Milestones

2000 Joined in partnership with National Audubon Society to bring Audubon activities in Maine under one roof.

1997 Opened the L. Robert Rolde Nature Center at Fields Pond in Holden, expanding Maine Audubon's environmental programming in the central Maine region.

1995 Led the successful campaign for the "Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund" which has provided millions of dollars for fisheries and wildlife conservation projects; acquisition of public lands, wildlife conservation areas, outdoor recreation sites and public access; endangered and threatened species conservation projects; and natural resources law enforcement.

1995 Opened Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth, demonstrating environmentally friendly building materials and providing space for programs and activities.

1995 Led the effort to create the "Loon Plate", the conservation registration license plate which provides critical funding for wildlife conservation and state park improvements

1994 Received "Down East Environmental Award" for our "imaginative efforts to inform and instruct Mainers old and young."

1989 Established a "Forest Forum" in which representatives of the forest industry and the environmental community met regularly to discuss issues of concern and to develop a dialogue based on trust. That step eventually led to the drafting and passage of the Maine Forest Practices Act in 1989, the first state law to mandate records of timber harvesting and to regulate the size of clearcuts.

1984 Launched aggressive advocacy efforts to block Great Northern Paper Company from building the "Big A" Dam on the West Branch of the Penobscot.

1983 Created a solidly successful education program that included an ambitious plan to integrate environmental studies into Maine's elementary and secondary school curricula.

1978 Established the Maine Conservation Lobby to fundraise and coordinate environmental advocacy efforts in Augusta.

1977 Actively opposed the proposed Dickey-Lincoln Dam - preserving the free flowing nature of the St. John River.

1976 Won the fight to enact the "Bottle Bill," Maine's landmark returnable beverage container law, and fought years of subsequent attempts for its repeal.

1976 Completed ambitious project to build a new headquarters building in Falmouth that also showcased state-of-the-art energy generation and conservation measures.

1974 Operated the most complete environmental information center in Maine, emphasizing alternative energy sources.

1972 Conducted the first statewide bald eagle survey, fought the use of DDT and herbicide 245-T in Baxter State Park, and helped create the State Board of Pesticide Control.

1972 Initiated a partnership with the state to convert an old clam shack at the edge of Scarborough Marsh, which soon evolved into the Scarborough Marh Nature Center that is still one of the organization's busiest facilities.

1966 Opened Mast Landing Nature Day Camp in Freeport - still operating each summer.

1936 National Audubon acquires Hog Island in Maine and opens its first camp to teach adults about wildlife and education. Carl Buchheister is the first director. Hundreds of conservation leaders will be educated here.

1921 The Portland Natural History Society counted 6000 visitors, a proud vote of approval from a city whose population was barely 30,000.

1843 The Portland Society of Natural History was founded for collecting and studying specimens and educating its members about natural history – particularly in Maine. The primary focus was the establishment and maintenance of a natural history museum in Portland.

John James Audubon

National Audubon's Timeline and History