Maine Audubon had the honor of visiting with some nesting Piping Plovers at Popham Beach State Park this morning with Maine’s 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, updating her on our progress protecting these federally threatened shorebirds.� Congresswoman Pingree has long been a champion for wildlife and biodiversity, and now plays a critical role in the […]
Plovers & Terns
It’s Mayhem: Maine Audubon is busting out all over
In May, Maine Audubon staff was out in front of the public leading bird walks, protecting endangered plovers on the beaches, giving forest bird workshops, planting native plants, and more.
The Coastal Birds Crew 2021 season is off and running
Spring is here and that means so are the Piping Plovers and Least Terns. The 2021 Coastal Birds Crew is already hard at work scanning sandy dunes and seaweed-covered wrack lines from Georgetown to Ogunquit. Over the past few weeks, the crew�s primary focus has been surveying for Piping Plover tracks and scrapes: small circular […]
Endangered Species Act: What Do the Changes Mean for Maine Wildlife?
An estimated one million species of plants and animals currently face an imminent threat of extinction. Nevertheless, the Trump Administration has just issued new regulations significantly weakening our nation’s most successful wildlife conservation law, the Endangered Species Act. On Thursday, August 15, Senior Policy and Advocacy Specialist Eliza Donoghue and I met with Senator Susan […]
BREAKING: New Federal Rules Gut Endangered Species Act Protections for Maine Wildlife
PRESS STATEMENT 8/12/2019 Contact: Nick Lund, Outreach and Network Manager, Maine Audubon 207.650.8739| nlund@maineaudubon.org Eliza Donoghue, Senior Policy & Advocacy Specialist, Maine Audubon 207.712.4359 | edonoghue@maineaudubon.org Laura Minch Zitske, Director, Piping Plover & Least Tern Project, Maine Audubon 207.838.1350 | lzitske@maineaudubon.org New Federal Rules Gut Endangered Species Act Protections for Maine Wildlife FALMOUTH � New […]
The New Age of the Piping Plover: Record Numbers Nesting on Maine Beaches in 2019
OLD ORCHARD BEACH � While the Pier and Palace Playland, the Seaside Pavilion, and other summer venues eagerly make arrangements to commemorate the Fourth of July weekend with flocks of revelers, another more delicate variety of beach-goers also attends to peak season preparations. A pair of six-inch tall endangered birds�Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers�have chosen to […]
Piping Plover Party Pays Off as Party-goers Play, Peruse, Participate
Maine Audubon’s first-ever Piping Plover Party took place on Saturday at the�Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center in Saco. Over 100 people turned out to support our Coastal Birds Program, learn about these remarkable birds, and have fun both indoors and out! From bird walks on the beach and lawn games, to delicious food, a […]
A Banner Year for Maine’s Nesting Piping Plovers
The Maine Audubon “plover crew” has wrapped up its 2018 season monitoring the nesting of Piping Plovers on Maine’s beaches — and they have good news to report for this struggling species. “In 2018, we had a record number of nesting pairs and a record number of fledglings for Maine,” explained Laura Minich Zitske, who […]
A Walk and Talk about the Endangered Species Act
Last week brought what could be the most comprehensive attacks to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) we have ever seen. Legislative proposals in Congress and proposed rule changes from the Executive Branch would do everything from bar specific animals from being listed as endangered for a decade, to removing text in the ESA that specifies […]