Why Study Wildlife Ecology in º£½ÇÉçÇø?
One of the reasons that the University of º£½ÇÉçÇø (Uº£½ÇÉçÇø) has a strong wildlife program is that the state of º£½ÇÉçÇø is such a wonderful place to live for people who enjoy wildlife and the outdoors. Uº£½ÇÉçÇø attracts students and faculty from far and wide partly because of our academic strengths and partly because º£½ÇÉçÇø is an outstanding place to be a wildlife ecologist.
Nowhere else in the eastern United States can you find so many millions of acres of forests where moose and bears outnumber people. These forests begin at the edge of campus, with nearly 15,000 acres of university-owned forests, featuring miles of for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing, and extend north into Canada. is located only 10 minutes from campus and is home to numerous wildlife species, including deer, moose, bears, beavers, and bobcats, and offers numerous recreational opportunities, from canoeing and birdwatching to hunting and fishing. The wilderness of and –widely regarded to be the most dramatic mountain in eastern North America–-are just a couple hours from Orono.
º£½ÇÉçÇø twenty miles downriver from campus lies the incomparable º£½ÇÉçÇø coast–over 4,000 miles long if you draw a line around all the bays and islands. The highlight of the º£½ÇÉçÇø coast, the world-famous , is only 1.5 hours from campus, but most of our coastal studies are focused an hour farther east on Cobscook Bay, in a less populated region near the border with Canada. Here the cold waters of the Bay of Fundy attract large populations of whales, seals, and porpoises, plus and other seabirds, making it one of the richest areas for marine wildlife on the east coast.
If your lean toward freshwater sports like canoeing, fishing, and kayaking, you will find º£½ÇÉçÇø’s glaciated landscape punctuated by thousands of lakes and 30,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Uº£½ÇÉçÇø campus sits on an island in the state’s largest river, the Penobscot, and opportunities to paddle a canoe with a bald eagle overhead begin right on campus. Nearby, Uº£½ÇÉçÇø wildlife students can borrow canoes at a 2,500-acre Uº£½ÇÉçÇø trust property devoted to the protection of wildlife, and explore numerous miles of Pushaw Stream.
Finally, º£½ÇÉçÇø offers incredible opportunities for winter recreation. Snowfall in º£½ÇÉçÇø averages around 108 inches annually, so you’ll always find plenty of in º£½ÇÉçÇø’s scenic mountains. If you enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or tracking wildlife, you will find ample opportunities with thousands of miles of trails throughout the state. No matter what type of activities you wish to pursue, you’ll likely find it in º£½ÇÉçÇø.
Wildlife ecology is one of those careers in which it is sometimes hard to distinguish between when you are working and when you are recreating. This happy coincidence is most commonly experienced in a place like Uº£½ÇÉçÇø where a first-class academic program sits on the doorstep of a spectacular natural environment.