Karin Tilberg Receives the 2026 Espy Land Heritage Award

Longtime conservation leader honored for her decades of impact, collaboration, and community-stewardship

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) is pleased to announce that Karin Tilberg, recently retired president and CEO of the Forest Society of Maine, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Espy Land Heritage Award. The award – given annually at the Maine Land Conservation Conference – honors individuals and organizations whose innovative, forward-thinking leadership has strengthened land conservation across Maine. 

Tilberg was recognized during the plenary session of the 2026 Maine Land Conservation Conference, held April 28 and 29 at the Augusta Civic Center. As part of the award, Karin is directing the $5,000 honorarium to two organizations that reflect her lifelong commitment to community‑centered conservation and youth programs:

• $2,500 to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation, specifically for its Youth on the Allagash and Wabanaki Collaboration programs.

• $2,500 to Brunswick‑Topsham Land Trust’s Cathance River Education Alliance

For four decades, Tilberg has been a steady, strategic force in Maine conservation — helping to shape landmark projects, cultivating lasting partnerships, and championing community-driven approaches to land stewardship. Tilberg’s leadership has been instrumental in expanding the scale and impact of forest conservation statewide, and colleagues have credited her with conserving hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Maine.  

Beginning in 1986, Tilberg served as staff attorney for the Maine Audubon Society, where she advocated for freshwater, marine and habitat conservation. She was the Maine director for the Northern Forest Alliance from 1998 to 2003, working closely with people and communities in the North Woods. From 2003 to 2007, Tilberg served as deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation, and from 2007 to 2010, she worked as a senior policy advisor to Governor John E. Baldacci. In that position, she directed natural resource, environmental and energy policies and assisted in the acquisition of new public lands. 

Early in her career, Tilberg played a pivotal role in the formation and early success of the Downeast Lakes Land Trust. Her guidance helped frame the organization’s vision and goals, ultimately contributing to the Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership, which conserved more than 340,000 acres in 2008. In 2017, Downeast Lakes Land Trust honored her with its Downeast Lakes Conservation Award. 

Tilberg joined the Forest Society of Maine in 2011 as deputy director before becoming president and CEO. She led the organization through a period of significant growth and impact – strengthening relationships with landowners and communities, advancing largescale working forest conservation, and championing the ecological and economic values of Maine’s forestlands. She also served on the Maine Land Trust Network steering committee during that time. She retired from the Forest Society of Maine in November 2024. 

“Karin’s career exemplifies the kind of bold, collaborative leadership that keeps Maine’s conservation movement strong,” said Angela Twitchell, senior director of MCHT’s Community and Government Relations Department. “She brings people together, sees possibility where others see barriers, and consistently champions solutions that honor both the land and the communities who depend on it.” 

Tilberg holds a B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law – a combination that has grounded her conservation leadership in both ecological understanding and policy expertise. She recently published her first book, “Loving the North Woods: 25 Years of Historic Conservation in Maine” (Down East 2024). All proceeds go to forest conservation and the Wabanaki Land Return Fund. 

The Espy Land Heritage Award was established in 1987 to celebrate the visionary leadership of Jay Espy, longtime president of MCHT. Recipients are selected for their creativity, partnership-building, and long‑term contributions toward protecting Maine’s natural heritage. For more information about the Espy Land Heritage Award, including past recipients and nomination details, visit www.mcht.org/2026-espy-land-heritage-award/.