Maine's Rich Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
Philip deMaynadier
Maine is a land rich in contrasts between the boreal and temperate, freshwater and saltwater, upland and wetland, and alpine and lowlands. Maine has the largest population of bald eagles in the Northeast. The state’s islands support one of the most diverse nesting seabird populations on the East Coast. Clean, free-flowing rivers sustain rare freshwater mussels and dragonflies. Maine’s mountains and forests provide habitat for neotropical migrants such as Bicknell’s Thrush and Blackthroated-blue Warbler.
Challenges to Maine's Wildlife
The primary challenges affecting wildlife diversity in southern and coastal Maine are conversion and fragmentation of habitats. This area has the highest level of plant and wildlife diversity in the State, yet is also one of the most desirable areas for development. Northern Maine has remained largely unsettled but not untouched. As a result of increased demand for forest products and the opening of more extensive road systems as transportation corridors, the nature of timber harvesting in Maine has changed over the last 50 years.
Building on a Legacy of Success
Beth Schwartz
Maine’s wildlife action plan addresses the full array of fish and wildlife and their habitats across the state, including vertebrates and invertebrates. The plan targets species in greatest need of conservation while keeping “common species common.” It is intended to supplement, not duplicate, existing fish and wildlife programs, and it builds on a species planning effort that has been ongoing for nearly 40 years, a landscape approach to habitat conservation-- Beginning with Habitat--that was initiated in 2000, and a long history of public involvement and collaboration among conservation partners.
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
