Return to flip book view

Annual Report2024Maine Audubon works to conserve Maine wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation, and action. Message

2Listening to ourMembersNUMBERS2024 By the6,4009,0001,6242617,062in the southern half of Maine; expanding to northern half in ‘25.Est. 1983LOON COUNT 803,00028846116129member householdsnative plants sold Loon Count volunteers counted 3,146 adult loons and 420 chicks beaches monitored for Piping Ploverswhere 143 breeding pairs fledged 237 chickspieces of poisonous lead tackle collectedstudents reached by our educators in school programs in-person & online public programs counties (all of them!) with Maine Audubon programmingbills testified on in the 131st Legislature—a Maine Audubon record!campers at our day campsfree guided bird walks2

3Thanks to all of you who took the time to participate in the 2024 membership survey, which helps inform our planning and direction. Some key takeaways: Respondents were presented with seven future priorities and asked how important they were. These four were assessed as a “very much important” priority: The top four items that “very much inuenced” respondents to support Maine Audubon: Mission to conserve wildlife & wildlife habitat Supporting our legislative policy eorts Birds & birding information Native plants & habitat restoration 97%73%72%71%REASONS FOR SUPPORT Lead Maine’s wildlife & habitat conservation eortsExpand our science-based environmental educationMaintain & enhance our fiscal strength and stabilityHighlight our long history of bird conservation89%66%56%55%FUTURE PRIORITIESPerception of Audubon Name: Respondents were told briey about John James Audubon, the eponym of the Maine Audubon Society. Respondents were asked, How do you feel about the Maine Audubon organization continuing to carry the name “Audubon”? Collapsing these five categories into three generalizes respondents’ feelings toward the name while boosting the number of responses in each category. This, in turn, facilitates bivariate analysis.CONSIDERATIONS OF THE AUDUBON NAMEMaine Audubon has emerged from a two-year listening process that involved our sta, board, membership, and a wide array of stakeholders outside of our organization, to examine the Maine Audubon name and brand, its origins, and its future. We did not nd a clear mandate from our members, stakeholders, or community to change our name, nor did we nd that assigning resources to a name change would accomplish the work we know is in front of us as an organization. As a result, in October 2024, the Board of Trustees voted to not change the name at the present time. What we did decide was to redouble our eorts to include everyone in our wildlife community.THE AUDUBON NAME38%NeutralPositive or very positive42%20%Negative/ very negativeRead the full statement at our website.3

What’s Next?More than 2,000 bills were introduced this year at the beginning of the 132nd Legislative Session. These are just a few of the priority issues our advocacy team will be working on this session:• Vernal poolsOur educational reach is ex-panding to include students and young people in places we haven’t served before, from Machias to Lewiston to Sanford. In Piscataquis County, for example, Maine Audubon educators are partnering with SeDoMoCha Middle School’s (21st Century Community Learning Center) after-school program—a collaboration made possible by the support of the EE.Blue grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Students in Sebec, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson, and Charleston are engaged in hands-on nature based learning about the water cycle, watershed ecology, migratory sh species, and Atlantic Salmon life cycles.Planning for the FutureADVOCACY PRIORITIESEDUCATION: REACHING NEW PLACESMaine Audubon’s work in the next decade and beyond is designed to address both the climate and biodiversity crises while adapting to a changing environment and population. Over the past two years, Maine Audubon has gone through a long-range planning process to identify strategies that will allow us to advance our mission and vision. As a result of what we heard from you—our members—as well as our supporters, partners, and community, we have identied several priority areas of focus for the next three to ve years. These include:• Green schools• Conservation funding• Light pollution• Late-successional and old growth forestsIn addition to statewide work, Maine Audubon is selectively involved in federal and local policy issues where we can bring science-based expertise to decisions that aect Maine wildlife and habitat.Read the full list of Legislative Priorities at maineaudubon.org/advocacy4

5Exciting changes are coming both to our head-quarters campus at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth and to our Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden.At Gilsland Farm, we will: • Focus on increasing our capacity for conservation horticulture and native plants restoration, by constructing the new Ann and Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center. • Expand facilities to support our growing community science and sanctuary stewardship programs in a new Stewardship Annex.• Increase our summer camp capacity with new standalone shelters that will provide gathering spaces. • Develop an all-persons accessible trail.CoastWise is a new collabora-tion, created to encourage the design of safe, cost-eective, ecologically supportive, and climate-resilient road crossings along the Maine coast—where there are approximately 800 tidal crossings. Maine Audubon will be working with 30+ organizations to help design outreach and training programs to create a workforce skilled in addressing tidal crossing challenges. CHANGES AT OUR SANCTUARIESCONSERVATION: LAUNCHING COASTWISE• Expanding our innovative, science-based environmental education • Leading Maine’s eort to conserve diverse wildlife and wildlife habitats• Continuing our long history of bird education and conservation • Signicantly increasing Maine Audubon’s capacity to inform and inuence mission-related policy at all levels of government• Designing accessible and welcoming wildlife sanctuaries ... and much more!At Fields Pond, we will:• Expand indoor/outdoor public gathering spaces for increased education programs.• Add additional workspace for increased stang levels as we expand our pro-grams to northern and eastern Maine.• Install EV charging stations.• Develop an all-persons accessible trail.

Maine Audubon’s nancial position remained strong this scal year, with increases in earned and raised income. Our fundraising and administration expenses increased over the prior scal year because of investments in strategic organizational initiatives planned for the next three to ve years. With planning and execution of major capital projects un-derway, we are utilizing funds with donor restrictions for that purpose. Income and ExpensesINCOMEFiscal Year 2023-24May 1, 2023- April 30, 2024Total: $5,559,383Membership & Public Information 9%EXPENSESConservation& Advocacy18%Administrative22%6Total: $5,702,905Net AssetsReleased from Restrictions30%Contributionsand Grants37%EarnedIncome 15%InvestmentIncome18%Fundraising18%Education, Centers & Properties33%

ASSETS Cash $1,502,537 Accounts Receivable $84,224 Pledges Receivable (current) $281,144 Pledges Receivable (net) $528,020 Grants Receivable $202,837 Inventory $153,284 Prepaids & Other Current Assets $8,041 Investments $16,521,279 Land, building, & equipment net $1,678,185 Total Assets $20,959,551 LIABILITIES & FUND BALANCE Liabilities Total Current Liabilities $388,011 Total NonCurrent Liabilities $0 Total Liabilities $388,011 Net Assets Unrestricted Net Assets $12,995,598 Temp Restricted Net Assets $5,997,049 Permanently Restricted Net Assets $1,578,893 Total Net Assets $20,571,540Total Liabilities and Fund Balance $20,959,551 MAINE AUDUBON SOCIETYBALANCE SHEETAs of April 30, 20247

Sta DirectorsAndrew Beahm, Executive DirectorNoah Gleason-Hart, PropertiesFrancesca Gundrum, AdvocacyMelissa Kim, CommunicationsDavid Lamon, Northern Programs and OperationsKate Lewis, DevelopmentSally Stockwell, ConservationEric Topper, EducationCenters & Sanctuaries20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth ME 04105207-781-2330; info@maineaudubon.orgmaineaudubon.orgEstablished 1843Ocers, Board of Trustees Michael Catania, ChairAmy Weickert, Vice ChairTim Malisa, TreasurerSean Trahan, SecretaryLeadershipBorestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary ElliotsvilleEast Point Audubon Sanctuary Biddeford PoolFields Pond Audubon Center HoldenGilsland Farm Audubon Center FalmouthHamilton Audubon Sanctuary West BathJosephine Newman Audubon Sanctuary GeorgetownMast Landing Audubon Sanctuary FreeportScarborough Marsh Audubon Center ScarboroughWestern Maine ChapterFundyChapterDowneastChapterMidcoastChapterMerrymeetingChapterPenobscot ValleyChapterYork CountyChapterRegional Chapters