It happens every year, in the spring. After months of living on the open sea, far away from land, puffins return to the rocky coast of Maine. These colorful birds come back to shore for only a short time, to mate and to raise their young.
Not too long ago, the arrival of spring brought fewer and fewer puffins back to Maine. So many birds had been hunted for their meat and feathers that the puffin was in danger of dying out.
In 1969, scientists from the National Audubon Society worked out a plan they hoped would insure the survival of Maine's puffin population. No one was certain the plan would work. It would involve many people and many puffins, and it would be years before anyone could say for sure if the project had been successful.
Today it seems clear that the plan has worked very well. Every year more and more puffins return to Maine in the spring. There's great excitement in the air when the call goes out -- The puffins are back!
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