Animal migrations are a natural marvel. Seeing the departure and return of birds, like sandpipers, puffins, and a number of songbirds and waterfowl, to and from Maine every year is a joyful way to mark the seasons. But have you ever considered making the journey yourself to take in the sights and sounds of a Read More
Protecting Wildlife
New Canadian National Park is Good for Maine’s Birds
What is the largest protected area you know? Is it Baxter State Park? Yellowstone? Are you sitting down? Thaidene Nene, a new Canadian national park reserve, is more than 25 times larger than Baxter and more than twice the size of Yellowstone. At more than six million acres, Thaidene Nene is one of the largest Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 102, An Act to Improve the Manufacturing of Plastic Bottles and Caps
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of LD 102, An Act to Improve the Read More
January 16, 2019: “Defending the Arctic Refuge”: Film Screening and Discussion, Falmouth
Wednesday, January 16, 2019 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Maine Audubon, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, ME 04105 $10 for members of WAC, Maine Audubon, and NRCM; $15 for non-members. All proceeds from the event went to the filmmakers. NRCM, in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Maine and Maine Audubon, hosted a film screening Read More
Saving Songbirds Starts with Your Morning Coffee
“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
Athens Community School Middle School Students Learn about Local Wildlife
At Athens Community School, we have a unique Friday afternoon program called Learning Power. In this mock community, students choose a group to join for the year where they learn and practice real-life skills. This year, my group is a 4-H Club. In 4-H, children “learn by doing” while applying life skills, strengthening the fundamentals Read More
April 3, 2018: “Smog of the Sea” Film Screening, Belfast
The Smog of the Sea chronicles a one-week journey through the remote waters of the Sargasso Sea. Marine scientist Marcus Eriksen invited onboard an unusual crew to help him study the sea: renowned surfers Keith & Dan Malloy, musician Jack Johnson, spearfisher woman Kimi Werner, and bodysurfer Mark Cunningham become citizen scientists on a mission Read More
Survey of Casco Bay Finds Microplastics in Four Distinct Regions
The Friends of Casco Bay assessment identifies pieces of the plastic waste, which marine life can ingest and which attract toxins. But none of the microbeads banned in Maine in 2015 showed up. By Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The first survey of Casco Bay for microplastics, the troubling, hard-to-see fragments Read More
Celebrating the Year of the Bird
This year, 2018, marks the 100-year anniversary of the signing of our own Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It’s because of this treaty that many bird species—including some for which Maine is well known—are still with us. In fact, without the MBTA, species such as the Common Eider and Wood Duck likely would have disappeared from Read More
