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NEWS & NOTESAdvocacyAdvocating for Endangered SpeciesMaine Audubon’s advocacy team spends most of its time campaigning for wildlife and habitat in the Maine State House, but federal advocacy is a big part of what we do, too, and no federal conservation law is as important to us as the Endangered Species Act.Recently, Policy Advocate Ches Gundrum and Sta Naturalist Doug Hitchcox joined wildlife conservation partners from across the country to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in Washington, D.C.The Endangered Species Act has been critical to the recovery of some of Maine’s most iconic wildlife, including the Bald Eagle and the Piping Plover. Maine Audubon was eager to tell our federal representatives about how important the Endangered Species Act is to our ongoing eorts to protect our state’s most vulnerable species.With Rep. Jared Golden, and alongside advocates from Sierra Club Maine, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Endangered Species Coalition, we spoke about the Act’s status and eorts underway to establish a National Biodiversity Strategy. We shared blueberry bread with Senator Angus King and discussed current threats to the Endangered Species Act’s funding and recent attempts to weaken the law. With Senator Susan Collins we discussed those same funding hurdles and spoke about Endangered Species Act success stories—like the Bald Eagle—and Maine’s role in these conservation achievements. Our nal meeting was with Rep. Chellie Pingree’s oce where we chatted about how we can all work together to keep the Endangered Species Act intact, funded, and strong long into the future.Neither Ches nor Doug were around in the 1970s to witness this historic legislation getting signed into law, but they experience its legacy in their work each day. Whether it’s Ches’ work advocating for adding species like the Northern Long-Eared Bat to the Endangered Species Act list or Doug’s work educating people about conservation eorts to save the federally-endangered Roseate Tern from extinction, they are committed to championing the Endangered Species Act’s mandate in their own ways—always with shared passion and purpose.To stay engaged with our advocacy eorts, sign up for Action Alerts at maineaudubon.org/act.Top: Ches Gundrum and Doug Hitchcox; Bottom: At Senator Collins' oce. 2MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
Becoming Bird SafeUp to one billion birds die per year in the United States after colliding with glass windows, but BirdSafe Maine aims to lower that number. A collaboration between Maine Audubon, the Portland Society for Architecture, and the University of Southern Maine, BirdSafe Maine has been collecting bird collision data and consulting with architects and builders for three years, and our eorts are paying o across the state.STATE LEGISLATION. Maine became one of just a handful of states to take statewide action on bird safe architecture when LD 670, An Act to Protect Birds and Wildlife in the Construction and Maintenance of Public Buildings, became law in June. Maine Audubon looks forward to convening stakeholders to develop guidelines for publicly-funded buildings as the bill is implemented in 2024 and beyond.PORTLAND ORDINANCE. Dozens of BirdSafe Maine volunteers have monitored the streets of Portland each spring and fall migration since 2020, and have found hundreds of dead and injured birds on the streets. As expected, most of the birds are found near buildings with large glass facades. In response, the Portland City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee asked BirdSafe Maine to help develop a draft bird safe ordinance. We convened local architects and designers to work on the ordinance, which the Committee passed in September 2023, setting the stage for a full City Council vote in early 2024. If passed, Portland would be just one of about two dozen cities in the country with a similar law, and the rst city in New England.MEMIC TAKING ACTION. The Commercial Street building occupied by the MEMIC company has been one of the largest bird strike threats along our Portland monitoring route. After we brought the issue to the attention of the company, MEMIC decided to expend signicant funds and retrot the most dangerous areas with Feather Friendly window decals to reduce the bird collision threat. MEMIC was under no obligation to act, but knew it was the right thing to do. Maine Audubon and BirdSafe Maine are grateful to MEMIC, and are pleased to add them to the list of bird-safe projects in Maine that also include buildings at L.L. Bean, Saddleback, and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.Top: Finding a window collision victim on a fall survey walk; Middle: Treated windows at MEMIC; Bottom: USM professor Chris Maher with a dead sparrow.3WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
NEWS & NOTESConservationAnnouncing Shorebird AmbassadorsMaine beaches are important not just for birds that nest there, they are also essential to thousands of migratory shorebirds that are resting and refueling on epic journeys from the Arctic to as far south as Argentina. Species such as Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Sanderlings, and the federally threatened Red Knot can all be seen in large mixed ocks. Fall migration is the busiest time for these species in Maine, which actually begins around mid-July. Many of these shorebirds make a 2,000 mile nonstop transoceanic ight, with some ying up to 20,000 miles round trip in one year! In order to survive migration, the birds must have space to rest and feed extensively to build up fat reserves for long ights. Disturbance by people and pets can have dire consequences.That’s one of the reasons why Maine Audubon launched a new shorebird ambassador program this fall, with the goal of educating beachgoers about these incredible migrating shorebirds. Volunteers have been trained to provide others on the beach with educational materials, including postcards and stickers, all about shorebirds, including ways we can help them. To reduce disturbance, remember to walk far around the ock and leash dogs when nearby, as causing the ock to y away takes precious energy that could be used for migrating instead. If you are interested in becoming a shorebird ambassador, please email shorebird@maineaudubon.org for more information.More: maineaudubon.org/coastalbirdsStream Explorers of All AgesMaybe it’s something about wading in a stream searching for critters, but it’s clear that our Stream Explorers community science program really appeals to kids! This past spring, Zoë Foster, Primary and Kindergarten Lead Teacher from Children’s House Montessori in Rockport, introduced her kindergarteners (pictured below) to macroinvertebrates and led them in stream sampling and species identication. This summer, campers at the YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston’s Outdoor Learning and Education Center (OLEC) took part in Stream Explorers activities as part of regular summer camp programming. Wil Libby, Director of OLEC, described the program in a recent guest blog post for Maine Audubon. Libby said, “Screeches of surprise and excitement lled the woods as the youth saw the collection tubs get lled and watched as things wiggled, darted, and crawled around in the water. Some of the kids got to touch a frog for the rst time…our Stream Explorers activities were a huge success. All age groups learned something new and were able to see many things for the rst time. Even though they may be growing up in Maine, many children who are in the YMCA’s summer program have never gone hiking or experienced local wildlife up close.”More: maineaudubon.org/streamexplorers4MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
You may have read about Stream Smart in these pages in the past. It’s a partner-driven outreach and educational program, coordinated by Maine Audubon, that works with surveyors, engineers, public works, land trusts, and landowners to construct road-stream crossings that provide safe passage for sh and wildlife up and down streams while protecting roads and public safety. But it’s only intended for freshwater systems, not tidal road crossings where water ows in two directions. These crossings pose signicant issues not only for sh, bird, and shellsh species, but for public safety and road maintenance. That’s where CoastWise comes in! CoastWise is a new collaboration, of more than thirty organizations, created to encourage the design of safe, cost-effective, ecologically supportive, and climate-resilient road crossings along the Maine coast. With more than 800 tidal crossings, 90% of which are undersized, it’s important to understand the ecological impacts of these restrictions and work to restore the natural function of the interconnected system of tidal streams and estuaries. Maine Audubon is a partner in this eort and we’ll be working with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, colleges and universities, and others to help design outreach and training programs to spread the word about this new initiative and to create a workforce skilled in addressing this particular challenge. The collaborative has just released a manual, “The CoastWise Approach: Achieving Ecological Resilience and Climate-Ready Road Crossings in Tidal Environments,” designed for municipal sta, engineers, private road owners, and other people interested in helping to replace old, undersized road culverts and bridges in coastal towns with safe, climate-resilient tidal crossings. Maine Audubon will post upcoming workshops once they are scheduled, so stay tuned!More: maineaudubon.org/streamsmartTackling Tidal Road Crossings This road in Cape Elizabeth is often flooded by tidal waters. 5WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
NEWS & NOTESEducationIndigenous Knowledge Teaching Resources For the past three years, Maine Audubon has sup-ported and partnered with Portland Public Schools to develop K-12 Wabanaki Studies curriculum resources. This initiative is part of the eort to expand and deepen the commitment to Maine law LD 291, An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine’s Schools. Wabanaki advisors and experts like Mihku Paul, Wolastoqey artist, permaculture expert, and community leader in Portland, worked with teachers and district leaders to develop grade-specic content and lesson plans directly incorporating Wabanaki language, cultural lifeways, and indigenous knowledge. Mihku and independent illustrator Isabella-Zoe Ciol created a set of four posters for the grade school units, merg-ing Wabanaki Studies with traditional knowledge on respect, relationship, reciprocity, and responsibility, along with teaching guides. Each poster illustrates one of these four cultural values in relation to Nature. These will be displayed on the walls in every Portland elementary school. Thanks to Mihku, Isabella-Zoe, and funding from Portland Students Study RiversFor the second year in a row, Maine Audubon educators helped Portland Public Schools take every third grader in the district (approximately 500 students) on a journey to explore the Presumpscot River. This fall, students went from station to station, learning about the impact of dams, how wildlife is aected by still, cascading, and owing water, catching and looking at sh, and more. The eldwork is centered around two guiding principles: what is the way that water moves, and who lives here at the river (including plants and animals).U.S. Fish & Wildlife, laminated sets of these posters have also been shared with Maine’s five Wabanaki communities. This is the Reciprocity Principle in action, and it strengthens community bridge-building between public institutions and Wabanaki peoples. 6MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
Welcome Je Tarling! Maine Audubon is thrilled to introduce and welcome former Portland Arborist Je Tarling as an Urban Forestry Education Specialist. We had long envisioned hiring Je as a consultant to help us with several education grant projects, and to also help develop new partnerships and programs associated with statewide strategic initiatives. Je, who joined us in August, has been deeply connected and enamored with Maine Audubon for decades as well as the many of you—members of our community of support—he has worked with over the years. Je has already helped launch a new partnership with Bangor Parks, and he organized “Our Forests, Our Climate, Our Communities,” an extremely timely and important webinar series which ran weekly in October. Contact: jtarling@maineaudubon.orgOne Yard at a TimeMaine Audubon’s “Bringing Nature Home” engages communities in native plants and habitat restoration through plants sales, education, and partnership. One project we’ve been working on for more than a year is with the city of South Portland. Focused on revitalizing the city, one yard or home at a time, the 100 Resilient Yards program provided technical expertise and resources to residents and/or businesses in order to promote the transformation of 100 properties into resilient, organic landscapes. Following months of collaboration, planning, training, and site selection, this summer the team spread out across South Portland working with 100 dierent homeowners on adapting sustainable landscape practices. Maine Audubon worked with the city and other partners to do assessments and install pollinator gardens, native plantings, organic lawns, organic foodscapes, and rain gardens. Participants were provided with various resource packages including soil, mulch, and native plants grown by Maine Audubon and Wild Seed Project. The project encourages communication and collaboration between neighbors who may want to create their own resilient yard, helping to form networks between community members and corridors of resilient habitat.
Over the summer, Maine Audubon’s Education Department was reorganized to better accommodate program growth and expansion statewide. The most exciting development has been the promotion of Fields Pond’s longtime manager, David Lamon, to a new director-level position focused on managing and expanding Maine Audubon education, conservation, and advocacy programs throughout the northern part of the state. Our newly-minted Director of Northern Programs & Operations leads and supports our work at Fields Pond and Borestone Mountain Audubon Centers, as well as outreach and community-based programs. David and the growing Fields Pond sta are supported by various departments within Maine Audubon, as well as a dedicated pool of volunteers and partners, to advance Maine Audubon’s mission and impact. These efforts to restructure how our work gets organized and led indicates our commitment to growing Maine Audubon’s reach and relevance in communities and landscapes we are only just beginning to know and serve. NEWS & NOTESFall Family FestivalMaking a monarch migration journey, building a crown of leaves, pretending to drive a tractor, launching a seed ball—these and many more plant and wildlife focused activities kept more than 150 children and adults engaged and happy at our signature fall family event, Fall Frolic, held at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth in September. Our next family festival, Winter Carnival, is scheduled for February 17, 2024! New Department Focuses on Northern MaineFROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Educator/Naturalist Brianna Guy, Community Engagement Coordinator/Educator Melissa Gallagher, and Director David Lamon
SanctuariesStage Island Cleanup On a beautiful day in September, Maine Audubon partnered with Maine Island Trails Association (MITA) to host a volunteer cleanup at Stage Island in Saco Bay. With help from a committed group of volunteers and support from several of MITA’s boats, we cleaned up forty-ve abandoned lobster traps and collected more than a boatload of trash that had washed up on the shore of the island. The island, a portion of which was donated to Maine Audubon by the Stevens family in 1970, is located o of Biddeford Pool within sight of East Point Audubon Sanctuary. The other portion is privately owned. Though the island is small, it is known for its beautiful sections of rocky shore and a large stone navigational monument (pictured above, right) that was erected in the mid-nineteenth century. The property is now open to the public and is accessible from several boat launches in the area. After a careful assessment of the impacts of increased trac on conservation values, Maine Audubon recently agreed to add the property to MITA’s Maine Island Trail Guide so kayakers and boaters in Saco Bay can experience the quiet beauty of the island. This Stage Island workday—and others we’ve held like it at our sanctuaries across the state this year—are part of a larger eort to more actively and thoughtfully steward our properties. We recognize that these properties are a community resource, and hope that we can provide opportunities for the community to engage in caring for these green spaces.Find out more about Maine Audubon sanctuaries across the state, and learn how you can help us steward ones closest to your community: maineaudubon.org/visit9WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
With poetry and science, revising the language ofLANDAccuracy, of course, is important. Primeval means “of or relating to the earliest ages.” The forests in what is now called Maine are not that old, relatively speaking. They emerged only in the last ten thousand years after the last glaciers melted. But primeval, and its synonyms primitive and primordial, harken back to a time before humans. The tendency to separate humans from nature, to romanticize and idealize nature without people, is pervasive in communication about land and conservation.More and more, I am learning how so much of our vocabulary of conservation, of science, of place, reects broken and harmful relations with land, and with each other. Changing these relations, repairing the damage, creating a healthier future, can’t happen without also changing language. Words are not arbitrary. Words, and how they are presented and arranged and emphasized, represent attitudes, ideas, philosophies, policies, culture, history. They also inuence attitudes, ideas, philosophies, policies, culture, history.BY CATHERINE SCHMITTTHE OTHER DAY I STRUGGLED to explain to a colleague, who was writing about their forest research, why the word “primeval” was maybe not the best choice of adjective.This is my job: to write and edit stories about land, the history of land, people studying land and water. It is my job to pay attention to language. I have to make decisions about which words to use or not use, and why.“This is the forest primeval.”HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWIn Longfellow's epic 1847 poem Evangeline, he repeated a pattern of portraying the American conti-nent as wild and empty, the dense and tall woodland growth pre-senting a contrast to the arrival of “civilization” and its associated forest clearing. When in the poem the British evicted the French from Nova Scotia, there was left only the murmuring hemlocks and pines “wailing into the dark void where only the ocean answers.”Before Evangeline, the wood-lands of northeastern North GUEST ESSAY10MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
“There’s always more we can’t see, that the trees are reaching for.”CARL PHILIPSthe forest may have appeared, to Longfellow, untouched by humans.To call a forest primeval, or similarly any place as pristine, untouched, conjures a time before humans, an ideal of nature without people, a world in which any human interaction with nature is believed to be inherently bad.I don’t think this is what most people intend; they use words with-out thinking, out of habit. A first step, then, is to pause to consider our intentions and our choice of words, and what meaning we might be mis-interpreting, or missing altogether.America were home to tens of thousands of Indigenous people comprising hundreds of dierent communities. Over thousands of years they had lived with, in, by, and for the forest, and had estab-lished sophisticated cultures and intricate relationships with the woods, rivers, and seas. One reason the forest may have seemed primeval in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is that the newcomers, via their disease and their violence, killed so many of the people who had been tending to the trees. Without these relationships, There is value in thinking back to earlier ages. A long-term perspective oers a reminder that the forest has changed over time, as tree species shifted along with the climate. Remember, too, that the current dominant modes of interacting with the Earth, even supposedly bedrock principles such as land “ownership,” are relatively new and likely temporary. Is a forest America’s? Maine’s? Mine, yours, ours? Who decides? What happens when there is no possessive?The past also holds agency. Too often, a passive voice narrates a history of land presumed to be certain and inevitable—territory lost, land granted, places founded, villages established, towns incorporated, property owned—all while concealing the specific people responsible for such actions. In the same way, agency hides in the language of land conservation. Who is saving and protecting land and wildlife from whom, for whom?In many versions of the story, conservation has been a success, as evidenced by the old forests that continue to grow across the state. But the same story tells of accelerated loss of biodiversity, increasing pollution, and an ever-warming planet.Language needs to change, because our words aren’t working.Photo: Madeline Rheaume11WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
“…the past is a country under the ground where the days practice their old habits…” DONALD HALLThe late poet Donald Hall called phrases and comparisons that have lost their context and are no longer useful “dead metaphors.” Hall’s examples include metaphors from archaic sources such as shield, cradle, and plow, and words separated from their original meaning. “Our mind cancels the literalness of the word and takes in only the word’s abstracted sense.” Such words have outlived their eectiveness, yet I encounter them every day. Since 1990, use of the phrase “combat climate change” has increased at about the same rate as carbon dioxide concentrations. Trends are similar for “biodiversity loss” and “invasive species”: the problems get worse, but our language doesn’t change. What is that old saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a dierent result?Like primeval, these terms too, can be technically dishonest. The atmosphere cannot engage in combat; nature knows no boundaries.But worse than being ineective and inaccurate, “combat climate change” is also, often, wildly inappropriate. Making everything a ght disregards the real, actual battles experienced every day by many people—people most directly affected by the climate crisis, and who are most needed in the pursuit of solutions. Labels like alien, exotic, nonnative are uncomfortably similar to how some people describe and discriminate against their fellow humans. Continuing to exclude others, through language and its meanings, puts the future of conservation at risk. The trees, the land, water, and sky, need more advocates, but they won’t come if they don’t feel welcome or connected. Too many people have been left out, and while language is only a small part of the problem, it is a part that is relatively easy to remedy.All of this upheaval over words and phrases can be frustrating. People are afraid of making mistakes, of using the wrong words. While some are hungry for an explanation, most just want to know which words to use instead. But simply swapping out vocabulary is not an answer. Focusing instead on intention—what are you really trying to say?—will often lead to a better choice of words, and also account for the fact that, like the forest, language is ever-changing.This takes work, yes, but it turns out that, with the help of poets and scientists, the pursuit of alternatives is inspiring and invigorating.Photos: John Putrino12MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
Dr. Bonnie Newsom is an arche-ologist and assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Maine and a member of the Penobscot Nation. Along with Wabanaki students Isaac St. John and Natalie Dana Lolar, she has been re-analyzing archeological collections from Wabanaki cultural sites in Acadia National Park. Many of these sites are coastal spaces which they refer to as shell mounds, intentionally created landforms. In interpreting and translating, the researchers describe not prehis-toric occupants and artifacts, but Wabanaki families gathering in place and the monuments and art they left behind. As graduate student Natalie Dana Lolar said, “Historical narratives removed people. We are using a vocabulary that puts people back into the story. These objects reflect the souls of our ancestors, who intentionally created them, who are contained within them.”A seemingly slight shift in sen-tence structure makes a place alive with humanity, abundant with gifts. So much more is available when we root our words in deeper meaning.Adversaries and enemies abound in public discussion of climate change and what to do about it. And while responding to the crisis, and the powerful forces who are resist-ing change, certainly feels like a ght, the language of war maintains division and delay. What happens when we approach the land not as an antagonist, but as an ally?There is another way.Dr. Kelsey Leonard, a citizen of Shinnecock Indian Nation and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, has proposed a new framework for adapting to the accelerating rates of sea level rise caused by warming tem-peratures. Leonard advocates for replacing militant and combative concepts of armoring and retreat-ing with witnessing, mending, uniting, and moving.The knowledge and language of Indigenous peoples abound with similar examples of language that represents other ways of relating to the land, ways that reinstate dignity and recognize interdependency: invasive species are non-local or displaced; gathering grasses helps them to grow; the land needs our participation. Such language oers a positive view of the future, an opening to a broader array of pos-sibilities for relating with land and solving our most urgent problems.In her talk on “the danger of a single story,” writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “When we real-ize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo wrote, “We must take care of our collective imagination, to re-vision a system that will sustain and take care of all of us. We must create fresh stories and images that promote regenerative metaphor and mean-ing and give value to what matters.”Language reects the world we live in, but it can also conjure the world we want to live in: a world in which we are at peace with the weather, honest about our history, and kind to each other. A world in which tangled, mossy woods of big trees symbolize not a primeval past but a pulsing present alive with the promise of birdsong. Catherine Schmitt is a Science Communication Specialist with Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. The author of several books of nonfiction, she writes about trees, birds, coastlines, and history from the edge of the Northern Forest in Bangor, Maine.“And there are other wordsin other languages, always in movement.” JOY HARJOPhoto: Madeline Rheaume13WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
CHILLY DAYS & LONG NIGHTSWinter is starting to draw in around us. What better time than this to nd inspiration, solace, humor, and hope between the covers of a good book. On these pages, Maine Audubon sta review some of their favorite 2023 titles for you. THE FEMINIST BIRD CLUB’S Birding for a Better WorldA Guide to Finding Joy and Community in Nature BY MOLLY ADAMS AND SYDNEY ANDERSONPrinceton Architectural Press Publication Date: 09/05/2023Since its inception in 2016, the Feminist Bird Club has sought to provide safe, welcoming, and unapologetically inclusive spaces for folks to come together over a shared interest in birds. In Birding for a Better World: a Guide to Finding Joy and Community in Nature, Feminist Bird Club founder Molly Adams and co-author Sydney Anderson seek to spread this message and approach via a book that is both a celebration of birds and birding and a blueprint for social and environmental change. Folks new to birding will find encouragement and tips for getting started, while experienced birders will hopefully find themselves reexamining the way they approach, and even describe, this hobby.The book itself is surprisingly short, given the ambitious scope and vision of its authors, but journal prompts at the end of each section encourage readers to reflect upon their own relationship with birds and nature, as well as their experiences around access and inclusivity in community spaces. Opportunities to share and discuss these reflections online also underscore the true premise of the book—that birding for a better world will require us to take inspiration from these pages and translate it into change in our own lives and communities. —MOLLY WOODRING, Associate Education DirectorSTAFF PICKS FOR WINTER READINGLittle People of the Dawn BY MIQUANSIS SAPIEL ILLUSTRATED BY MINSOSS SAPIEL-BOBADILLA(Black Bears & Blueberries, 2023)This children’s picture book tells a Passamaquoddy story about a young girl who comes upon the little people. Weaved into the tale is a lesson about why preserving languages and culture is so important. Also CHECK OUT14MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
Better Living Through BirdingNotes from a Black Man in the Natural WorldBY CHRISTIAN COOPER Random HousePublication date: June 13, 2023Christian Cooper became a household name after a racially-charged encounter with a dog-walker in Central Park in 2020, and one may presume that rightful outrage over this incident and others experienced during a life growing up a queer, Black birder would course through his new memoir. Only, that’s not the case at all: it’s a book about joy. Cooper recounts his life story with exuberance, beginning with his discovery of birding on Long Island in the 1970s and running through his groundbreaking work with Marvel Comics and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Cooper does address the Central Park dog-walker incident—including some insightful commentary on his refusal to pursue criminal charges against his accuser despite pressure from the local DA oce—but the event is clearly just a footnote in an otherwise eventful life. The first chapter, “An Incident in Central Park,” primes the reader for a heavy discussion but instead he recounts his sighting of a rare Kirtland’s Warbler. Cooper promises a better life through birding, and few readers will not be convinced.—NICK LUND, Advocacy and Outreach ManagerI didn’t know what to expect when I opened the pages of the recently published Our Maine. After all, there are numerous lovely books out there already about Maine’s natural history. But it turns out this one is dierent! First of all, the authors have spent their entire careers exploring Maine’s natural wonders, extolling their many virtues, surprises, and delights, and fighting to protect them. They bring their professional expertise to their writings but also their personal passions, which are clearly palpable as one reads through the accounts.After setting the stage with the geology, glacial history, and unusual climate of the state, each of the seven chapters in Part I covers a dierent ecosystem or habitat, such as lakes, rivers, freshwater wetlands, tidal estuaries, forests, and mountaintops. Delightful introductions to several plant or animal species associated with that habitat end each chapter (including such iconic species such as loons, moose, and puns, but also some lesser known but just as important ones like brown ash, wood turtles, Labrador tea, and alewives). These accounts are informative but also funny, clever, revealing, and inspiring. Many authors also include information about how a changing climate is aecting their beloved landscape and also highlight some exciting conservation successes.Part II of the book explores the intersection between Maine’s people and the natural world. The first four chapters take you along both an indigenous and modern foraging walk, a history of farming, and a trip through a blueberry barren. The final two chapters include a thoughtful expose on what we can learn from past extinctions and a possible roadmap for conserving all that is special about Maine. —SALLY STOCKWELL, Director of ConservationOur MaineExploring Its Rich Natural Heritage EDITED BY ARAM CALHOUN, MAC HUNTER, AND KENT REDFORDDown East BooksPublication date: August, 202315WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
These Trees Tell a StoryThe Art of Reading Landscapes BY NOAH CHARNEYCharney, assistant professor of conservation biology at the University of Maine, says the book is “structured as a series of interactive field walks through ten New England ecosystems.”“BRINGING NATURE HOME” BOOK CLUBThe BNH book club meets at Gilsland Farm monthly through the winter and spring to talk about books and plants, and dream of gardens. Here are the books for 2024.Nature’s Best HopeA New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard BY DOUG TALLAMYDoug Tallamy will be joining Maine Audubon and the Garden Club Federation of Maine for a special online program on January 24, 2024. Read his 2020 title which aims to show “how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats.”The Sea Around Us BY RACHEL CARSONIf you have never read the 1951 classic, or if it’s been a while, this is a great time to reacquaint yourself with Carson’s unmatched eloquence, painting portraits of the ocean and land with powerful prose. SoilThe Story of a Black Mother’s Garden BY CAMILLE T. DUNGYWriter and poet Camille T. Dungy (editor of Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry) “diversifies her garden to reflect her heritage,” weaving together themes of nature, biodiversity, environmental justice, and family. JANUARY FEBRUARYMARCHAPRILOf Time and TurtlesMending the World, Shell by Shattered ShellBY SY MONTGOMERY, ILLUSTRATED BY MATT PATTERSONMariner Books (HarperCollins)Publication date: September 19, 2023This book is absolutely overflowing with hope! Written during the pandemic, when time was standing still and the world seemed darker every day, author Sy Montgomery and illustrator Matt Patterson teamed up with a small intrepid group of turtle rehabilitators who refuse to give up on even the most dire cases. The motto “we never give up on a turtle” isn’t just about each individual turtle harmed by humans, but also their future progeny and really all our futures as well. After reading this book, I am convinced that each and every positive action we take for the environment is significant. —SARAH HAGGERTY, Conservation Biologist and GIS Manager16MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
THE ROCKS AND ROOTS of Borestone Mountain feature prominently in poems that appear in Writing the Land: Streamlines, published in September by NatureCulture. Writing the Land is a project that links land trusts and sanctuaries to poets, and last year we were honored to learn that Stuart Kestenbaum had asked to be paired with Maine Audubon with the aim of writing about Borestone Mountain. Stuart is the author of six collections of poems, most recently Things Seemed to Be Breaking (Deerbrook Editions 2021), and a collection of essays The View from Here (Brynmorgen Press). He was the host/curator of the Maine Public Radio program Poems from Here and the podcasts Make/Time and Voices of the Future. He was the director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts from 1988 until 2015. More recently, working with the Libra Foundation, he designed and implemented the Monson Arts residency and workshop program, where he now serves as senior advisor. He served as Maine’s poet laureate from 2016-2021.For Writing the Land: Streamlines, Kestenbaum visited Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary and wrote two poems, ”Naming It” and “Borestone Mountain Creation Song”. Both poems explore, in their own ways, the interconnectedness of all things, and the insignicance of humans when compared to the timelessness of the wilderness.the LandWriting WRITING THE LAND: Streamlines is available from the Maine Audubon Nature Store. More: nature-culture.net/writing-the-land-streamlines
Selected poemsNaming It In my favorite Gary Larson cartoona crazed man holds an open paint can in one hand,a dripping brush in the other.He has painted the word ‘dog’ on his dog,‘cat’ on his cat, ‘the house’ on his house.He’s labeled the garbage can and even his ownpants and shirt. “Now!” he says, “Thatshould clear up a few things around here.”Today I may be that man, climbing upBorestone Mountain, naming as muchas I can on my ascent—Eastern Hemlock,American Beech, Red-stemmed Feather MossSmooth Rock Tripe, Tree Lungwort. I see Labrador Tea, the tiny shrubthat’s part of the rhododendron family,which I first saw trembling in a coldearly summer wind in Newfoundland last year. I think that this is the language of forestand I introduce myself to the flora on my ascent.But this is not their native tongue. Everything I seeis nameless and connected. Where doesthe chaga mushroom begin and the birch bark end?Where does the fallen fir end and the soil begin?The spruce roots wrap the metamorphic rocksand make their own metaphortelling us that everything holdssomething else in its own way.Underneath, the roots are touching rock and soil,telling stories in the dark,conducting chemistry experimentswithout exchanging a word.BY STUART KESTENBAUMWhen the geologist tells methe metamorphic rock I’m standing on is over 400 million years oldand that it was once sand and clay ina shallow sea until it was compressedand heated by the mountains forming over itit’s hard for me to comprehend.He says it’s somethingno one has ever seenand we can only imagine it,which gets us back to the imagination,how we humans always imagine ourselvesthere in the middle of things, or at the topof the heap, how in the Bible we’regiven dominion over everything.Adam even gets to name all the creatures.I think that God intended this to be an icebreakerat an organizational retreat sessionand we took it too seriously. What if the eternal one had whispered insteadthat everything is connected and constantlychanging, seed to seed, cell to cell.Isn’t evolution the imagination at work,the hemlock deciding to keep its needles,the birch to drop its leavesthe algae and fungi decidingto work together and become lichen,which to this day is still learning what it is?It spreads over the bedrockthat was once miles beneaththe earth’s surface and todayis under my feet. The wind, circlingthe world since before time began,shakes the trees, ripples the water,sings to the mountain every day.Borestone Mountain Creation Song18MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
Winter Plant WalksSundays, December 3, 17, January 7, 21, February 11, 25; 10 am–12 pmJoin us for a free plant walk for all levels to learn about the local plant species at Gilsland Farm.ARTIST RECEPTION MJ Benson Sunday, December 3, 2–4 pm MJ Benson is a landscape artist living and working on the coast of Maine. Her work is on display in the gallery at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center through the first week of January. Read & RambleTuesdays, December 5, December 12, January 9; 10–10:30 or 11–11:30 am An entirely outdoors interactive storytime followed by a self-guided activity/walk, geared toward children ages 2-5 and their grown-ups. BOOK TALK Butterflies of Maine and Canadian Maritime Provinces Tuesday, December 12, 6:30 pmPhillip deMaynadier & Herb Wilson will talk about their new book (see page 22). Copies will be available for sale and signing. Gilsland FarmFALMOUTH/GREATER PORTLANDSeed Sowing Workshops Saturdays, December 2, 16; 9 am–12 pmIn this hands-on workshop, Maine Audubon sta will introduce native seed propagation for growing your own wildflowers and other plants from seed. Participants will leave with several pots sown with seeds and ready for maintenance-free outdoor germination.Holiday BazaarSaturday, December 2; 10 am–3 pmVisit and shop with local artists and craftspeople. At the Nature Store, we’ll have unique local products including jewelry and nature-based pottery, cyanotype art, and home goods, as well as gift memberships and gift certificates. Double discount for Maine Audubon members! Beginner Bird WalksSaturdays, December 2, 16, January 6, 20, February 10, 24; 10 am–12 pmFor those new to birding or those wishing to deepen their understanding of backyard birds; we’ll have extra binoculars and pointers on how to use them. DEC2Winter EventsFull event listings, prices, and registration: maineaudubon.org/eventsat Gilsland Farm and Fields Pond Tuesday–Friday, February 20–23Maine Audubon winter vacation camp is an opportunity for young children to learn about winter wildlife through hands-on activities and outdoor adventure. Each day has a dierent theme and includes topics about animal adaptations, snow science, tracking, and winter ecology. Registration opens in January; details and themes coming soon! Check maineaudubon.org/camps for updates. Scholarships are available. FEB20-23Vacation CampsDEC2 & 16BI- MONTHLYDEC3DEC12BI- MONTHLYBI- MONTHLY19WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
Pajama StorytimeThursdays, December 21, January 25; 5:30–6:30 pmWear your pajamas and your hiking boots to our special evening storytime series. We’ll meet indoors for free play, then head outside for a moon-lit storytime and related activities.December: Solstice CelebrationJanuary: Full Moon Storytime“Bringing Nature Home” Book ClubTuesdays, January 9, February 13, March 12, April 9; 5:30–7 pm Led by BNH Program Manager Andrew Tufts, the BNH Book Club is an opportunity for nature lovers to come together to read, analyze, and share ideas. See page 17 for book titles. Doug Tallamy: Homegrown National ParkWednesday, January 24; Social Hour 5–6 pm followed by presentation and Q&A 6–7:30 pmMaine Audubon and the Garden Club Federation of Maine are partnering to bring Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, to Maine gardeners. He has developed a new program called Homegrown National Parks, a unique and quantifiable way of measuring the dierence that we can make as gardeners to our pollinators and wildlife. Join us at Gilsland Farm to gather and view Doug’s talk and ask questions; he will be joining us remotely. Winter Wildlife MingleThursday, February 1; 6:30 pmAn interactive and informative evening up close with live wildlife ambassadors and the experts at the Center for Wildlife who rehabilitate and care for them. Learn about these incredible animals; the important work of Maine wildlife rescuers and rehabilitators; and what we can do to protect wildlife. Indoor & outdoor components; for 21+ only (beer, wine, and snacks provided)FAMILY FUN Winter SessionWednesdays, January 10 to February 14 (6 weeks); 9:30–10:30 am or 10:45–11:45 am Young children and their grown-ups are invited to spend an hour exploring nature together through stories, songs, art, and play. Advanced registration is encouraged! Drop-ins are welcome if space is available.MONTHLYJAN24FEB1WEEKLYWinter CarnivalSaturday, February 17; 10 am–2 pmDon’t miss our annual celebration of winter weather and wildlife! Visitors of all ages are invited to learn, create, and play at a variety of indoor and outdoor activity stations. Join us to explore snow science and art; feel animal pelts and artifacts at the winter wildlife touch table; practice identifying and following animal tracks; participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count; and more! This event is made possible by L.L.Bean.Live Wildlife Presentation with Center for WildlifeFriday, February 23; 10:30–11:30 amAn up-close look at, and chance to learn from, several of their animal ambassadors. We’ll learn about the adaptations that help these creatures survive in the winter, and how they became non-releasable ambassadors. This program is most appropriate for school-aged children and older.FEB23MONTHLYFEB17OnlineVirtual BirdingMondays, December 4, 18, January 8, 22, February 5, 19; 6:30–8 pmBird with us from the comfort of home! Maine Audubon naturalists will guide a viewing of feeder cameras from around the world to expand our birding abilities during the cold, dark winter.Birding BasicsTuesdays, January 2 to March 26 (13 weeks); 6:30–8 pmRevisiting the basics! Each week we will cover a dierent topic that is essential to birding. Ideal for people newly interested in birding, novices needing a refresher, and for even the ‘pros’ to learn something new. Botany in a WinterWednesdays, January 3 to March 27 (13 weeks); 6:30–8 pmLearn all the plant families of the Northeast and the taxonomic relationships that connect them. We will discuss a dierent group of plants each week, in the style of Botany in a Day by Thomas J. Elpel.BI- MONTHLYWEEKLYWEEKLY20MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
These special treks will be limited in group size with a limited number of snowshoes available to rent (or bring your own) by advance reservation only. Winter Landscape Watercolor WorkshopSaturday, January 27; 10:30 am–12:30 pmJoin Maine artist Cassie Sano for an introductory watercolor painting class on how to paint winter landscapes. WINTER ECOLOGY SERIES Winter TrackingSaturday, February 3; 10 amWe will look for signs big and small, from tracks in the snow to signs of animals feeding. HYBRID Bats of MaineTuesday, February 6; 6 pm, in person and onlineWildlife Biologist Cory Stearns of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will talk about the eight bat species of Maine, and bat research and monitoring eorts.Fields Pond WinterFestSaturday, February 10; 10 am–2 pmA day to celebrate all things winter, we’ll have indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family. Free for all!HYBRID African AdventuresFriday, February 16; 6 pm, in person and online World travelers Leslie Clapp (President of the Downeast Chapter of Maine Audubon) and Blaise deSibour of Blue Hill will share photos and stories from their eight-week adventure in South Africa with a side trip to Rwanda and Uganda.WINTER ECOLOGY SERIES Winter Bird Walk Saturday, February 17; 10 am Maine serves as a winter destination for many species that spend their summers in Canada. We’ll look for our hardy year-round residents as well as less common migratory birds. WINTER ECOLOGY SERIES Winter Tree Identification Saturday, February 24; 10 amGet outside and enjoy nature’s winter wonders at this informational presentation and easy hike guided by Maine Master Naturalist Karen Johnson. JAN27FEB3FEB6FEB16FEB17Fields PondHOLDEN/GREATER BANGORSustainable Eco-friendly Wreath Making Workshop Sunday, December 3; 12–3 pm Hosted by Claire Ackroyd. Make your own beautiful wreath on a 10-inch ring using regionally-sourced greens. Perfect for beginners. Holiday Bazaar Saturday, December 9; 10 am–3 pm Visit and shop with local artists and craftspeople. We’ll have botanical jewelry and art made with locally foraged materials, nature-based pottery, textile arts, and other unique local products. NIGHT TREE Annual Welcome Winter CelebrationSaturday, December 16; 3–4:30 pm Starting with a read aloud of Eve Bunting’s classic story The Night Tree, we’ll then create wildlife friendly ornaments to decorate our own night tree. Advance registration is recommended. Seed Sowing WorkshopSaturday, January 6; 9 am–12 pmIn this hands-on workshop, Maine Audubon sta will introduce native seed propagation for growing your own plants from seed. Participants will leave with several pots sown with seeds.Preschool Nature HourWednesdays, January 10 to March 13 (8 weeks); 9:30-10:30 amYoung children and their grown-ups are invited to explore nature together through STEM activities, stories, art, and play.Advanced registration is encouraged! WINTER ECOLOGY SERIES Ecology Walk Saturday, January 20; 10 amLearn about the unique strategies that plants and animals employ to survive this challenging season in Maine.Full Moon Snowshoe HikeThursday, January 25 and Friday, February 23; 5 pmJoin us for a peaceful winter’s moonrise hike. DEC3DEC16WEEKLYMONTHLYFull Event Listings, Prices, and Registration MAINEAUDUBON.ORG/EVENTSJAN20DEC9JAN6FEB10FEB2421WINTER 2023/24 • MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT
Naturalist HQDOUG HITCHCOX, STAFF NATURALISTAS MORE NATURALIST TOOLS BECOME DIGITAL, I find myself increasingly appreciative of print media, especially when they are new and novel. These two books, that came out this fall, are ones that Maine naturalists should have on their shelves.Butteries of Maine and the Canadian Maritime ProvincesThis new title by Phillip G. deMaynadier, John Klymko, Ronald G. Butler, W. Herbert Wilson Jr., and John V. Calhoun is a beautiful representation of many years of eort, combining the results of the Maritimes Butterfly Atlas (2010-2015) and the Maine Butterfly Survey (2006-2015). While most guides favor inter-county boundaries and have covered butteries of New England, or the eastern United States, this book covers 121 species of butteries that have been documented in Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, known as the Acadian region of North America.The size and contents of this book will make most treat it as reference material, though it is compact and concise enough (just under the size of The Sibley Guide to Birds) that it could be used as a quick eld reference, perhaps left on a passenger seat rather than carried into the eld. In most cases, species accounts are on a two-page spread, showing a single ventral photo of the species, with sections (when applicable) on subspecies, distinguishing characters, similar species, status and distribution (in Maine and/or Maritimes), habitat, biology, adult behavior, plus comments and threats. A distribution map shows records (historical, modern, or both) for townships in Maine and uses the 10km x 10km Universal Transverse Mercator grid in Provinces, which combined with a ight period phenograph (number of records plotted over a year) give a quick summary of where and when you can nd each buttery. Books celebrating butterflies & birdsWhile naturalists will benet from this new reference, everyone living in the Acadian region can learn from the opening chapters of this book. After opening with a “history of buttery study in the region” there is a section devoted to conservation. This is a sobering reminder of the changes and threats to our buttery populations, covering everything from habitat loss and nonnative species, to pesticides and climate change. I do hope that armed with this new guide, many more people will want to learn about the butteries around them and be motivated to help preserve them and their habitats.The Birds of MonheganThere is no better place for birding in Maine than Monhegan Island and thanks to Brett Ewald we now have a complete telling of all the birds ever recorded there. Similar to Peter Vickery’s Birds of Maine, released in 2020, The Birds of Monhegan is not a eld guide; rather, it gives details on the status and abundance of the 336 species of birds that have found their way to Monhegan.Each species account is nicely summarized with a “status” of each species, then an “occurrence” section that goes into more detail of when, where, and who found them. Some species also have a “historical/regional” section referencing other published records from titles like those by Ralph Palmer, Alan Cruickshank, and Peter Vickery, which this book has earned itself a seat next to on any naturalist’s bookshelf. The book also includes chapters on when and how to nd birds on the island, going into more detail than any other reference I’ve seen. This makes it a valuable resource for both those planning their rst trip to the island, and folks who have been going all their lives and looking for the extreme details. For example, when was the Brewer’s Blackbird (Maine’s only record) seen out there? Every birder should have this on their holiday wish list.22MAINE AUBUDON HABITAT • WINTER 2023/24
December2This is a great time to visit Maine’s rocky coast and look for the state-threatened HARLEQUIN DUCK, one of the most beautiful ducks in the world. Look for the red, white, and blue colors of a drake as it surfaces in the surf, before diving for food like crabs and barnacles.13The GEMINIDS Meteor Shower will peak tonight. This is one of the largest showers we get, and with the recent new moon, the sky will be dark and optimal for viewing the meteors. 14The Christmas Bird Counts begin today. This is the longest running contributory science project, now in its 124th year! Check out maineaudubon.org/cbc to find a circle near you that you can participate in.19Even during these cold days you may see flies, like the large BLUE BOTTLE FLY, cruising around in sunny spots. These flies are only in their adult stage for two weeks but can hibernate during cold snaps. 22Happy Winter Solstice! Today marks the moment when the Earth’s tilt, on its axis, oers those of us in the northern hemisphere the shortest day and longest night of the year.January1Time to set your New Year’s resolutions. Can you set a goal for 2024 that will benefit Maine’s wildlife? Try switching to bird-friendly shade-grown coee, or pick some native plants to add to your garden.7Mountain-ash berry crops are poor in the eastern Boreal forest this winter, so be on the lookout for BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. They can often be found around any fruit-bearing trees in the winter, especially those planted near urban environs. 12WHITE-TAILED DEER bucks are shedding their antlers. Now is a great time to look for them as they are easy to spot against the snow. 16Watch for BALD EAGLES carrying sticks onto their nests. Each year they’ll add to and reinforce their nests, and it may be a just matter of days before their first eggs are laid! 29Maine has five species of bats that spend the winter here by hibernating in caves, talus slopes, and sometimes in man-made structures. February1Did you know that this is “Responsible Pet Owners Month”? We didn’t either but it is a great reminder to keep your cats indoors and help save the one-billion-plus birds that are killed each year by outdoor cats.4The STELLER’S SEA-EAGLE returned to Georgetown, Maine, for its second winter on this day in 2023. Has it returned yet again?16-19The Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend. Identify, count, and submit a list of the birds you see to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world.22On average, each spring, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS migrate back to Maine a little bit early. These ‘near-migrants’ can react to changing temperatures and return as soon as conditions are ready. It’s a race for the best breeding grounds! 27The GRAY SQUIRREL mating season has begun. Watch for them carrying materials up trees to build their nests, also called dreys.The Naturalist’sWinter AlmanacBOHEMIAN WAXWINGPhoto: Kirk RogersPhoto: Nick LundBy Sta Naturalist Doug Hitchcox
20 Gilsland Farm RoadFalmouth, ME 04105 Your wildlife communityPenmor Indicia% PCW or FSC logo Maine Audubon Headquarters20 Gilsland Farm Road Falmouth, ME 04105(207) 781-2330maineaudubon.orgVolume 39, Issue 4The journal of Maine Audubon, ISSN 0739-2052, is published quarterly.habitat@maineaudubon.orgVisit Maine Audubon’s Centers and Sanctuaries which are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk.Magazine StaffMelissa Kim, EDITORNick Lund, ASSISTANT EDITORJenn Schmitt, EVENTS EDITOR PELLE Graphic Design, DESIGNStaff DirectorsAndy Beahm, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORErin Evans, FINANCENoah Gleason-Hart, PROPERTIESMelissa Kim, COMMUNICATIONSDavid Lamon, NORTHERN PROGRAMS & OPERATIONSKate Lewis, DEVELOPMENTSally Stockwell, CONSERVATIONEric Topper, EDUCATIONOfficers, Board of TrusteesJohn R. Dolloff, CHAIRMichael Catania, VICE CHAIRAlyssa Hemingway, TREASURERSean Trahan, SECRETARYEast Point, Biddeford PoolScarborough Marsh, ScarboroughGilsland Farm, FalmouthMast Landing, FreeportHamilton, West BathJosephine Newman, GeorgetownFields Pond, HoldenBorestone, ElliotsvilleSanctuariesMaine Audubon Education Program Coordinator Emma Palmer enjoys a book in the West Meadow at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. COVER PHOTO BY DOUG HITCHCOXEmbrace YOUR WILDLIFE COMMUNITYthis winter! Shop at our Nature Stores Looking for unique local gifts for the holidays? We’ve got products made by local artists and craftspeople, Gilsland Farm honey, books by Maine authors, and much more. Shop at our Nature Store and help Maine Audubon further its mission to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat.naturestore.maineaudubon.orgGive the gift of Maine AudubonA Maine Audubon membership is the perfect gift for friends, family, coworkers, or anyone who loves nature and wildlife. See website for gift-giving deadlines. maineaudubon.org/giftMake a year-end donationEvery gift we receive helps conserve Maine’s wildlife and habitat by engaging people in education, conservation, and action—from helping loons and plovers to sending a kid to camp, and so much more. maineaudubon.org/donate