By Jane Eberle

Representative, House District 123 (South Portland/Cape Elizabeth)

    Rowing my shell on Great Pond in Belgrade at sunset,
a dragonfly lands on my shoulder—that means good luck...! A bald eagle
sitting on a branch high in a tree, scornfully disdainful of a few
pestering crows, spreads his great wings and lifts off the branch to
soar off into the sky.... Watching piping plovers and least terns
nesting on our beaches in the summer, and delighting at the sight of
Atlantic puffins and razorbills out on our islands...

    This is the legacy of Maine’s Endangered Species
Act: creatures that were at risk of extinction from Maine but now are
recognizing a strengthening of their numbers and protection of their
habitat, from the smallest insect to the largest mammals.

    In 1975, due to concerns that various species of
fish and wildlife were in danger of disappearing from our state, Maine
passed the Endangered Species Act. It establishes clear state policy to
conserve all species of animal and the ecosystems they need to survive.
The Maine Legislature will vote this session on whether to approve
additions to Maine’s list of threatened and endangered species.

    Wildlife biologist and author Dr. Mark McCollough
wrote, “Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s mandate,
therefore, is to protect all the state’s wildlife–charismatic and
unpopular, predators and pollinators, invertebrates and vertebrates,
species at the edge of their range, or species naturally dispersing
into the state. All have inherent ecological and evolutionary value.
Each species has its own unique genetic legacy. Each species functions
as a cog in the wheel of working ecosystems. Wildlife also has cultural
and esthetic value and has in important role in our state’s history and
economy. Simply put, wildlife is essential to the quality of life we
enjoy in the Pine Tree State. Each time we lose a species, we are a
poorer society, and the integrity of our ecological systems is
diminished.”

    His words also answer the question some ask: Why
bother? Why is it so important to save an insect from extinction?

    The criteria for listing are explained on the
IF&W website: Determination of a species’ status as endangered or
threatened is based on the species’ probability of extinction from
Maine. To insure an objective biological basis for listing, regulations
adopted in 1994 (after public hearings and discussions) specify that to
evaluate a species’ risk of extinction, biologists must measure the
population’s viability, size, trend, distribution, and fragmentation,
as well as endemism (whether the species occurs only in Maine).

    Currently Maine’s endangered and threatened species
lists 33 animals, including the golden eagle, bald eagle, harlequin
duck, peregrine falcon, roseate tern, black racer snake, Blandings
turtle, swamp darter fish, twilight moth, as well as dragonflies,
mayflies, mussels, and more.  Proposed species currently being
considered by the Legislature for listing include the least bittern,
redfin pickerel, New England cottontail, Barrow’s goldeneye, and the
short eared owl.

    You can find out more about Maine’s endangered and
threatened species from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
website (www.maine.gov/ifw) and Maine Audubon (www.maineaudubon.org).

    Maine has a rich wildlife and natural resources
heritage. We strive continually to balance the needs of our human and
animal populations and protect our precious common ecosystems. Why
bother? The answer is soaring on wings over our head and swimming in a
forest pond.

    Rep. Eberle is in her second term in the Maine House
of Representatives. She serves on the Natural Resources Committee and
the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee.