Many people believe that the vast woods of northern Maine have all the valuable wildlife habitat, because remoteness fits their idea of wilderness, said William Krohn, leader of the Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. But according to the results of a six-year effort by scientists from federal and state agencies, southern Maine has the greatest variety of reptiles, terrestrial vertebrates, woody plants, and threatened and endangered animal species. The study, which includes the first digital land-cover maps of Maine, shows that sections of southern Maine also have some of the richest varieties of mammals. It's the kind of land that is in people's back yards. The study is part of a national effort by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Maine is the only state east of the Mississippi River to complete the work.
The study provides the first systematic documentation of the distribution of Maine's animal and plant species. Its color-coded maps also identify the state's network of conservation lands. The idea is to take a broad look at animal and plant diversity based on habitat. Scientists used digital data from satellites combined with video footage taken from airplanes, and analyzed the information based on what they already know about habitat from their field work. While the state's population is increasing by only 1,000 people a year, Krohn noted, people are occupying more and more land as they move away from cities and into the countryside.