Local leaders lift their voices

In response to proposed funding threats to government wildlife scientists, the Maine Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Conservation Affairs Committee have voiced their concerns in person to staffers from House Representative Chellie Pingree’s (D-ME) district office in Portland, Maine.

“We were there to say, ‘Here’s how this matters right here in Maine,’” said Joseph Roy, chair of the chapter’s Conservation Affairs Committee and past president of the Maine Chapter.

A diverse group of Maine wildlife professionals—retired state biologists, university researchers, agency staff and those from the private sector—came together to stress the need for vital conservation funding, demonstrating that concerns spanned generations and professions.

Chapter members identified Pingree as a natural ally to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cooperative Research Units (CRUs) due to her past support for conservation issues and her background in natural resources and farming. The congresswoman also has a history of cooperation with colleagues across the aisle. Rather than navigate the crowded inboxes of D.C. staff, chapter participants took a different approach, reaching out to regional offices.

Chapter members engaged a district representative for Pingree. The meeting with the congresswoman’s district representative was well received. TWS members and office staff discussed the objective, local impacts of cutting CRU funding on Maine’s wildlife conservation goals and Mainers in the profession.

“The Cooperative Research Unit was already shy one person due to recent turnover, and we discussed how if funding was cut, it would make it more difficult to fill that opening and would have an impact on that program,” Roy said.

Roy and the group also discussed the implications of funding cuts to graduate students, jobs and the conservation field in Maine. Participants addressed questions about the political process with office staff. Looking ahead, the Maine Chapter hopes to continue to build this relationship and contribute to legislative discussions, viewing Pingree and her staff as a key contact point for future policy engagement. This meeting sets the stage to elevate other concerns and their on-the-ground impacts on Mainers and Maine wildlife.

The Maine Chapter’s Conservation Affairs Committee is a part of TWS’ larger Conservation Affairs Network, which seeks to engage conservation professionals with wildlife policy issues at the national, regional, and local levels.