I wasn’t sure what this month’s column would be about, but I needn’t have worried. Don always has a story or two (or more) to tell about the critters and experiences at the Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center! After more than over 50 years in wildlife rehab, you’d think that he’s seen about everything, but 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.
How a Loon Learns to be a Loon
During the last waning days of summer, we sat on a deck overlooking a beautiful lake where Common Loons thrive. We heard them calling through the night and watched as they meandered in the ripping waters just past the dock. And we observed the loon parents as they helped their young one to become a Read More
Critter Chatter – Ready for Release
When I stopped by to chat with Don at the Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center today, I expected to see the usual pet carriers and cages with rescued critters in the living room. I was surprised to find no one in the incubators or cages! Sadly, the chipmunk that had been admitted last week with Read More
Critter Chatter — An Amazing Delivery
As I slowed down to turn into the driveway at the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center, I couldn’t help but notice the SUV ahead of me did likewise. I could never have imagined the story that the driver soon shared with Don and me about the three-week-old fawn she had in the dog kennel in Read More
My Maine This Week: Birds by Leda Beth Gray
Whenever NRCM member Leda Beth Gray of Blue Hill, Maine, sends in some My Maine This Week photos, I learn something. Sometimes, it’s a photo of lichen she saw on Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park. Other times it is a cool caterpillar she saw close to home. This week’s photos are of baby birds Read More
Greg LeClair Honored with National Conservation Young Leader Award
National Wildlife Federation news release RESTON, Va. (June 22, 2023) — Greg LeClair, founder and lead organizer of Maine Big Night, is the recipient of the National Conservation Young Leader Award from the National Wildlife Federation. The award recognizes LeClair for his tireless dedication to protecting wildlife through innovative solutions and collaboration throughout Maine. Greg Read More
Critter Chatter — Some Things Never Change
I was planning to write about the two fawns at the Duckpond Wildlife Rehab Center, but after reading through some old columns written by Don’s late wife, Carleen, I was again moved by the years of dedicated, tireless — and often under-appreciated — commitment the Cotes have given to literally thousands of wild critters since Read More
Senators Collins and King Back Bipartisan Bill to Help Maine’s At-Risk Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation and Natural Resources Council of Maine news release Senator Angus King has joined Senator Susan Collins in cosponsoring a bipartisan wildlife conservation bill, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, that will inject $11.5 million into Maine annually to help at-risk wildlife species. “The federal government plays a critical role in protecting threatened and endangered Read More
Critter Chatter — Fox News (and I Don’t Mean the Channel)
In mid-April, I got a call from Don at the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center, asking if I still wanted to take pictures of a “little red.” I’m always up for a photo opportunity, especially of young critters, so I headed over expecting to see a baby red squirrel in one of the incubators. When Read More
