Wildlife is an important part of Maine’s identity, but many species are of high conservation concern. We’re highlighting a few at-risk species in this special coloring section provided by talented Maine artist Toki Oshima. We invite you to get creative, and send us your finished “artwork” care of Allison Wells, 3 Wade Street, Augusta, ME Read More
endangered species
Five Endangered Species from Maine You Should Know About
Each species has an important ecological role to play in the web of life. Diverse ecosystems are more resilient to change, and collectively, the planet’s array of plants and animals provide valuable services, helping clean our air and water, cycle nutrients, prevent erosion, provide food and fiber, offer recreational opportunities and places of solace, and Read More
Creature Feature: Piping Plover
Piping Plover Scientific name: Charadrius melodus Cool fact: A Piping Plover parent will attempt to lure a potential predator away from its nest by feigning a broken wing. A small, pale-brown bird that nests on sandy beaches, the Piping Plover, along with its sand-colored eggs and chicks, can be difficult to see. Thus camouflaged, they Read More
Why Biodiversity Matters to Maine and the World
Spotting a Canada lynx is an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime moment for many in Maine’s North Woods. As is watching a wild Atlantic salmon swim upstream to spawn or a Piping Plover trot across a sandy beach. These inspiring animals have something in common not only because they wow us when we have the opportunity to see Read More
An Afternoon to Honor Nathaniel Reed
Nathaniel Reed was a nationally known environmental champion who helped turn the Endangered Species Act into law and shepherded many other environmental laws while serving as an assistant secretary of the Department of Interior in the 1970s. He lived in and loved Florida, but also had a summer home in Winter Harbor and loved Maine Read More
Creature Feature: Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Bombus affinis Cool Fact: Bumble bee queens hatch in the fall and spend the winter a few inches below the snow. In the shortening days of late August and September, the bumble bees are ever-present in the garden. Deliberate in their flight, they hover and land on the oregano, arugula, butterflyweed, Read More
Last of Their Kind in the Year of the Bird
Like many of you, we mourned the loss of the last male northern white rhino on Earth. His name was Sudan. Though he was named for the country where he was born, Sudan had spent most of his life in a zoo in the Czech Republic. While Sudan lived out his life thousands of miles Read More
As Gulf of Maine Warms, Puffins Recast as Canaries in a Coal Mine
by Colin Woodard, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story The puffins are having a better year. On a late June day, the adults are landing on the rocky shore of this 7-acre bird sanctuary in flights of three or four, their bright red and yellow beaks stuffed with sand lance, tiny haddock and white 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
