By Nora Flaherty MPBN news story PORTLAND, Maine – The death of a loon from avian malaria on a lake straddling Oxford County, Maine, and New Hampshire is raising concerns about climate change and illnesses transmitted through insect bites. The bird, a Common Loon, died last summer on Umbagog Lake. It’s the first confirmed death Read More
Protecting Wildlife
Maine is home to a wide variety of wildlife, and, for some species, Maine makes up a vast majority of their range or provides essential habitat that can’t be found elsewhere. NRCM works to protect Maine’s wildlife by advocating for policies that ensure they have healthy habitat and abundant resources to thrive.
Bill to Loosen Maine’s Mining Rules Overwhelmingly Rejected in House
By A.J. Higgins MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – A proposal to loosen mining regulations in Maine has suffered a setback in Augusta. The Maine House overwhelmingly rejected the measure, which first emerged three years ago, after a Canadian corporation expressed interest in developing mining operations on land it owns at Bald Mountain in Aroostook Read More
Climate Change Threatens 1 in 13 Species, Study Says
The extinction rate doesn’t mean all of those species will be gone; some will just be on an irreversible decline. By Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press Associated Press news story WASHINGTON — Global warming will eventually push 1 out of every 13 species on Earth into extinction, a new study projects. It won’t quite be Read More
Canadians Oppose Closure of St. Croix River Basin to Alewives
By Tom Porter MPBN news story The Canadian government has joined the fray over a controversial proposal to prevent the passage of alewives into the St. Croix River near the international border. Ottawa wants unrestricted alewife passage, something which conservationists support, but which the recreational fishing lobby says could have devastating effects on the local Read More
Government to Spend $3.2 Million to Help Monarch Butterfly
About two-thirds of the money will be used to restore more than 200,000 acres of habitat from California to the Corn Belt. By Dina Cappiello, The Associated Press news story WASHINGTON — The federal government pledged $3.2 million on Monday to help save the monarch butterfly, the iconic orange-and-black butterfly that can migrate thousands of miles Read More
Bowdoin Biologist Investigates Tadpole Die-off
Nat Wheelwright says 200,000 died in less than a day last year. ‘It was like a nuclear bomb went off.’ by Chelsea Diana, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story More than 200,000 wood frog tadpoles died within 21 hours last year at a pond in Nat Wheelwright’s backyard in Brunswick, in what may be Read More
Birding the Proposed National Park Lands
by Allison and Jeff Wells For birders like us, there’s no better way to explore new places than by watching and listening for the birds found there. Add to it another dozen bird enthusiasts and make the setting the breathtaking lands east of Baxter State Park proposed as a National Park and National Recreation Area, Read More
Humans Changed Behavior, and Alewives are Rebounding in Kennebec, Penobscot, St. Croix
By Lisa Pohlmann, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed For the last few weeks sea-run fish known as alewives have been heading up Maine’s rivers to lay their eggs. Their journey is a breathtaking force of nature to behold, as they fight strong currents, heading upstream in droves. While probably hundreds of millions Read More
Report Shows Climate Change Hurting Next Generation of Maine Wildlife
Gray, ME – Future generations of America’s wildlife and our outdoor heritage are already being hurt by climate change, with urgent action needed at all levels to avoid catastrophic changes, according to a new National Wildlife Federation report. Wildlife Legacy: Climate Change and the Next Generation of Wildlife gives 15 examples of how climate change poses threats Read More