The Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge is home to many colonial nesting seabirds that are unique or unusual in the United States.  The refuge hosts nesting Atlantic puffins, common eiders, arctic terns, federally-listed roseate terns, black guillemots, Leach's storm petrels, razorbills, great and double-crested cormorants, and three species of gulls.  Almost all of these birds were all but extirpated from the state by over harvest in the late 1800s, but through the cooperative efforts of the Service, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the National Audubon Society, they have been rebounding.

Unfortunately, the islands and their birds are "out of sight - out of mind."  The birds need islands that are out of reach of mammalian predators and human disturbance, so they nest on islands far off-shore (some as many as 26 miles out to sea) and protected by rocks, heavy seas and fog.  They also require help in the form of active management to discourage avian predators and manage vegetation.  Even citizens that have lived here all their lives have never seen many of these birds, so they are largely unaware of the refuge and its resources.

The Friends of Maine Seabird Islands is working to change this.  With their eyes on the eventual prize of a visitors center in the mid-coast area, they are working to increase awareness and marshall support.  Jane Hopwood, the Chairwoman of the group, recently came up with an innovative idea for a successful event.  She got local Bed and Breakfasts in Camden to offer wine and hors d'oevres, followed by a catered dessert and coffee at her spectacular home.   Each Bed and Breakfast was paired with specific islands, and refuge staff brought displays featuring pictures of those islands, the birds they host, and the ongoing management activities.  While guests enjoyed the food and ambience at each establishment, they listened to the sounds of breeding seabird colonies in the background and talked to refuge staff and board members of the Friends group about specific islands.  Over dessert later, guests compared "their" islands to those that others had "seen."   Also during the dessert, the refuge manager gave a brief overview of the refuge, and Jane told people about the Friends group.  People thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and several joined the group or contributed.  Also, the group raised over $1500 through ticket sales to the event.

Another event is an annual trip on a tour boat, also catered, that takes 100 guests out to actually see (from the boat) one of the refuge's islands in late July, while there are still many birds to see.  It is no easy task to get people close enough to appreciate seabirds, although fortunately, for many people, one visit is all it takes to awaken a passion for these fascinating birds!