Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge

	Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge
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	Human activities on the coast of Maine over the last three centuries have threatened the existence of birds such as common and Arctic terns and Atlantic puffins.

	Seabirds have always relied on Maine's offshore islands as havens for raising their young. Small, unforested, rocky islands provide a setting free of mammalian predators such as foxes, coyotes, and raccoons. Flying distance from the mainland discourages avian predators such as great horned owls. The cold waters surrounding the islands hold an abundant supply of fish for adults and young alike. Native Americans have used the coast's natural resources for more than 4,000 years. The Red Paint people camped on offshore islands in the summer and fished the deep ocean waters. Although they hunted seabirds and their eggs, they used sustainable methods, limiting harvest to certain islands and hunting any one colony once every three years. Europeans began settling the islands in the 1600s, farming and raising sheep and hogs. The livestock disturbed nesting seabirds and trampled their habitat. The people hunted the birds and collected their eggs. In the late 1800s, the fashion industry posed an additional threat to the birds' existence. Women's hats were decorated with feathers. Egrets, herons, and terns were especially popular and, therefore, most harmed by the trend. At the start of the 20th Century, most seabirds in the Gulf of Maine were on the brink of extinction. Concern for the future of all birds led to passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918. The Act protects migratory birds, their nests, and their eggs. At about the same time, trains and automobiles replaced boats as preferred forms of transportation. People relocated to the mainland, easing pressure on seabird habitat. Common and Arctic tern populations rebounded, reaching a high of almost 16,000 pairs along the Maine coast in 1940. The recovery was short-lived, however. During the mid-1900s, the spread of open landfills along the coast and an increase in fishery waste provided easy pickings for herring and great black-backed gulls. These birds nest earlier than terns, claiming prime habitat and relegating terns to inferior nest sites. Some gulls also prey on tern eggs and chicks. The artificial food sources led to an explosion in gull populations. By 1977, the tern population in the Gulf of Maine had declined to roughly 5,000 nesting pairs. Restoration efforts since then have turned the tide.
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	Contact Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge at MaineCoastal@fws.gov or:	P.O. Box 279 Milbridge, ME 04658 207/546-2124