Did you know that the Mahoosuc ecological reserve is one of only a few places in Maine where Cutler’s goldenrod occurs? This delicate yellow flower is endemic to a naturally scarce habitat type. It is also one of many powerful messengers demonstrating why Maine’s ecological reserve system is so vitally important—and should be expanded.
Maine’s ecological reserve system was created by law in 2000 to conserve the state’s rich array of plant and animal life, and to protect good-quality examples of all the habitat types found in Maine. Today, the role of ecological reserves in supporting long-term scientific research and education, preserving biodiversity, and helping mitigate climate change is more critical than ever.
Some say ecological reserves are the closest thing Maine has to wilderness, and we should do what we can to keep them in place and designate more of these public lands. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands manages 19 ecological reserves that encompass 97,000 acres, including Nahmakanta, Crocker Mountain, and Duck Lake. However, arbitrary limits in the law are preventing the conservation of additional habitats, especially in southern Maine, that currently lack protection. We have a chance to change this in the Maine Legislature this year by urging lawmakers to pass LD 736.
A new set of illustrations by Zoe Keller, commissioned by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), focuses an artist’s light on why this legislation is so important. Their beautiful work highlights seven of Maine’s ecological reserves. They provide a keen and colorful glimpse of the species and landscapes that are being protected and why public lands are so valuable.
Bigelow Preserve: A Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) perches on a balsam fir (Abies balsamea) on Bigelow ridge with view of West Peak in Franklin County. Bigelow Preserve encompasses the highest elevational gradient of all the reserves and contains excellent examples of successional wetland systems as well as good examples of beech-birch-maple forest and montane spruce-fir forest communities.
Cutler Coast: A blue-flag iris (Iris versicolor) and Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are featured here on the iconic, craggy Bold Coast at Cutler Preserve in Washington County. This ecological reserve includes coastal plateau bogs, open headlands, and bluejoint meadows that are characteristic of Downeast Maine.
Deboullie: The only intact native populations of landlocked Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in the continental U.S. are in Maine, including here at Deboullie in Aroostook County. Several plant species that are threatened or of special concern can be found on this unit as well, including Arctic sandwort, northern woodsia, and few-flowered spikerush.
Mahoosuc Unit: A yellow-banded bumblebee (Bombus terricola) hovers over alpine blueberry (Vaccinium boreale) at Mahoosuc Notch in Oxford County. This unit spans an alpine ridge that supports numerous populations of rare plants and is known to be one of the most difficult sections of the Appalachian Trail.
Number Five Bog: A Quebec emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora brevicincta), an imperiled species in Maine, rests on leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) above sphagnum moss in Somerset County. Designated as a National Natural Landmark for its special features, the area includes the largest stand of inland jack pine in the state. This ecological reserve helps protect the 92-acre Bog Pond, one of the largest ponds entirely within a peatland in Maine, as well as 15 miles of shoreline of Moose River, a Class A Maine river.
St. John Ponds: A male moose (Alces americanus) wades through water at one of the five St. John Ponds in Somerset County, a chain of shallow lakes at the headwaters of the St. John River in the North Maine Woods. Beaked sedge (Carex rostrata), a state species of special concern, is in the foreground. The 275-acre wetland on Third St. John Pond is considered an exemplary Streamshore Ecosystem.
Tunk Lake Area: Old-growth red spruce tree (Picea rubens) and American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are typical species found near Wizard Pond in Hancock County, an area that includes some of Maine’s few old-growth tree stands. This area offers nesting habitat for a number of coniferous forest specialist bird species, such as Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Bay-breasted Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Boreal Chickadee, Northern Parula, Swainson’s Thrush, Red Crossbill, and White-Winged Crossbill.
These are just a few of the incredible examples of biological diversity that make ecological reserves so essential. In addition to safeguarding extraordinary plants and animals, among other species, they provide tremendous value to Maine people because they offer sites for recreation, help maintain a clean and healthy environment, and absorb climate-changing pollution.
The science backs this up. One-third of land-based species in the U.S. are threatened with extinction, and one-third of Maine species are highly vulnerable to climate change. According to the National Audubon Society, 52% of Maine’s 230 bird species are vulnerable to climate change across seasons. Worldwide, one million species are jeopardized by extinction.
As Maine faces growing threats from development, pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change, we must continue to protect at-risk species and ensure ecosystems remain intact, yet significant gaps in the ecological reserve system remain.
You can support ecological reserves by urging lawmakers to pass LD 736, which would allow the Bureau of Parks and Lands to designate more ecological reserves or expand existing ones by removing arbitrary limits in the law.
To learn more, check out NRCM’s new report: “Maine’s Ecological Reserves: Meeting the Promise of Saving All the Pieces.”
—by Melanie Sturm, NRCM Forests & Wildlife Director
Zoe Keller’s illustrations are beautiful! Are there prints available for purchase? My daughter recently visited Deboullie to attend a County wedding. Anne has fished for Arctic Charr in Alaska, too. Keller’s Deboullie illustration would make a great gift. Thank You. Fully in support of LD 736 and have encouraged my State Reps. to support as well! Kim Hallee
Thank you so much for your feedback, Kim. We hope to provide the illustrations for purchase in the near future and will keep you posted.