The Nature Conservancy in Maine

What an incredible story from our friends in Washington!! This acquisition is just one step in a longer path toward healing and restoration. We’re so grateful that TNC can play a role in protecting estuaries (and the biodiversity that depends on them) while also building such important relationships and learning so much from our partners. 🌍🌎🌏 “Sharing an aligned vision for the future of the estuary, this partnership is ripe for healing both the land and establishing right relations—putting the Stillaguamish back in a position of sovereignty, protected by treaty rights.” 💚💙 Learn more: https://nature.ly/3Wt7wpm

“Maine Won’t Wait” is Maine's four-year climate plan, packed with actionable strategies and goals to emit less carbon, produce energy from renewable sources, and protect our natural resources, communities and people from the effects of climate change. And by taking the Maine Climate Council Summer 2024 survey, YOU can be part of the plan. 🌎🌍🌏 The Maine Climate Council wants to hear from a wide variety of Mainers as it updates Maine Won’t Wait, and they’re considering new or updated strategies in eight areas: Transportation, Buildings, Energy, Coastal & Marine, Community Resilience, Natural and Working Lands, Materials Management, and Land Use. Check out the link below for more info on each of the draft strategies, then decide whether to take the full survey or focus on sections that are most relevant to you and your community. Your voice can help shape our state’s future: Maine won’t wait, and neither should you! ⚡🌡💧 https://lnkd.in/edKPSzpf 📸 Kate Dempsey (State Director) poses with Kaitlyn Nuzzo (Director of Government Relations) at a recent Maine Climate Council meeting. © Karen Blakelock #climateaction #maine #maineclimatecouncil #MaineWontWait #climatestrategy #climatechange #noPlanetB #greeninitiatives #reducereuserecycle #greenMaine #ME #mainefuture #advocacy

Animals have a lot to teach us about friendship 🥰💛 From sharing resources to sharing snuggles, their symbiotic (and sometimes surprising!) relationships make them more successful - at survival AND at play. We hope these sweet moments captured in the wild will brighten your World Friendship Day!! It’s a great time to remind someone how much their friendship means to you, and to celebrate the impact that our friends have on our lives. 💌🤗 📷 Fox kits from different dens cuddle cheek-to-cheek (Robert McRae/TNC Photo Contest 2019) 📷 Red billed oxpecker grooms ticks/bugs from buffalo’s face (McDonald Temba/TNC Photo Contest 2022) 📷 Bear cubs play together in the long grass (Heather Cudworth /TNC Photo Contest 2019) 📷 Blue-banded bees huddle together to rest (Somnath Kumbhar/TNC Photo Contest 2022) 📷 Chimpanzees pose together after being rescued from illegal hunting (Carlos Mejia/TNC Photo Contest 2021) 📷 Zebras embrace in Tanzania (Andrew Bradvica/TNC Photo Contest 2019) 📷 Brown bear and seagull wait together for salmon (Tracey Hunnewell/TNC Photo Contest 2015) 📷 Andean flamingos congregate for a sunset dip (Mario Segovia Guzmán/TNC Photo Contest 2022) 📷 A pair of Svalbard's reindeer pause in unison from their grazing (Matt Todd/TNC Photo Contest 2019) 📷 Adult and elder lion stand side-by-side (Anup Shah/TNC Photo Contest 2022) #WorldFriendshipDay #unlikelyanimalfriends #wildlife #biodviersity #animals #cutenaturemoments #babyanimals #nature #conservation #naturephotography #animalfriends

🐯🎉 Happy International Tiger Day!! 🐯🎉 You might be thinking “wait, tigers?? In MAINE?!?!” …well, not exactly. But we do have our own local flavor for this particular awareness day – check out the info below to learn about Maine’s “tigers”! 🦋 Tiger swallowtail butterfly: The eastern tiger swallowtail is a species of butterfly native to North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, ranging north to Ontario, Canada, and can be found in a variety of different habitats. Swallowtails are also very large insects: when basking in the sun, their outspread wings can be over 5 inches from tip to tip! 🐞 Tiger beetles: Maine is home to 14 species of tiger beetles, 3 of which are considered rare due to their limited range and specialized habitat requirements - the Cobblestone Tiger Beetle, Saltmarsh Tiger Beetle, and White Mountain Tiger Beetle. Though many are dark colored and blend in with their preferred sandy or muddy habitat, some species of tiger beetle can be quite striking in appearance, with iridescent colors and intricate body patterns. 🐟 Tiger trout: A sterile offspring produced by crossing a male brook trout with a female brown trout, the tiger trout honors its namesake with “tiger-like” stripes along its sides. The species has been widely introduced throughout the U.S., and they may feed on invasive, smaller fish species that native brook and brown trout do not eat - making them helpful additions to an ecosystem. None of them are “tigers” in the most traditional sense… but we still think they’re grrrrrrrrreat!! 😉🐯 Can you think of any local tigers that we forgot?? 📸 Lauren Peeler Brice (tiger swallowtail butterfly); Mike Jones (tiger beetle in Maine); Robert S. Michelson (tiger trout) #conservation #GlobalTigerDay #biodiversity #awarenessdays #wildlife #tigers #habitatprotection #maine #wildlifeofmaine #fishmaine #butterflies #entomology

Did you know that bee balm is a member of the mint family? 🌿 This aromatic herb is favored by lots of pollinators – but its citrusy flowers can appeal to a human palate, too. Bee balm (aka wild bergamot or monarda) can be used in herbal teas, salads, or as a garnish for desserts and other dishes. 🥗 The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, and the seed heads will attract birds in the fall and winter. But be warned: once you start planting bee balm, you may find yourself with more than you bargained for! These plants can self-seed very easily and they spread underground via “rhizomes.” In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow horizontally, while retaining the ability to allow new shoots to grow vertically. In other words, they may creep along underground for a while and pop up in unexpected places! Even though bee balm is also known as “bergamot,” it is distinct from “bergamot tea,” which is made with oils extracted from the bergamot orange. In other words… without some orange, purple bee balm will NOT taste like Earl Grey! 🍵 📸 Gwen Fraser / TNC #colorpuns #fascinatingfactfriday #flowers #botany #maine #mainewildlife #pollinator #pollinatorgarden #nativeplants #flowersofmaine #bees #beebalm #gardening #conservation

Gone fishin’ 🎣💙 We really enjoyed today’s visit from our friends & partners at Tree Street Youth!! Huge shoutout to everyone who worked to make the trip possible, and an extra special thanks to one of today’s guest stars – Christian Fox (TNC Maine’s Watershed Restoration Specialist) – for sharing all his fishing knowledge and experience with us!! 🐟🐟 More pics of the whole crew comin’ soon 🥰 📸 Gwen Fraser / TNC #fish #fishing #angling #androscoggin #fishmaine #mainerivers #outdoors #nature #recreation

The Maine Outdoor Film Festival is HERE!! 🎥🎉 There’s an entire weekend of screenings, panels, and so much more, all bringing the community together to appreciate our favorite thing: nature. 😍💚 Don’t miss “The Buzz On Native Plants” on Friday, July 26!! Nancy Olmstead (TNC Maine’s Conservation Ecologist) is interviewed to discuss biodiversity here in Maine and beyond. We’ll be there for the screening on Friday – come visit us, pick up some merch, and learn more about how you can help support Maine plants!! Check out the link to get your tickets 🎟 https://lnkd.in/ecxa6Kyw p.s. what’s your favorite native plant?????

If you tell someone you’re into birdwatching, they won’t give you any funny looks. Same with butterflies – it’s a little more niche, maybe, but people have been known to visit butterfly-houses and similar attractions. They’re symbols of beauty and love. 🦋 But what about… moths??? Hear us out: We LOVE moths. And so do native plants! Moths are similar to birds and butterflies in that they contribute to the pollination of countless beloved plant species. Here in Maine, the browntail moth gets a lot of attention, and the bad press is definitely well-deserved. Luckily, they aren’t the only Maine moths! Luna moths, rosy maple moths, and hummingbird moths are just a few examples of native species that are as striking as they are helpful. National Moth Week (July 20-28, 2024) is held annually worldwide and celebrates the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths around the world – including the many species that can be found right here at home. Looking for moths can be as easy as leaving your porch light on and checking what is attracted to the light, or as advanced as custom setups with specialized lights and baits. Whichever way you wish to attract moths, the organizers of National Moth Week have set up an easy guide to get started! 🔎💡 https://lnkd.in/ecsvFktG So, who’s the winner? Butterflies or moths?? It’s unclear why one is known as a symbol of beauty and the other lends its name to a famously not-so-attractive cryptid (sorry, Mothman). But we choose… BOTH!! 🥰♥ On a related note: we’re patiently awaiting the arrival of a moth emoji. 👀 📸 Heather Reid/TNC Photo Contest 2021 #NationalMothWeek #mothing #pollinators #pollination #nocturnalpollinators #moths #insects #butterflies #maine #mainewildlife

Check out these Happy Hikers! Several of our team members recently went on a sunny trek through the Anna Tondreau Preserve in Harpswell, ME. Acquired by the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust in 2023, the Anna Tondreau Preserve encompasses 57 acres on Great Island, including forest carpeted with moss and lichen, fascinating rock ledges and walls, and undeveloped shoreline. It runs along the saltmarsh and mudflats of Orr’s Cove and Mill Cove in Quahog Bay, but it also hosts multiple small streams and a wetland. This preserve features habitat for both migrating warblers in its forests and shorebirds in its coves. Visitors can enjoy scenic views along its 1.4-mile trail system. Plus: our staff were lucky enough to witness a raccoon swimming in the cove during their hike!! We can't guarantee you'll see one of these cute critters taking a dip during your visit... but we think you'll find the views are always more than worthwhile! 🦝 📸 Bridget Edmonds / TNC #conservation #hiking #hikemaine #hikingadventures #summerinmaine #trails #explore #travel #nature #naturepreserves #getoutdoors #mainewoods #coastofmaine #harpswellME

What does seaweed mean to you??? Maybe more than you think… Seaweed requires almost no land, water, or greenhouse gases to grow. And it has a very exciting superpower: it can pull carbon out of the atmosphere and act as a sustainable substitute for carbon-intensive products like plastic. 😲🤯 In a video created in collaboration with experts from Maine and beyond, TNC Maine's Jocelyn Runnebaum (Marine Scientist) explores the benefits of seaweed farming, and the novel ways it could address the evolving climate crisis. “With warming temperatures here in the Gulf of Maine, we’re seeing impacts on species distribution, and we’re seeing an impact on the presence of kelp beds that are diminishing because of climate change." One possible solution? "‘Seaweed aquaculture,’ which is the cultivation of kelp or seaweed in the marine environment,” explains Jocelyn. The video, plus additional info on the miracle properties of seaweed, and so much more will all be shared in the next edition of our Join Maine Newsletter. Subscribe now – it’s free! - to find out how you can join us to #JoinMaine. Links below 💙💚💜 www.nature.org/joinmaine https://lnkd.in/e7nxmQdB 📸 Seaweed farmer at work. Jennifer Adler #JoinMaineMondays #ThisWeeksClimateAction #habitatrestoration #naturebasedclimatesolutions #seaweed #conservation #climatescience #GulfofMaine #climateaction #carbonreduction #greensolutions #eatmoreseaweed #saveourseas #aquaculture