Maine just released its first-in-a-decade plan to protect and manage the region’s fauna and flora, from tiger stone beetles to beloved giants like moose to top predators like great white sharks.
“Maine’s most vulnerable wildlife is at a crossroads,” said Judy Camuso, commissioner of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, in a statement last Friday. “We’ve seen massive declines in birds and other animal species in our lifetime. This plan (will) … prevent that massive decline.”
The 2025-2035 Maine Wildlife Action Plan identifies hundreds of endangered species. The exercise is required in order to receive wildlife grants, which give countries money to save “endangered species” before they reach the brink of extinction.
More than 100 conservation groups have helped draft the plan over the past two years. The state received 323 public comments.
Here are a few things to take away.
PLANT MORE DIFFICULT WATCHING
The list of endangered species has nearly doubled, jumping from 378 in the 2015 plan to 721 species today. This increase is mainly due to the inclusion of 301 plant species, which were added to the original plan.
The list also shows a strong assessment of invertebrates and the decline of many bird species, such as the Evening Grosbeak and Cliff Swallow, both of which received the highest conservation list for endangered species.
THE CHANGE OF THE PAST HEAVEN OVER THE LIST OF CONTENTS
In previous projects, climate change was assessed as just another stressor, one of many to be considered. In the 2025 update, as government officials document rising temperatures and oceans, climate change has been elevated to a “theme” that runs through every region of the country’s ecosystem.
The most common threats to species and their habitats are climate change and extreme weather, development and land conversion resulting in habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, and ignorance, the report concludes.
Then Maine will begin climate subcommittee to guide conservation efforts for vulnerable areas, such as alpine mountains and tidal marshes. This strategy calls for the identification of climate warming zones—areas that are likely to be able to withstand warming and become long-term strongholds of biodiversity.
RETURN OF THE BLUE WOLF GRAPHIC
The plan lists the Gray Wolf, which has been extinct in Maine for a century, as a Species in Greatest Need for Special Care in the state’s common law.
After rejecting a request to list it in 2015, Maine officials included it in the 2025 plan in response to nearly 200 public comments based on the scientific likelihood of natural spread from Canada.
Advocates say field data proves that gray wolves live in Maine; state biologists say they’ve only seen evidence of wolf/coyote hybrids. Advocates say more genetic testing could help identify a small population, including the first wolves to cross Maine.
The list allows for effective monitoring, including state-sponsored genetic testing of large wolves and requests for biological samples from hunters or trappers who encounter wolves weighing more than 50 pounds.
SECURITY SECURITY DEFENSE
Government officials are moving away from managing endangered species in silos in favor of state-level conservation that addresses threats that cover many areas at once, with the ultimate goal of connecting wild animals that move across the country.
The development of Maine’s state conservation plan helps state officials focus on large habitats and avoid fragmentation caused by small roads or canals, which can restrict the movement of everything from trout to Blanding’s Turtles.
A PRAYER
Despite its scientific depth, all conservation measures included in the new plan are voluntary.
After feedback from the Maine Forest Service and Maine Farm Bureau, wildlife officials deleted the final version of any “regulatory value” language to ensure it remains a collaborative tool for private landowners.
Since more than 90% of Maine is privately owned, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife emphasizes that the success of the plan depends on relationships with landowners, land trusts and municipalities rather than new laws or land use restrictions.
#features #Maines #wildlife #action #plan