“The air is crowded with birds — beautiful, tender, intelligent birds — to whom life is a song.” — George Henry Lewes I woke this morning to the musical magic of birdsong—is there anything better? Despite the chilly weather, and the freezing rain earlier this week, songbirds are singing, and IT IS SPRING. In an Read More
Nature of Maine Blog
The Natural Resources Council of Maine’s “Nature of Maine” blog gives you the inside scoop on some of the latest issues facing Maine’s environment. From environmental news to threats to opportunities, NRCM is on the frontlines of the latest goings-on—and we’re often leading the charge on efforts to protect Maine’s precious lands, air, waters, and wildlife. Read what NRCM staff members have to say and get the perspective of some of our members and supporters who have been guest contributors.
Perhaps you have an issue you’d like to write about. Maybe you’re an expert on a particular topic and are inspired to share your expertise. Maybe you’ve recently made a visit to a spectacular Maine nature preserve or other natural area and would like to write about it (captioned photos welcome!). For submission guidelines, email nrcm@nrcm.org.
Science in the Woods—Creating an Outdoor Classroom
Forty Days in the Woods is a science program I designed at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, to engage K-8 children as citizen-scientists and future stewards of the environment through use of an outdoor learning center and curriculum. Students have conducted ecological, arboreal, and animal studies in collaboration with mentor scientists and Read More
Animating Students to Reduce Climate Change
Students in the Gifted and Talented program in the RSU 75 school district are creating a short film and lesson for younger students to show how they can help solve problems associated with climate change. Students plan to go to area elementary schools and present their videos along with a brief classroom activity. They have been making Read More
Hall-Dale Middle School Environmental Club Food Waste Reduction Project
When the HDMS Environmental Club first met in September to discuss potential environmentally focused school projects, we decided to focus on food waste reduction in the cafeteria. First, we needed to find a local farmer to pick up food waste on a daily basis, to alleviate concerns from the Manager of Buildings and Grounds and Read More
Wildlife Habitat Design in a Wounded World
“If we continue to damage our ecosystem, we damage ourselves. Can our intelligence save us?” — David Attenborough We are living in a wounded world. If you dwell on the state of things too much, you can feel paralytic, helpless, and angry. But we must keep calm and carry on. We owe it to ourselves, Read More
How and Why We Invested in Bird-friendly Glass at the University of New England
In the breathtaking closing scene of the 2015 documentary, The Messenger, children and adults visiting the Royal Ontario Museum sort and organize thousands of birds that died after flying into windows in Toronto, Canada. The colors, shapes and sizes—of both birds and people—are striking. I show this film to the Avian Ecology and Conservation class Read More
Robin Hunting—and Eating—and the Year of the Bird
You may know that the early settlers to North America named the American Robins we know and love today. But did you know they also ate them? When the first European settlers saw the bird, they named the species “robin” based on the robins they knew back in Europe. That species, now called the European Read More
Loranger Memorial School Trail Mapping Project
The fifth, sixth, and seventh grade GATES (gifted and talented) students from Loranger Memorial School are working together on this project with help from their teacher, Mrs. Nye. The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is helping us by providing a grant that we will use to go on field trips to local trails in Read More
Hope Elementary School’s 7th Grade Invasive Species Project
The 7th grade class from Hope Elementary School (HES) is undertaking a project funded by the Natural Resources Council of Maine to investigate invasive aquatic plant species. With their teacher, Mr. Amundsen, they have proposed to survey and detect the presence of invasive aquatic plant species from a local lake in Hope. Invasive aquatic species Read More
