The state of Maine recently released a 10-year blueprint for protecting and managing native flora and fauna, from the smallest beetle to popular giants like elk to apex predators like great white sharks.
“Maine’s most vulnerable wildlife is at a crossroads,” state Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso said in a statement last Friday. “We have seen significant declines in bird and other species in our lifetimes, and this plan…will prevent further declines.”
The 2025-2035 Maine Wildlife Action Plan identifies hundreds of species at risk. This work is necessary to take advantage of federal wildlife grants, which provide states with funding to maintain “common species” before they become endangered.
More than 100 conservation organizations helped draft the plan over the past two years. The state received 323 public comments.
Here are some points.
Added plant to watch list
The list of species at risk has almost doubled, jumping from 378 species in the 2015 plan to 721 species now. This surge is primarily driven by the inclusion of 301 plant species added to the framework for the first time.
The list also reflects more rigorous research into the decline of inland invertebrates and several bird species, such as the Evening Grosbeak and Cliff Swallow, which are now on the highest conservation list of non-threatened species.
Climate change as a super stressor
In the old plan, climate change was assessed as one of dozens of stressors considered. The 2025 update elevated climate change to a “supertheme” across all ecosystems and habitats in the state, as state officials document rising temperatures and ocean waters.
The most commonly identified threats to species and their habitats are: The report concludes that climate change and severe weather, development and land conversion resulting in habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and lack of knowledge are among the factors.
The main will start now Climate subcommittee to guide conservation activities Suitable for fragile habitats such as alpine peaks and tidal wetlands. The plan calls for identifying climate refuge areas – areas most likely to become long-term hubs of biodiversity and resilient to warming.
The symbolic return of the gray wolf
The plan lists the gray wolf, which has been locally extinct in Maine for a century, as a species most in need of protection, a notable exception to the state’s usual rules.
After rejecting a listing bid in 2015, Maine officials added it to the 2025 plan in response to nearly 200 public comments from Canada based on the scientific potential for natural repopulation.
Supporters say field data proves gray wolves live in Maine. State biologists say they have only seen evidence of a wolf-coyote hybrid. Supporters say more genetic testing could help identify distinctly small populations, including the sentinel wolves that first crossed into Maine.
The list will begin active monitoring, including state-funded genetic analysis of big wolves and requests for biological samples from hunters and trappers who encounter wolf-like animals weighing more than 50 pounds.
Focus on landscape-level protection
With a broader goal of connecting the state’s migratory wildlife, state officials are moving away from managing at-risk species in silos in favor of landscape-level conservation efforts that address threats across multiple habitats simultaneously.
Developing a blueprint for protecting Maine’s landscapes will help state regulators focus on large, contiguous habitat blocks and avoid fragmentation caused by roads and small culverts that can impede the movement of everything from brook trout to Blanding’s turtles.
strictly voluntary
Despite their scientific depth, all conservation measures included in the new plan are voluntary.
Following feedback from the Maine Forest Service and the Maine Farm Bureau, wildlife regulators vetted the final version of the language to be of “regulatory quality” to ensure it remains a collaborative tool for private landowners.
Because more than 90 percent of Maine is privately owned, the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Service emphasizes that the plan’s success depends on partnerships with landowners, land trusts, and local governments, rather than new laws or land use restrictions.
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