In 2003, 98,000 gallons of oil spilled in Buzzards Bay from a tank barge called Bouchard B-120. An estimated 531 Common Loons, overwintering in Buzzards Bay (off the coasts of MA and RI), died from direct or indirect impacts from this spill. Now, a natural resources damage settlement from this spill, announced by the U.S. […]
Media Release
Maine Audubon Annual Loon Count Set for July 17
A loon glides across a still lake, the white dots on its black wings appearing to sparkle in the reflection off the water. But suddenly it gives out a quavering laugh. This �tremolo� usually means the loon feels alarmed or threatened. What has bothered this loon? It might be another loon intruding in its territory, […]
Migration tracking tools come to Maine Audubon
Maine Audubon is joining a massive international effort to track animal movements through automated radio telemetry, a project called the Motus Wildlife Tracking Network. It’s already teaching us new things about how birds and other animals are moving through Maine. Motus, from the Latin for “movement,” seeks to track species migration via a collaborative network […]
Maine Audubon Invites Plein Air Painters to Apply for Brush with Nature
Maine Audubon is pleased to announce a very special event for this fall. In place of our annual Nature of Craft Show, we are inviting plein air painters to be inspired by nature at our sanctuaries and create art outdoors to engage visitors in the artistic process. Juried artists will paint at the eight Maine […]
Help Wildlife with Better Stream Smart Crossings
What helps wildlife and protects public safety at the same time? Stream Smart crossings, of course! Stream Smart crossings are culverts and bridges that allow streams to flow naturally as if the road wasn’t even there. Not only does this allow fish and wildlife to move freely and safely through the landscape, but it also […]
Maine Audubon Remembers George Smith
In one of the many tributes to George Smith, who recently passed away after a four-year battle with ALS, George noted that one of his most prized accomplishments was establishing the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF), a specially-designed program that awards grants for wildlife and habitat conservation, land protection and stewardship, endangered species, and law […]
Op-Ed: Legislature should take steps to keep solar development green
Note: This is the text of an op-ed column published in the February 4, 2021, Portland Press Herald.� By Ellen Griswold, Policy and Research Director, Maine Farmland Trust, and Eliza Donoghue, Director of Advocacy & Staff Attorney, Maine Audubon Tux Turkel’s January 4 article describing Maine’s current solar development �land rush� is spot on. […]
Volunteers Get Creative During 2020 Annual Loon Count
In a year when it seemed like just about everything could go wrong, a few things did go right. Thanks to 48 regional coordinators and 1,347 volunteers, Maine Audubon’s Annual Loon Count was one of them. They overcame many hurdles in order to complete the annual snapshot census of Maine’s loon population that takes place […]
Lead Tackle Buy Back Program Off to Great Start
There’s nothing more iconic than the haunting call of a Common Loon. But loons are way more than just icons. The loon’s dependence on clear, clean water and healthy fish populations makes it an important biological indicator, and long-term studies have shown that lead poisoning from the ingestion of lead fishing tackle is one of […]