The other day, while staring out at a snowy Gilsland Farm, I wondered to myself “what are Scarlet Tanagers up to right now?” Something about it being ten degrees was making me think of these striking summer residents. Male Scarlet Tanagers (pictured above) look like ripe Roma tomatoes with solid black wings and a whitish, […]
News & Notes
Gilsland Farm Summer Camps: What’s new for Summer 2026?
We love that a new summer camp season always means new (and familiar) faces, new friendships, and of course, new nature discoveries! We offer summer day camps at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth (Greater Portland) and at Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden (Greater Bangor). This year we’re excited to share a few small […]
Introducing New Lottery System for Gilsland Farm Summer Day Camps
It’s time to think about summer camp! We recognize that the demand for Gilsland Farm summer day camps has been overwhelming and that past registration processes have caused stress for your families and our team. Over the past few years, we have observed that the number of families attempting to enroll in camp when registration […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for January: Tufted Titmouse
You don’t have to be an expert to know what’s on the mind of a Tufted Titmouse. As one of the most vocal birds in Maine, they’re a great subject for studying bird behavior. Their most familiar noises might be their squeaky (dare I say ‘mousey’) contact calls and the raspy, mechanical scolding which you […]
Reducing Rodenticides In Maine
Rodents are a group of mammals defined by one key feature: one pair of continuously growing front teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. We have a lot of rodent species in Maine, including mice, rats, squirrels, beavers, porcupines, and more. Rodents are a fascinating and diverse family, but they’re not always the most […]
Conservation Groups File Appeal Urging CMP Compliance With Mature Forest Requirements
For Immediate Release – December 18, 2025 (Augusta, ME) – Several of the state’s leading conservation groups have filed an appeal with the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) asking them to require improvements to Central Maine Power’s (CMP) flawed Conservation Plan for the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project. As outlined in its permit […]
Winter Seed Sowing: why and how to do it
As winter settles across Maine, the landscape may look dormant, but it’s a vital and active season for native plants. Many Maine native species rely on cold, moist winter conditions to break seed dormancy and prepare for spring growth. By sowing seeds in winter, we’re working with nature’s timing — just as these plants have […]
Trump Administration Proposes Four Additional Changes to the Endangered Species Act
2025 has been a difficult year for the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The new administration and Congress are working quickly to weaken the effectiveness of the Act, one of the most popular and successful environmental laws in the nation. In May, the Department of the Interior proposed changing the way it defines “harm” under the […]
Forest Conservation Easement Report Published
Approximately 90% of Maine is covered in forestland, making it the most heavily forested state in the nation. Millions of these acres are included in a complex grid of small and large working forest conservation easements. Maine Audubon undertook a detailed assessment of the terms of these easements and conducted an analysis of how well […]