Why Did The Turtle Cross The Road...And Here's How To Help

[caption id="attachment_2970" align="alignright" width="321"] A hatchling painted turtle rescued from the road.[/caption] By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Sarah Boyden Driving through Embden the other morning, I passed several snapping turtles laying eggs along the sandy stretch of the road.

As Weather Warms, Bats Emerge From Hibernation And Begin To Appear On Maine's Landscape

By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Sarah Boyden It’s been a cold spring with late season snow storms keeping parts of the state covered in snow.  As the temperature slowly warms, bats appear on the landscape returning to their summer habitat.  Five species of bats are year-round residents in Maine.

Creating and Enhancing Habitat On A Coastal Peninsula

By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Tom Schaeffer [caption id="attachment_2840" align="alignright" width="436"] Figure 1.

Orphaned Cub Gets Fresh Start With New Mom

[caption id="attachment_2831" align="alignright" width="330"] MDIFW Wildlife Biologist holds the rescued bear cub as they get ready to bring the cub to a new wintering den.[/caption] It still is a little early in northern Maine for black bears to be leaving their den, but one sow and her cub were already out early last week looking for food along Route 1 in Caribou when the adult bear was struck and killed by a p

In Aroostook County, Deer Vehicle Collisions Increase This Time Of Year  

By Shawn Haskell, MDIFW Wildlife Biologist We all like to see deer…until you are swerving your vehicle to avoid striking that one you just now see.  Sometimes they seem to almost want to kill themselves by running into the side of a vehicle.  Yes, we could probably all stand to pay attention more to our outdoor surroundings while driving, but it is not always our faul

Easter’s On Its Way, And Peter Cottontail Needs Your Help!

[caption id="attachment_2798" align="alignright" width="518"] New England cottontails such as this one rely on thickets of dense shrubs and young trees.[/caption] By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Cory Stearns With Easter nearly here, you might find yourself breaking into renditions of “Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity, hoppity, Easter’s on it’

Why Do We Manage Grasslands With Delayed Mowing?

[caption id="attachment_2785" align="alignright" width="463"] Male (Left) and Female (Right) Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). Photo courtesy of National Audobon Society[/caption] By Natural Resource Manager Daniel H. Hill Did you know that managed grasslands and hay fields are important, intricate ecosystems found throughout the State of Maine? Did you know they were in decline?

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Creating Backyard Habitat for Bees And Butterflies

Many of us have heard about widespread declines of some pollinator species. Not only do bees and butterflies play a critical role in natural ecosystems and in agriculture by pollinating plants, but they’re pretty cool to look at too!

Learning More About Lynx During The Winter Months

By Regional Wildlife Biologist Scott McLellan One of the responsibilities of a wildlife biologist in the Moosehead Lake region is to research and collect information about Canada lynx. Most townships within this region have lynx present, which was not the case 20 years ago.

Sarah's Journey to Becoming a Regional Wildlife Biologist at MDIFW

By Regional Wildlife Biologist, Sarah Boyden Quite often, I get asked how I became a wildlife biologist. As a kid, on a dairy farm in central Maine, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I liked to be outside and I wanted to do something with animals but, beyond that, I had no plans.