Greetings from the Coastal Birds Crew! It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through the survey season. So far, it’s been full of surprises, both good and challenging. We faced our first big challenge in May when a rare, spring nor’easter washed out 30 Piping Plover nests. Once the storm passed, our team […]
Policy & Advocacy
Maine Audubon Comments on CMP’s New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) Conservation Plan
First proposed back in 2017, New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) is a transmission line designed to bring electricity from hydropower facilities in Quebec to consumers in Massachusetts as part of the regional electrical grid. The construction route includes clearing a 150-foot-wide, 53-mile-long line through undeveloped Maine woods between the Canadian border and The Forks […]
Maine Legislature Passes Bill to Increase Protections for Vernal Pools
Maine Audubon is pleased to announce the passage of LD 497, An Act Regarding the Regulation of Significant Vernal Pools Under the Natural Resources Protection Act in the Maine Legislature. Formerly worked within LD 1882 in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, this effort seeks to better protect state-recognized “Significant Vernal Pools,” essential breeding habitat […]
Maine Audubon Celebrates Passage of Neonicotinoid Pesticide Legislation
Maine Audubon is pleased to announce the passage of LD 1323, Resolve: Directing the Board of Pesticides Control to Evaluate the Impacts of Neonicotinoids on Pollinators, Humans and the Environment in the Maine Legislature. The bill requires the state to further evaluate impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics”) on pollinators and people. LD 1323 secured bipartisan […]
Maine Audubon comments on passage of seawall bill
Statement on the Passage of LD 228, “An Act to Allow Coastal Seawalls to Be Raised by up to 2 Feet in Order to Accommodate Predicted Sea Level Rise” On May 29, 2025, Governor Mills signed LD 228, “An Act to Allow Coastal Seawalls to Be Raised by up to 2 Feet in Order to […]
BirdSafe Maine – Spring 2025 Season Recap
May 31 marked the end of BirdSafe Maine’s Spring 2025 bird monitoring season. It was, sadly, another eventful effort in Portland and around Maine, though there are signs of significant progress. Read on to learn about how it went. On the Portland Route We recorded 43 total birds dead or injured on the streets of […]
Make Way For Chicks!
Above photo: A Piping Plover chick on Wells Beach in late May. Photo by Coastal Birds Project Technician Kaily Rich Two weeks ago, the Coastal Birds Crew received some wonderful news: The first Piping Plover chicks of the season hatched! As of May 29, there are 10 chicks running around on Maine’s beaches, and many […]
A Window of Opportunity: Bangor Fifth Graders Step Up for Birds
Glass might look harmless to us, but to birds, it can be deadly. That’s why this month fifth graders at Fairmount School in Bangor have taken action to make their communities safer for migratory birds. Ms. Heath’s 5th grade class from Fairmount School visited the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine […]
Input needed on State Wildlife Action Plan
May 28 update from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: We invite you to provide input on identifying significant Threats and what conservation actions are needed to address those Threats. Step 1: Review the list of Threats and Conservation Actions Step 2: Share your input! Based on your personal understanding of and familiarity with […]