Maine recently released its once-a-decade blueprint for protecting and managing native animalsand plants, ranging from the smallest cobblestone tiger beetles to beloved giants like moose to top-tier predators like white sharks.
“Maine’s most vulnerable wildlife are at the crossroads,” said Judy Camuso, commissioner of the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in a statement last Friday. “We have seen significant declines in birds and other species during our lifetimes. This plan (will) … prevent further decline.”
The 2025-2035 Maine Wildlife Action Plan identifies hundreds of at-risk species. The exercise is required in order to access federal wildlife grants, which provide states with the money to keep “common species common” before they reach the brink of extinction.
Over 100 conservation groups helped draft the plan over the last two years. The state received 323 public comments.
Here are a few takeaways.
PLANTS ADDED TO WATCH LIST
The roster of at-risk species has nearly doubled, jumping from 378 in the 2015 plan to 721 species today. This surge is driven primarily by the inclusion of 301 plant species, which were added to the framework for the first time.
The list also reflects a more rigorous examination of inland invertebrates and declines in several bird species, such as the Evening Grosbeak and Cliff Swallow, both of which now received the highest conservation listing for a non-endangered species.
CLIMATE CHANGE AS A SUPER STRESSOR
In older plans, climate change was evaluated as just another stressor, one of dozens considered. In the 2025 update, as state officials document rising temperatures and seas, climate change has been elevated to a “super-theme” that cuts across every ecosystem and habitat in the state.
The most commonly identified threats to species and their habitats are climate change and severe weather, development and land conversion resulting in habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, and lack of knowledge, the report concludes.
Maine will now launch a climate subcommittee to guide conservation efforts for vulnerable habitats, such as alpine summits and tidal marshes. The plan calls for identifying climate refugia —areas most likely resilient to warming that can serve as long-term strongholds for biodiversity.
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 of Greatest Conservation Need in a notable exception to the state’s usual rules.
After rejecting a bid to list it in 2015, Maine officials added it to the 2025 plan in response to nearly 200 public comments based on the scientific possibility of natural repopulation from Canada.
Advocates say field data proves gray wolves live in Maine; state biologists say they have seen proof of wolf/coyote hybrids only. Advocates say more genetic testing could help identify an admittedly small population, including the first sentinel wolves to cross into Maine.
The listing triggers active monitoring, including state-funded genetic analysis of large wolves and requests for biological samples from hunters or trappers who encounter wolf-like animals weighing over 50 pounds.
PIVOT TO LANDSCAPE-LEVEL PROTECTION
State officials are moving away from managing at-risk species in silos in favor of landscape-level conservation actions that address threats spanning multiple habitats at the same time, with a major goal of connecting wildlife moving across the state.
Development of a blueprint for Maine landscape conservation helps state regulators focus on the large contiguous habitat blocks and avoid fragmentation caused by roads or undersized culverts, which can block the movement of everything from brook trout to Blanding’s Turtles.
STRICTLY VOLUNTARY
Despite its scientific depth, all conservation measures included in the new plan are voluntary.
Following feedback from the Maine Forest Service and Maine Farm Bureau, wildlife regulators scrubbed the final version of any language that had a “regulatory quality” to ensure it remains a collaborative tool for private landowners.
Since over 90% of Maine is privately owned, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife emphasizes that the plan’s success depends on partnerships with landowners, land trusts and municipalities rather than new laws or land-use restrictions.