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Lava Beds National Monument Lightscape / Night Sky
Lava Beds Natioal Monument has developed a dark night sky program to preserve the views of the spectacular nighttime skies over the monument. A monitoring program and lighting protocols have been established to guide future management actions in the monument. Lava Beds is a great place for astronomy enthusiasts. Ambient light from nearby towns and cities at night is minimal. Viewing the night skies is a rewarding experience at Lava Beds because night sky visibility is prisitine.
Maine ocean islands provide the only nesting sites for Atlantic puffins in the United States. Eastern Egg Rock in the midcoast region, Seal Island and Matinicus Rock at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, and Machias Seal Island and Petit Manan Island off the downeast coast provide habitat for more than 4,000 puffins each summer.