
Today's announcement by President Trump that the United States government will withdraw from the Paris climate accord is short-sighted on nearly every front. It sets us up for increased human suffering, damage to infrastructure and to the economy from more severe storms and rising sea levels, and an …