Be Bear Wise
As the days grow longer, wildlife and humans alike emerge from their homes and dens to greet the warm weather. For many humans, we emerge with some extra “fluff”; we’ve exercised less, stayed inside more, eaten all the delicious desserts over the holidays, and gone through a long phase that I like to call “bulking season.” For our furry friends from bats to bears, winters can be more challenging; presenting little food, frigid temperatures, and the need for exceptional adaptations to ensure survival.
Turtle Talk
Maine has eight species of semi-aquatic turtles that inhabit a number of regions and ecosystems across the state. Turtles are a unique group of reptiles, with an anatomical design that ensures protection from a number of predators. A turtle’s shell, or carapace, is made of hard bony plates covered in scutes, which are the same material as our fingernails. Fused to the inside of their shell is their spinal column and the belly side of the turtle shell, the plastron, are the fused ribs and sternum. So, a turtle’s shell is a unique armor that a turtle physically cannot live without.
The Nature Of Teaching Brings The Maine Outdoors Into K-5 Classrooms
[caption id="attachment_2984" align="alignright" width="496"] Recognizing different types of animal tracks showcases the variety of wildlife that call different habitats home.[/caption] With just several open spots remaining, teachers interested in bringing the Maine outdoors into their classroom should register now for the upcoming Nature of Teaching workshops, created by Purdue University in conjunction
National Safe Boating Week – Saturday, May 20 to Friday, May, 26 - 2017
National Safe Boating Week is a great way to kick off what will be a fun and safe summer on the water. From May 20 - 26, 2017, the Maine Warden Service, Maine Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard ask boaters to pay EXTRA attention to their boating safety behaviors, and to especially ALWAYS wear their lifejackets.
Enjoying The Bounty Of Your Hunt
[caption id="attachment_2042" align="alignleft" width="300"] Addison Turner, age 9 with her first Maine deer[/caption] Deer hunting in Maine is growing in popularity, and one of the reasons is due to the health benefits and fine taste of venison. Free-range and chemical-free, venison offers more protein per serving than beef or pork, is also lower in fat, and has fewer
Managing Deer Wintering Areas Is One Aspect Of A Regional Biologist's Job
By IFW Wildlife Biologist Scott McLellan [caption id="attachment_1963" align="alignright" width="318"] This photo (figure 1) shows a harvest block where a number of the white cedar trees were retained.[/caption] As a regional biologist, one of our responsibilities is working with landowners to manage deer win
Schedule for Wild Game Cooking Workshops Hosted by Maine's Community Colleges
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has partnered with Maine's community colleges to offer a number of wild game cooking workshops over the next several months. Each workshop will offer the opportunity to participants to learn how to prepare wild game meat and sample the completed recipes.
Maine Game Wardens Participate in Operation Dry Water
During the weekend of June 24-26, Maine Game Wardens along with other marine law enforcement participated in Operation Dry Water, a national outreach and enforcement campaign with the goal of raising awareness of the dangers of boating under the influence and removing impaired operations from our nation’s waterways. During that weekend of heightened enfor
Wildlife Management Areas Receive New Signs
By Sarah Spencer, Region C Wildlife Biologist If you’ve spent any time in the Downeast Region lately you may have noticed new signs installed at several Wildlife Management Areas. After years of exposure to the sun, precipitation, and occasional vandalism, many of the wooden signs had fallen into disrepair.
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