2011 Maine Land Conservation Conference
Workshops – Session C: Saturday, April 30th 3:15 – 4:30 PM
C1 Landowner Relations for Land Protection Practitioners
Success in land protection requires earning and keeping landowners’ trust, and building long-term relationships. This workshop will cover the finer points of negotiating technicalities while building personal relationships, such as: getting to know your landowners, keeping expectations realistic throughout the process, working through differences in goals, and facilitating a smooth transition from land protection to stewardship and development. Intermediate/Advanced
Presenter: Ciona Ulbrich, Maine Coast Heritage Trust
C2 Forest Conservation Outside the Box
While land trusts favor conservation tools such as easements and outright purchases of property, in fact, a variety of tools and strategies for forest conservation are available. The Kennebec Land Trust and Maine Forest Service formed the Kennebec Woodland Partnership with five lead partners who each bring an integral perspective and expertise to the table to address the long-term conservation of Kennebec County’s forested landscape. The Partnership is working on a plan that will effectively protect open space and wildlife habitat and also support their local economies, agriculture, wood products markets, and outdoor recreation. In the process, they have also changed the way some people are thinking about conservation. All
Presenters: Morten Moesswilde and Andy Shultz, Maine Forest Service; Andy Fisk and Theresa Kerchner, Kennebec Land Trust; Dale Finseth, Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District; Mike Dann, Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine; Beth Postlewaite, Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands; Jake Metzler, Forest Society of Maine; Henry Whittemore, Maine Forest Products Council; and Amanda Mahaffey, Kennebec Woodland Partnership
C3 Night Sky Quality: Connecting Land Conservation to Maine’s Newest Natural Resource
Maine has the largest expanse of relatively pristine night sky quality east of the Mississippi River, but it is being degraded quickly even in areas thought to be pristine. Increased awareness within the land trust community could lead to new ways of engaging the public about an important issue that we can all do something about. Greater appreciation of this often overlooked natural resource may yield implications for land protection, stewardship, and basic biology. We will hear the latest developments in research and community engagement efforts. Examples taken from three years of sampling in Maine will be used to introduce attendees to the techniques and interpretation of scientifically rigorous night sky quality measurements. All
Presenter: Peter Lord, Island Astronomy Institute
C4 Five Most Important Case Law Updates
In this advanced legal session, the latest case law developments will be reviewed and their implications for conservation in Maine discussed. Advanced
Presenter: Rob Levin, Esq.
C5 Disaster Response for Land Trusts
Learn how to respond to the unexpected. This workshop will focus on response strategies in the face of natural disasters on conservation lands. The Nature Conservancy has had to deal with tornados at Berry Woods, dams bursting at Wells Barren and wildfires on conservation lands. Conservation organizations all along the coast are dealing with large scale blow downs from strong storms and aging, exposed woodlots. Staff who have dealt with these events will share tips on how to respond to the public, municipalities, insurance companies and neighbors when the unexpected happens. Listen to examples of how to engage stakeholders, evaluate response options, build consensus on appropriate action plans, and find the value of networking and the use of social media. All
Presenters: Nancy Sferra, Director of Science and Stewardship, The Nature Conservancy Maine Field Office and John Spencer, President, Cushings Island Conservation Corporation
C6 Connecting the Dots between Marketing and Fundraising
Successful nonprofits can effectively support their mission and fundraising goals by creating a marketing and communications plan that includes messages about giving. Appropriately integrating fundraising messages into the full spectrum of organizational communications is critical to a successful plan. This workshop will provide participants with tools to create strategic communications plans that fit their missions and work to increase fundraising. Beginner/Intermediate
Presenters: Sue Bernier, independent consultant and Patrick Corey, Oovo Creative
C7 Making the Most of Mitigation
One way or another, most land trusts in Maine have been presented with opportunities to consider engaging in a mitigation project, either directly with the development or through the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program. This workshop will explore how to assess these opportunities, what value judgments are involved, and what the implications may be for their organizations. Through case studies, presenters will share valuable insights and practical guidance on the ways mitigation may work for your mission, and more broadly for conservation in Maine. Intermediate
Presenters: Jonathan LaBonte, Androscoggin Land Trust and Alex Mas, The Nature Conservancy in Maine
C8 Sustainability through Effective Board Committees
Experts agree that strong land trusts have engaged boards, and a structure that makes effective use of committees. This is especially important for small land trusts, with or without staff, because they accomplish much of their work this way. Learn the key elements of developing a strong board and a lasting organization through active and effective committees. All
Presenter: Dawn Kidd, land trust consultant
C9 Leadership Succession
At some point in every land trust’s future, a key Board member or a long-time executive director will retire. How can land trusts prepare for these transitions from leaders who are familiar with every aspect of the land trust’s work to ones who are just beginning to understand its mission? How will the land trust maintain good relationships with land owners and other key players? How does the organization ensure that a good relationship between staff and board continues? ? This workshop will help you prepare for leadership transitions to ensure your land trust remains strong over the years. All
Jim Dow, Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Kathryn Hunt, Starboard Leadership Consulting LLC
C10 Creating a Brand, Raising Your Visibility
These days there are many organizations and causes competing for limited philanthropic dollars. Savvy nonprofits work intentionally to create and strengthen their brand to set them apart from the pack. Learn the basics of brand creation and management to further your mission. All
Presenter: Dave Puelle, Puelle Design
C11 The Downeast Merger: Lessons Learned
When Quoddy Regional Land Trust and Great Auk Land Trust decided to merge their organizations, it was just the first step. Almost two years later, Downeast Coastal Conservancy will share its experience - challenges and solutions encountered along the way, and key ingredients and considerations for a successful merger. All
Presenters: Tom Boutureira and David Dowley, Downeast Coastal Conservancy
