Seeking a gift for the person who has everything? Why not give a Maine gift that gives back and supports the state’s natural beauty by adopting a whale or a puffin or a snowy egret in his or her name.
You can adopt a whale through College of the Atlantic-affiliated Allied Whale. Choose from 11 fin and humpback whales, including Oseana, the long-distance-migration record holder. Solo whales are $30, mother/calf pairs are $40. For that, you receive a certificate of adoption, photos, bio, and sighting history of your whale; the Adopt a Whale booklet, filled with information, photos, and maps; and an Adopt a Whale/Allied Whale bumper sticker. The fee supports the world’s oldest and largest whale photo-identification research program, the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog, the North Atlantic Fin Whale Catalog, and the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalog.
Adopt an Atlantic Puffin, one of those clowns of the sea, through Audubon’s Project Puffin. In exchange for your $100 tax-deductible contribution, you receive a certificate of adoption; bio including info gathered by researchers detailing its life from hatching to present, recent behavior, nesting, and a current color photo; and invitation to renew your adoption each year.
Southern Coast
Greater Portland
Mid-Coast
Penobscot Bay
Blue Hill Peninsula
Acadia Region
Down East
Aroostook County
Maine Highlands
Kennebec Corridor
Western Lakes & Mountains