The Maine Endangered Species Act, or MESA, has been instrumental in protecting imperiled species in Maine since 1975. The Act is implemented by the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW), and currently provides special protection to 26 endangered and 25 threatened birds, mammals, …
Endangered & Threatened Species
Four Lessons I Learned from Working with Piping Plovers this Summer
Hello! I’m Emma Sloan, a biologist with Maine Audubon’s Plover Crew. We have spent this summer protecting the endangered Piping Plover along 22 beaches in southern Maine. As a new graduate and new resident of Maine, I have learned so much through this work. So, before the season ends, I wanted to …
Raising Salmon, Raising Awareness
Some kids learn how to raise cows or grow potatoes. This spring, 500 students in all 10 of Portland’s public elementary schools had hands-on experience raising endangered Atlantic Salmon! It’s all part of an educational salmon rearing program called Fish Friends, which aims to educate school …
Maine Audubon and Ag Allies announce new partnership to help grassland birds
Bobolinks are one of the most charismatic and iconic species of our grasslands. They, along with other grassland species, have suffered the steepest declines of North American birds in recent decades, dropping 53% between 1970 and 2019. They face threats on several fronts, all across their range …
November 2021 Elections: Information about Question 1
Question 1 is a Citizen’s Initiative that will appear in the November 2021 Maine Referendum Election. This question aims to halt the construction of the “CMP Corridor”, as well as provide additional legislative oversight for future high-impact transmission lines, including lines that cross public …
Piping Plovers: Record-breaking numbers don’t tell the whole story
One possible headline for a story about the 2021 Piping Plover season could be “Endangered Birds Break Records on Maine Beaches in 2021.” That wouldn’t be wrong, and yes, there would be much to celebrate. More Piping Plover pairs than ever before fledged chicks. In 2020, 98 plover pairs fledged 199 …
Big Update on a Successful Piping Plover Season!
Somehow it’s August! The piping plover breeding season is beginning to wind down, birds are taking off from Maine beaches to migrate South for the winter, and Maine Audubon’s Coastal Bird Crew is breathing a little easier. 170 young birds fledged off of beaches from Georgetown to Ogunquit is no …
Dune Grass Habitat: Essential For More Than The Birds
I recently was surveying for some of the last piping plover chicks of the season on Old Orchard Beach when a woman approached me, pointing to the bright green runners of beach grass at my feet. "What type of grass is that?", she asked to which I replied, "dune grass", caught off guard by such a …
July 2021 Coastal Bird Crew Update: Chicks Are Off The Ground
July is here, and while fewer Piping Plover nests are popping up on sandy beaches, a lot of work remains for the Coastal Birds Crew to ensure that young flightless chicks successfully fledge off Maine’s coast. Piping Plover chicks fledge or can fly short distances on the beach within 25 days of …