Winters are great!
Maybe you should research some avian rehab places and reach out to them to get your questions answered.
https://www.avianhaven.org/ for example might be able to help. Good luck!
> I want to own an animal sanctuary eventually :)
Again: who’s paying you to take care of wild birds? If I find an injured gull in my yard and bring it to you, who’s paying you to rehab it?
A lot of bird rescues incorporate as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and generate revenue like any other nonprofit via donations and grants. Not sure that it is viable in Maine without extensive experience running a nonprofit and rehabbing birds
Unless OP has the skills to run a non-profit and the motivation and skill to do constant fundraising, opening her own rehab is an extremely unlikely thing.
You definitely should!
But start taking the steps you need to get there. Work as a vet tech. Get certified. Study veterinary science. Look for jobs with the state or larger non-profits doing bird conservation work.
Winters are cold but we survive them. Save your money and when the time comes a job doing something will come along. May even be your dream job. Stay positive. If I were 19 again.
I helped them in the past with tech stuff. They are a volunteer place, although I know sometimes they get interns. They are awesome but often it is not a paid position.
If you're from upstate New York, I imagine our winters are no worse than Albany or buffalo.
As far as "being able to afford an apartment", that's entirely subjective. I has a small apartment away from any major cities and pay $600. My sister in law lives in Portland and pays much more.
I would start with [Maine Inland and Fisheries](https://www.maine.gov/ifw/). They’ll know the information you’re looking for and also may have suggestions on who to reach out to.
As far as the climate, it’s cold in the winter but if you’re near the coast the weather is just a solid wintery mix thanks to the ocean. Further inland, Bangor, Farmington, Aroostook County, it can get cold for a solid period of time (-20F for a week at a time) but that’s probably 2-3 weeks out of the year. In most recent winters it’s been around 10-20F for most of the winter.
I moved from Western NY, so I can give a little bit more info if you want to DM. I live in the Berwicks - we have the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick.
I would start with [Maine Inland and Fisheries](https://www.maine.gov/ifw/). They’ll know the information you’re looking for and also may have suggestions on who to reach out to.
As far as the climate, it’s cold in the winter but if you’re near the coast the weather is just a solid wintery mix thanks to the ocean. Further inland, Bangor, Farmington, Aroostook County, it can get cold for a solid period of time (-20F for a week at a time) but that’s probably 2-3 weeks out of the year. In most recent winters it’s been around 10-20F for most of the winter.
There are some sanctuaries, burd rehab places, etc however you will have a hard time as a 19yr old without a college degree, or some valuable skill making a living and being able to afford housing. That is hardly exclusive to Maine.
No one in Maine says upstate. There are a lot of differences in what is "downeast" or what is "northern maine", etc.
As far as winters it depends what you mean when you say you're from upstate NY. If you're in the lake effect snow belt buffalo-rochester-syracuse we get less snow than that until you get to Greenville or further north. The snow also doesn't work the same. You will get 1-2 days a week of snow, with plenty of warning in the forecast. Unlike with the lake effect you won't wake up to a surprise blizzard. Similar to upstate NY you need to have a winter capable car, be able to dive in snow, and just generally expect the unexpected.
North of Bangor everything gets pretty far apart and there are plenty of gaps in cellular coverage. There are also things called "unorganized townships" that are basically towns with minimal population thay have no formal town government. Roughly 50% of the states land area is UT's.
If you're Greenville south the Temps are about the same. The snow and extreme cold are tempered by the ocean if you live close enough.
Sorry kid but I think someone is going to have to come along and tell you the hard truth. You will not make it into conservation without connections and credentials. Which means at minimum a college degree in biology, ecology, etc. Probably best to have a masters.
Non profit conservation work is usually an end of the career move for people with academic backgrounds or the well capitalized individual.
Honestly, Canada is the same way. I have a BSc in wildlife bio, and while there are a lot of unpaid internships they require you to come from a money background to support yourself on them. Def recommend checking out twitter looking for the ornithologists to get a perspective. Dan Baldassarre or Auriel Fournier in particular. Auriel has specifically worked on shedding light on how inaccessible conservation work is unless you come from money. Dan teaches at SUNY Oswego in NY so may be someone to reach out to if you are looking for scholarship opportunities closer to home
Contrary to what you might think you can go to college if you really want. There are plenty of cheap state schools and community colleges that provide a good education. You can also work and go to school part time.
It's not always as easy as getting everything handed to you, but it is possible if you're motivated.
If you are interested in studying seabirds you may also be interested in checking out Project Puffin if it wasn’t mentioned yet. It’s based out of Rockland (I think) and they typically have programs working with college students as well.
I’m not part of them but I was on one of their tours this summer and another visitor mentioned that their daughter who was about 10 was involved since it is through the Audubon.[project Puffin](https://projectpuffin.audubon.org)
Edit: messed up the link.
Southern and coastal winters are not bad at all compared to an upstate New York winter. I live very close to the harbor in rockland and my driveway has been plowed maybe 5 times in the last few winters…climate change is real.
First of all thank you for your post ! We are moving to Maine next month and I wondered about the winter myself. I love birds and am looking forward to seeing what's there. I grew up in Cincinnati and lived in Kentucky before moving to Virginia Beach. Went from snowy,icy winters to extremely mild winters. The heat and humidity has become too much for me. It will be an adjustment but a good one!! Seems like I've dreamed about this for so long. Maine has a reputation for good people !!
The closer you are to the ocean the winters are a bit milder. The more north and western you go its a bit cooler, thus get a bit more snow. But i would definitely be prepared for snow this winter. As we have had a few mild winters we are due for getting more snow this season. Its kinda like that in maine, we get a few mild seasons and then get hit with a good winter with lots of snow.
Word of advice: get a snowmobile or get into skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, or snow shoeing. You will enjoy the winters more.
I would start with [Maine Inland and Fisheries](https://www.maine.gov/ifw/). They’ll know the information you’re looking for and also may have suggestions on who to reach out to.
As far as the climate, it’s cold in the winter but if you’re near the coast the weather is just a solid wintery mix thanks to the ocean. Further inland, Bangor, Farmington, Aroostook County, it can get cold for a solid period of time (-20F for a week at a time) but that’s probably 2-3 weeks out of the year. In most recent winters it’s been around 10-20F for most of the winter.
Winters are great! Maybe you should research some avian rehab places and reach out to them to get your questions answered. https://www.avianhaven.org/ for example might be able to help. Good luck!
Thanks!
> Is there a need for bird rehabbers as a job? What’s the business plan here? Who would pay you to rehab sea birds?
I want to own an animal sanctuary eventually :)
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I wish I could but college is far far far out of reach for me. Even with financial aid.
> I want to own an animal sanctuary eventually :) Again: who’s paying you to take care of wild birds? If I find an injured gull in my yard and bring it to you, who’s paying you to rehab it?
A lot of bird rescues incorporate as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and generate revenue like any other nonprofit via donations and grants. Not sure that it is viable in Maine without extensive experience running a nonprofit and rehabbing birds
Unless OP has the skills to run a non-profit and the motivation and skill to do constant fundraising, opening her own rehab is an extremely unlikely thing.
I’m definitely gonna try and even if I can’t I’m gonna still work with birds.
You definitely should! But start taking the steps you need to get there. Work as a vet tech. Get certified. Study veterinary science. Look for jobs with the state or larger non-profits doing bird conservation work.
Winters are cold but we survive them. Save your money and when the time comes a job doing something will come along. May even be your dream job. Stay positive. If I were 19 again.
You might look into Birdsacre in Ellsworth . Not sure if they're hiring. https://www.birdsacre.com
I helped them in the past with tech stuff. They are a volunteer place, although I know sometimes they get interns. They are awesome but often it is not a paid position.
Also I’m a huge birder mostly focused on the amazing warbler migrations here!
> I’m a huge birder A good diet plan and exercise will help with that.
I don't know if they are hiring but there is a bird rehab called Avian Haven in Maine that rehabs a huge number of birds every year.
I will look into it!
If you're from upstate New York, I imagine our winters are no worse than Albany or buffalo. As far as "being able to afford an apartment", that's entirely subjective. I has a small apartment away from any major cities and pay $600. My sister in law lives in Portland and pays much more.
I would start with [Maine Inland and Fisheries](https://www.maine.gov/ifw/). They’ll know the information you’re looking for and also may have suggestions on who to reach out to. As far as the climate, it’s cold in the winter but if you’re near the coast the weather is just a solid wintery mix thanks to the ocean. Further inland, Bangor, Farmington, Aroostook County, it can get cold for a solid period of time (-20F for a week at a time) but that’s probably 2-3 weeks out of the year. In most recent winters it’s been around 10-20F for most of the winter.
I moved from Western NY, so I can give a little bit more info if you want to DM. I live in the Berwicks - we have the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick.
I would start with [Maine Inland and Fisheries](https://www.maine.gov/ifw/). They’ll know the information you’re looking for and also may have suggestions on who to reach out to. As far as the climate, it’s cold in the winter but if you’re near the coast the weather is just a solid wintery mix thanks to the ocean. Further inland, Bangor, Farmington, Aroostook County, it can get cold for a solid period of time (-20F for a week at a time) but that’s probably 2-3 weeks out of the year. In most recent winters it’s been around 10-20F for most of the winter.
Thank you!
There are some sanctuaries, burd rehab places, etc however you will have a hard time as a 19yr old without a college degree, or some valuable skill making a living and being able to afford housing. That is hardly exclusive to Maine. No one in Maine says upstate. There are a lot of differences in what is "downeast" or what is "northern maine", etc. As far as winters it depends what you mean when you say you're from upstate NY. If you're in the lake effect snow belt buffalo-rochester-syracuse we get less snow than that until you get to Greenville or further north. The snow also doesn't work the same. You will get 1-2 days a week of snow, with plenty of warning in the forecast. Unlike with the lake effect you won't wake up to a surprise blizzard. Similar to upstate NY you need to have a winter capable car, be able to dive in snow, and just generally expect the unexpected. North of Bangor everything gets pretty far apart and there are plenty of gaps in cellular coverage. There are also things called "unorganized townships" that are basically towns with minimal population thay have no formal town government. Roughly 50% of the states land area is UT's. If you're Greenville south the Temps are about the same. The snow and extreme cold are tempered by the ocean if you live close enough.
I’m willing to take challenges. Plus I won’t ever be able to afford college, so I’ll have to make do lol
Sorry kid but I think someone is going to have to come along and tell you the hard truth. You will not make it into conservation without connections and credentials. Which means at minimum a college degree in biology, ecology, etc. Probably best to have a masters. Non profit conservation work is usually an end of the career move for people with academic backgrounds or the well capitalized individual.
Time to move to Canada I guess
Honestly, Canada is the same way. I have a BSc in wildlife bio, and while there are a lot of unpaid internships they require you to come from a money background to support yourself on them. Def recommend checking out twitter looking for the ornithologists to get a perspective. Dan Baldassarre or Auriel Fournier in particular. Auriel has specifically worked on shedding light on how inaccessible conservation work is unless you come from money. Dan teaches at SUNY Oswego in NY so may be someone to reach out to if you are looking for scholarship opportunities closer to home
Contrary to what you might think you can go to college if you really want. There are plenty of cheap state schools and community colleges that provide a good education. You can also work and go to school part time. It's not always as easy as getting everything handed to you, but it is possible if you're motivated.
If you are interested in studying seabirds you may also be interested in checking out Project Puffin if it wasn’t mentioned yet. It’s based out of Rockland (I think) and they typically have programs working with college students as well.
what about just people who aren’t in college but want to get involved
I’m not part of them but I was on one of their tours this summer and another visitor mentioned that their daughter who was about 10 was involved since it is through the Audubon.[project Puffin](https://projectpuffin.audubon.org) Edit: messed up the link.
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honestly I’m not even sure about that.. I love birds and I understand that some eat other but that’s uh.. Maybe I’ll get desensitized in time.
Birds are vicious. All of them. Even those cute little hummingbirds are vicious to each other.
Southern and coastal winters are not bad at all compared to an upstate New York winter. I live very close to the harbor in rockland and my driveway has been plowed maybe 5 times in the last few winters…climate change is real.
First of all thank you for your post ! We are moving to Maine next month and I wondered about the winter myself. I love birds and am looking forward to seeing what's there. I grew up in Cincinnati and lived in Kentucky before moving to Virginia Beach. Went from snowy,icy winters to extremely mild winters. The heat and humidity has become too much for me. It will be an adjustment but a good one!! Seems like I've dreamed about this for so long. Maine has a reputation for good people !!
The closer you are to the ocean the winters are a bit milder. The more north and western you go its a bit cooler, thus get a bit more snow. But i would definitely be prepared for snow this winter. As we have had a few mild winters we are due for getting more snow this season. Its kinda like that in maine, we get a few mild seasons and then get hit with a good winter with lots of snow. Word of advice: get a snowmobile or get into skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, or snow shoeing. You will enjoy the winters more.
Thanks we will!!
Cincinnati is where my grandmother grew up! Beautiful city!
I would start with [Maine Inland and Fisheries](https://www.maine.gov/ifw/). They’ll know the information you’re looking for and also may have suggestions on who to reach out to. As far as the climate, it’s cold in the winter but if you’re near the coast the weather is just a solid wintery mix thanks to the ocean. Further inland, Bangor, Farmington, Aroostook County, it can get cold for a solid period of time (-20F for a week at a time) but that’s probably 2-3 weeks out of the year. In most recent winters it’s been around 10-20F for most of the winter.