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Protect Maine’s Endangered & Threatened Wildlife

Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) will amend the state’s list of endangered and threatened species and is seeking public comment by July 3. The department will then submit a bill to the Legislature for consideration and approval.

The purpose of updating the endangered and threatened species list is to have a current list of those species most at risk of extinction from the state based on ecological data and threats to the species and/or their habitats. Once species are listed, the department can develop management and recovery plans for each species with input from other experts and review projects that might affect species to assure impacts are avoided or minimized wherever possible.

We must show the department that there is strong public support for protecting Maine’s most vulnerable wildlife, particularly those whose populations are extremely low and at risk of extinction if nothing is done to protect them and their habitats.

DIFW is recommending that one fish, one butterfly, one dragonfly, and one mammal be added to the list as endangered. Four species of birds, two butterflies, one dragonfly, and one freshwater mussel would also be added as threatened. We support the addition of all of these species, including the New England cottontail.

• New England cottontail use brushy habitat found in old fields, which is becoming increasingly scarce and fragmented into patches too small to support successful breeding populations.

DIFW did not add several species whose populations are extremely low and at risk of extinction if nothing is done to protect them and their habitats. These include:

Least bittern (E)

Barrow's goldeneye (T)

Atlantic salmon (E)

Canada lynx (T)

• Least bittern are found in freshwater wetlands dominated by cattails, but after extensive sampling of wetlands likely to support bitterns, it is clear that their total population is dangerously low.

• Barrow's goldeneye overwinter in Maine's coastal and tidal waters. Their population is estimated to be dangerously low.

• Atlantic salmon numbers continue to decline in Maine, the only state along the Atlantic with a breeding population. The species is already listed as federally endangered and should be included in the state list as well.

• Canada lynx only breed in a handful of states, with Maine being the only one in the east. They need large expanses of forest with abundant snowshoe hare for prey and downed trees or roots for dens. The small breeding population could be affected by changes in cutting practices, habitat fragmentation by roads, increased traffic on roads, and interference with dispersal to and from Canada. We have both an opportunity and an obligation to do all we can to ensure the future of Canada lynx in their core Northeastern habitat. The lynx is already listed as federally threatened and should be included in the state list as well.

Please comment by JULY 3, 2006. Send your written comments to: Andrea Erskine, DIFW, #41 SHS, Augusta, ME 04333-0041 OR call (207) 287-5201 OR e-mail andrea.erskine@maine.gov by clicking the link below.

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Ms. Andrea Erskine

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