The Lower Kennebec River Estuary (including Merrymeeting Bay) is the largest tidal estuary on the Eastern Seaboard north of Chesapeake Bay. The lower reaches of this large embayment have extensive salt marsh, a rare habitat in Maine that offers valuable foraging, nesting, and wintering habitat for thousands of wading birds, shorebirds and migrating waterfowl. Boaters Read More
Wildlife Watching
Maine is home to many iconic species of wildlife—the Common Loon, black bears, Canada lynx, Osprey, and of course, moose! Exploring Maine's outdoors often offers you a glimpse of these beautiful creatures. Learn more about Maine wildlife in our Creature Feature. Explore these locations for a chance to see Maine's wildlife up close. Please remember to leave their nests, dens, and young offspring alone if you come across them while exploring.
Machias River Project
The Machias River ranks with the St. John, the Allagash, and the Penobscot as one of Maine’s most scenic and outstanding paddling rivers. Over the course of 76 miles, canoeists enjoy an array of water courses–from lakes and swamps to rapids and a waterfall. The river is rich in brook trout, bass, and pickerel, and each spring Read More
Marshall Island
With generous support from the Land for Maine’s Future program and private donors, Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) acquired all of Marshall Island, which was the largest remaining undeveloped and unprotected island on the nation’s Eastern Seaboard. Marshall is located in Jericho Bay, between Mount Desert Island and Isle au Haut. With 981 acres of Read More
Mattawamkeag Lake
With funding support from the Land for Maine’s Future program, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands acquired an easement and two fee parcels protecting 3,026 acres around the southern end of Mattawamkeag Lake. The easement allows sustainable forestry while preventing future development and guaranteeing continued pedestrian access for fishing, swimming, and camping. The protected Read More
Mattawamkeag River
As part of a complex multi-property purchase, the Land for Maine’s Future program funded State acquisition of 4,119 acres of woodland, wetlands, and cedar swamp along the Mattawamkeag River east of Kingman and 1,204 acres along 4 miles of its tributary, Mattagodus Stream. The highly productive wetlands that characterize both properties offer outstanding habitat for Read More
Mill Pond Park
Like many island communities in Maine, Swans Island has experienced a steady loss in public shore access in recent years. New development and changes in ownership have closed off lands by which community members once reached the water. When an opportunity arose to secure a waterfront park site, town residents acted quickly to acquire the Read More
Morgan Meadow
Located within 20 miles of more than one-quarter million people, Morgan Meadow offers a remarkably wild setting–with nearly a thousand acres of unbroken woodland and a 100-acre freshwater wetland. The property provides a significant natural sanctuary in the midst of development spreading out from Greater Portland and Lewiston-Auburn. Morgan Meadow shelters old-growth white pine and Read More
Morong Cove
Cobscook Bay, with its 18-foot tides and sub-arctic water temperatures, provides a uniquely productive marine ecosystem that lures a diverse array of wildlife. The three inner bays – Dennys, Whiting, and Straight – hold the greatest importance for wildlife and have been the focus for extensive conservation work in recent years. The Land for Maine’s Read More
Mount Agamenticus to the Sea
The lands surrounding Mount Agamenticus contain the state’s most diverse array of species and the largest number of rare and endangered species, despite being situated in Maine’s most densely populated county. Over the dozen years preceding 2002, the amount of conserved land in the vicinity of Mount Agamenticus and the York River doubled, thanks to Read More
