Wildlife

New miscellaneous report on bees and their habitats in four New England states

The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station has published MR448: Bees and Their Habitats in Four New England States. Authors Alison C. Dibble, UMaine Francis A. Drummond, UMaine Anne L. Averill, University of Massachusetts Kalyn Bickerman-Martens, UMaine Sidney C. Bosworth, The University of Vermont Extension Sara L. Bushman, UMaine Aaron K. Hoshide, UMaine Megan E. […]

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wood frog

Conserving vernal pools and other wetland resources through coupling natural and human systems

Vernal pool conservation strategies that incorporate the best available science and social and economic needs of Maine citizens. Since the passing Significant Vernal Pool regulation in Maine in 2007, there has been a political backlash to dismantle all regulations associated with Significant Wildlife Habitats. In particular, in developing landscapes, vernal pool resources are rapidly disappearing […]

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small fish

Ecology, conservation, and recovery of Maine native fishes in a changing environment

Native fishes of commercial, recreational, or ecological importance in Maine, such as Atlantic salmon, brook trout, alewife, and sea lamprey, have experienced range-wide decline because human activities have degraded freshwater habitats. Recently humans have sought to mitigate these negative impacts and restore native fisheries, especially for migratory species, by removing dams and restoring access to […]

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blue-spotted salamander

Maintaining biological diversity in managed landscapes

Natural resource management is a critical driver in the economic, social, and ecological well-being of a state like Maine and one of the fundamental elements of natural resource management is biodiversity. It encompasses everything from the raw material of natural resource based industries to the fabric that forms our ecosystems. This project will investigate the […]

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grouse

Population ecology of grouse in Maine

Maine’s forest wildlife are an important resource that contribute to the state’s economy through wildlife-centric recreation, and have intrinsic value as native species to the state. The forest habitat on which these species depend also provides an important economic and cultural resource to Maine citizens through the harvest of forest products. Ruffed grouse are a […]

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hare

Responses of Canada lynx, snowshoe hares, spruce grouse, and forest songbirds to forest management in commercially managed landscapes in the northeastern U.S.

Maine has the largest population of U.S. federally threatened Canada lynx in the lower 48 states, which specialize on the snowshoe hare as a primary prey species. Maine’s forests support the largest spruce grouse population in the eastern U.S., and with >50% of the spruce-fir forest in the coterminous U.S., these forests provide >95% of […]

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warbler

Characterizing the Gulf of Maine Flyway and integrating ecology, physiology, and behavior to understanding links between Maine’s natural resources and wildlife

The overall goals are to increase our understanding of the Gulf of Maine flyway system through identifying the breeding populations of birds occurring there and by studying the links among energetic condition, available resources, and movement. Identifying important stopover and roosting sites for shorebirds is critical to coastal area management. The activities outlined in the […]

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chickadee

Multi-scale landscape manipulations and the impact on Maine’s avian communities

The single defining challenge to our modern biological resources is one of rapid landscape evolution. To manage these impacts and make informed choices concerning the tradeoffs between biological conservation, economic prosperity, and the Maine way(s) of life, we need to understand what species and communities are most at risk to different disturbances. The proposed project […]

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