MLTN Infoline – September 10, 2025
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It’s Shaping Up to Be a Busy September!
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There is so much going on this September it’s hard to decide what’s most important to highlight. We have important webinars, opportunities for professional development, new resources, and lots of grants with September deadlines. So this week we encourage you to take the time to read it all! September also kicks off our regional land trust meetings. We’ll be convening these informal gatherings in six locations around the state to discuss issues of importance to land trusts and the communities they serve. They are free and open to all. Visit our events page for details and locations, but please note that the Downeast (Wed 9/17) and Penobscot Bay (Wed 9/24) meetings are coming right up! Please RSVP soon.
We look forward to seeing you at these events,
Angela, Donna, Megan, Katia, and Jeff
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Upcoming MLTN Lunch & Learns
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MLTN has four great Lunch & Learn webinars lined up over the next month. All are free but you must register for each. Click the title to be taken to our website for more information and registration link: Climate Resilience Conservation Fund Applicant Webinar – Monday, September 15, 12:00-1:30 pm
Learn all about MCHT’s new NOAA funded conservation acquisition grants.
Restoration in Action: Advancing Wetland & Stream Mitigation in Maine – Tuesday, September 30, 12:00-1:00 pm
Experts from the US Army Corps of Engineers will discuss the recent shift to restoration in mitigation strategies and how to incorporate wetland and stream restoration into MNRCP applications.
Land Trust Mergers – Thursday, October 2, 12:00-1:00pm
We’ll start with an overview of our recently published report Maine Land Trust Mergers: Stories and Insights and hold ample time for discussion and sharing of the collective wisdom in the room relevant to mergers (and other forms of sustained collaboration) and the leadership qualities that support them.
Trails, Active Transportation & Land Trusts as a Climate Solution – Wednesday, October 15, 12:00-1:00 pm
Hear from Maine land trusts and trail groups who are reimagining trails as climate solutions and planning projects with this vision in mind, and learn about East Coast Greenway Alliance’s work in fostering these connections across the state.
View all MLTN events on our website.
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Become a Maine Master Naturalist
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Apply online September 1 through October 15
Course runs January through October 2026 Viles Arboretum, Augusta
Cost: $700, some financial support available
For over a decade, this 10-month training has been offered on a rotating basis statewide. It is completely volunteer run. Its goal is to create a cohort of volunteer naturalists who can help expand nature education and appreciation in Maine, particularly through Maine’s network of Land Trusts.
For more information, visit https://mainemasternaturalist.org/.
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University of Maine Online GIS Training for Workforce Professionals: Introduction to GIS Mapping Course
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Online course available now, but you can join anytime to complete it before Dec. 18, 2025!
Cost: $100 includes course module and software access, instructor support, and project assessment
Apply online instruction to “real-world” problems while gaining valuable Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills that can apply to any workplace!
The Maine Geospatial Institute, in collaboration with the University of Maine System Micro-Credential Initiative, is offering this professional development opportunity to learners from any discipline who would like to understand the basics of cutting-edge mapping technology and tools – and use them, too! No prior GIS experience is required.
Learn more about this course, read testimonials, and register here. Questions? Reach out to Eileen Moran at .
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Beginning Grantwriting
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Thursday, September 18, 2025 via Zoom
10:00am-1:00pm
Cost: $95 for MANP members*, $135 for non-members
This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits This workshop will introduce grantwriting to nonprofit professionals who have less than one year of experience with the skill. Many people who work in nonprofits find themselves in the position of “accidental grantwriter” and do not feel fully equipped for the challenge. This session will provide a balance of applicable content and resources to deepen participants’ knowledge of and skills in grantwriting.
By the end of this session, participants learners will learn the steps to craft, construct, and submit an effective grant application.
Learn more and get a link and code to sign up on partner website at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact us to check your MLTN membership status.
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Unrestrict Your Mind: Fundraising for a Whole Organization
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Thursday, September 25, 2025 via Zoom
2:00-3:30pm Cost: $75 for LTA members, $140 for non-members
Successfully protecting and stewarding land in perpetuity requires significant financial resources. Investing in equitable compensation and benefits is a sound strategy to support mission fulfillment. Fundraising and communication expertise are essential to organizational success. There’s no way around it: your organization needs to raise more unrestricted funds. Your donors will respond to asks for a specific land protection project, but will they respond to asks for organizational support?
Two land trusts can answer yes to that question! Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Big Waters Land Trust have emphatically embraced unrestricted, core mission support mindsets, allowing them to enhance their organizations’ capacity to protect and steward lands through increased compensation and benefits, inspiring communication campaigns and solid relationships with partners and donors. During this webinar, you’ll learn:
Visit LTA’s website to learn more and register.
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Basics of Real Estate Appraisals for Conservation Easement and Fee Simple Transactions
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Tuesday, October 7, 2025 via Zoom
2:00-3:30pm Cost: $75 for LTA members, $140 for non-members
Staff, board members and volunteers working in acquisitions need to understand the basics of appraisals, in addition to details specific to transactions that involve donations of conservation easements or fee simple property when the landowner is seeking a charitable deduction. Land trusts also need to know enough about appraisal standards to ensure receiving a compliant report.
Join appraiser and appraisal educator Brian Gatzke of Northern Plains Appraisal, LLC, for an introduction to appraisals for purchased and donated conservation easements and fee simple property. He will primarily focus on transactions that do not involve federal funding sources.
Visit LTA’s website to learn more about what will be covered in this session and to register.
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Creating a Culture of Financial Transparency
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Thursday, October 9, 2025 via Zoom 1:00-2:30pm
Cost: $45 for MANP members*, $65 for non-members
Scholarships available for MANP members! Prior to registering, email your scholarship request to and be sure to include your name and organization.
In today’s shifting funding landscape, nonprofit leaders are being asked with greater urgency than ever before to demonstrate their organization’s financial health. This webinar explores why building a culture of financial transparency is essential, highlighting the surprising benefits that go beyond compliance, including increased donor trust, stronger board engagement, and more confident financial decision-making.
Participants in this webinar will learn actionable strategies to foster transparency within their organization, including how finance teams can clearly communicate financial health to stakeholders and how accounting software can support these efforts.
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact us to check your MLTN membership status.
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Communicating Climate Change
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Drawing on their experience in the sector, the communications consulting group Bold Bison has compiled recommendations on how to shape your organization’s external voice around climate change in this moment. In the guide, they break down:
• How to rework your narrative around a theme of climate action
• How to focus your message for your audience
• Data to help make the case internally at your organization
• Some additional considerations in the clean energy context
Small changes in your messaging can move your organization from climate-adjacent to climate leadership, and this guide will help you make the most of this moment in your community. Download the guide now.
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Jobs in the Conservation Sector
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As kids head back to school, the job openings are ticking up, too. Check out these great new postings!
Mount Desert Island Project Manager – Maine Coast Heritage Trust Administrative Coordinator – Island Heritage Trust
Executive Director – Maine Audubon
Community Forest Land Manager – Downeast Lakes Land Trust
Communications & Marketing Manager – Frenchman Bay Conservancy
Office Coordinator – Forest Society of Maine
Administrative Coordinator – Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust
Policy Advocate – Maine Audubon
Executive Director – Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
Office Manager – Scarborough Land Trust
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Maine Community Foundation’s Land For Communities Grants
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Applications due: September 15, 2025 The Land for Communities (L4C) grant program supports community land projects that increase relationships to land for underserved geographies and populations in Maine. All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements and non-discrimination policy. Please read the eligibility and grant guidelines and non-discrimination policy before submitting an application.
Projects must:
Learn more at MaineCF’s website.
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The William P Wharton Trust
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Preliminary applications due: 5:00pm September 15, 2025 The William P. Wharton Trust was established to support projects that directly promote the conservation, study, and appreciation of nature. Specific objectives include: bird and forestry research and management, natural areas preservation, and management techniques designed to improve environmental quality and species diversity.
Grants are awarded twice annually, in the spring and fall. Please review the grant application guidelines before submitting a preliminary application. The application process is one stage: stage one is the preliminary application; stage two is for final applications, which are by invitation only.
Learn more at williamwharton.org.
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L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grants
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Applications due: 11:59pm September 26, 2025 L.L.Bean and Maine Coast Heritage Trust provide grant support to Maine’s land trust community through the L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grant Program. The total amount available to Maine land trusts this year is $65,000, with a maximum grant request of $10,000.
The purpose of the L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grant Program is to provide funding to Maine land trusts to enhance public access to conserved lands. Priorities include traditional stewardship projects, such as preserve management planning and trail improvements, as well as programming to promote outdoor activities, especially for underserved populations. Projects that meet one of these priority goals and also involve collaboration between land trusts and/or other organizations (e.g., other non-profits, municipal governments, schools, etc.) may be given special consideration.
To learn more, check out:
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Davis Conservation Foundation
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Applications due: 5:00pm October 1. 2025 The Davis Conservation Foundation was established in 1989 by Phyllis C. Davis and H. Halsey Davis of Falmouth, Maine, to support protection of the environment and conservation of our natural resources. Their overriding goal for the Foundation was simple and straighforward: “To make grants where they will do the most good and where our gifts make a real difference.” The Foundation has provided more than $17.7 million in grants to conservation organizations since its founding.
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Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust
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Applications due: midnight October 1, 2025
The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust was established in 1988 by Joan Morton Kelly and her mother, Mildred Duncan Morton, to facilitate their philanthropic activities. Joan and her family were long time summer residents of Higgins Beach in Scarborough. After becoming a full-time Maine resident, Joan became deeply involved in the Greater Portland community and active on the boards of many nonprofits.
The Trust is interested in environmental initiatives that protect ecological values, water quality and ecosystem health through land conservation, stewardship, restoration and education programs. The Trust prioritizes community-based approaches that promote positive human relationships with nature including scientific, ecological and cultural perspectives and efforts to address climate change. The Trust’s Environmental Initiatives Program Area welcomes proposals for operating support or projects that meet any of the following goals and priorities:
Learn more at The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust’s website.
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Maine Coast Heritage Trust Coastal Resilience Conservation Fund
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Applications due: 5:00pm October 22, 2025
Maine Coast Heritage Trust is pleased to announce the new Climate Resilience Conservation Fund (CRCF) is open for applications. Over the next few years, the fund will provide $4.1 million to land conservation projects as part of Resilient Maine, a $69 million NOAA-funded effort to protect coastal communities and environments from extreme storms, flooding and rising sea levels. The Fund is open to all land conservation organizations, federally recognized Tribes, Maine towns, and state conservation agencies. MCHT is accepting applications through October 22nd, with grant decisions made by mid-December.
The Fund supports permanent land conservation that enhances Maine’s climate resilience and reduces climate impacts by protecting natural systems and communities, such as headwater streams, coastal marshes, marsh migration space, and intact and older forests. Projects within Maine watersheds that drain into the Gulf of Maine are eligible to apply.
For information about criteria, guidelines and how to apply, please visit the CRCF website. To learn more, please join the Fund’s informational webinar on September 15th 12-1:30pm. Click to register.
This program has been designed to offer one-on-one help to potential applicants, so we hope anyone who thinks they might be interested will take the time to learn more. Please reach out to the Jennifer Melville, fund manager, with any questions.
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