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MLTN Infoline – December 6, 2021

L.L.Bean Grants Support Land Trust Projects Up & Down the Coast

One of the most rewarding things we do each year is partner with L.L.Bean to enhance the capacity of Maine’s land trusts in support of their efforts to protect Maine’s outdoor heritage and natural landscapes, providing strategic funding to Maine land trusts for stewardship activities. Since it began, the L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grant Program has awarded 98 grants totaling $349,500! Please join us in congratulating the following groups on receiving L.L.Bean Grant funding in this round.
  • Frenchman Bay Conservancy
  • Kennebec Estuary Land Trust
  • Saco Valley Land Trust
  • Scarborough Land Trust
We are so grateful to L.L.Bean for their long-time commitment to Maine land trusts and the amazing conservation and stewardship work they crank out year after year.
 
Wishing everyone a happy December and a successful year-end,
WhitJeff, and Donna

Open to All: A Disability Inclusion Guide for Land Trusts

Open to All: A Disability Inclusion Guide for Land Trusts was created by a dedicated group of people (including Chrissy Allen from Blue Hill Heritage Trust right here in Maine!) who came together to form an Advisory Council on Inclusive Health and Disabilities under the guidance of the Land Trust Alliance and their partner, the Lakeshore Foundation. The guide breaks down important issues about the language and words we use, provides useful case studies, and will help you understand your organization’s responsibilities. It also offers concrete steps that land trusts can take to create opportunities for all people to enjoy nature. We hope all land trusts in Maine will take the time to read this information packed guide and consider what they can do to make their trails and programs more accessible to all.

2022 Environmental Changemakers Gathering

Friday evening, January 28 thru Saturday evening, January 29
Application Deadline: December 13th at 11:59pm
The Maine Environmental Education Association’s Changemakers Youth Network is hosting its Annual Changemakers Gathering virtually on January 28-29 and applications are now open! The Gathering is intergenerational but youth planned and facilitated. This is a great opportunity for youth aged 15-30 and adult mentors to connect and learn about intersectional environmentalism. This is a gathering and an opportunity like no other! If you or a young person you know is passionate about the environment and supporting changes for a better future, please share it with them. The application is simple and the event is free for young adults aged 15-30.
 
For more information on the Gathering, click here. To view and complete the application, click here.

Tips from Terrafirma

Thursday, December 9th, 2021
3:00-4:00pm
Cost: Complimentary for LTA members and affiliates
Advanced Risk Management webinar: Prerequisite of at least one risk management training
Terrafirma has been in action for almost nine years now and we’ve learned a lot in that time. Join Leslie Ratley Beach, director of conservation defense at the Land Trust Alliance and vice president of Alliance Risk Management Services, to hear lessons learned on best practices from more than a thousand claims submitted over the years. Leslie will provide a 20-minute set of takeaways but then it is your turn, so bring your questions!
 
To help ease the impact of COVID-19 related changes this year, any land trust board or staff member who attends a risk management program (including the 2021 Risk Summit) may claim the Terrafirma risk management discount for 2022.
 
Click here to learn more and register.

Responsive Fundraising

Tuesday, December 14th, 2021
1:00-2:30pm
Cost: $15 for members*; $29 for non-members
Made possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
The donor journey doesn’t move in a straight line. It’s actually quite chaotic. The best way to account for this chaos, cut through the noise and keep the attention of the modern donor? Responsive Fundraising! Join Dre Harris to dive deep into the best way to transform your fundraising from inadequate to responsive.
 
Learning objectives of this session are to gain a deeper understanding of:
  • How traditional nonprofit marketing has looked historically
  • The evolution of the modern donor 
  • How to be responsive in your fundraising and avoid irrelevance
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
 
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact us to check on your MLTN membership status. 
 
Insurance 101
Wednesday, January 11th, 2022
3:00-4:00pm
Cost: Complimentary for LTA members and affiliates
Basic Risk Management webinar: Suitable for those new to risk management
Insurance is complicated, and knowing if you have the right coverage for your land trust’s risks can be difficult. Join Meghan Mullee, vice president of Alliant Insurance Services, for a crash course on the basics of insurance. You’ll learn which coverages will respond to physical incidents and which are designed for management/financial incidents, to come away with a better understanding of how to protect your land, your partners and your people.
 
To help ease the impact of COVID-19 related changes this year, any land trust board or staff member who attends a risk management program (including the 2021 Risk Summit) may claim the Terrafirma risk management discount for 2022.
 
Click here to learn more and register.

Healthy Forests for Our Future Guide

A Management Guide to Increase Carbon Storage in Northeast Forests
As a forest landowner or manager, you know what you do on your land is important. This is especially true when it comes to climate change. The decisions you make affect how well your forest handles droughts, intense storms, and insect outbreaks. This ability to “bounce back” is often called forest resilience. When forests are lost, they can no longer store or absorb carbon. The most effective thing you can do to impact forest carbon on the land you own or manage is to keep your forest as forest. How you manage your forest is also important. Healthy Forests for Our Future, from The Nature Conservancy and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, introduces and describes 10 forest management practices designed for hardwood forests in New England and New York. These practices can maintain or increase the carbon that your forest stores within the next two decades, while also increasing your forest’s ability to withstand changes in our climate and other threats, such as invasive species. Download the guide here or view online here

Free Educational Series from Northern Woodlands

With over 30,000 miles of rivers and streams throughout the state, and over 6,000 lakes and ponds, Maine’s freshwater systems are embedded in its culture and economy. People find sustenance in the bountiful natural resources these water bodies provide, and rich spiritual, recreational, and cultural opportunities while navigating these waters or their shorelines. The vital connections between forests and water influence – and are influenced by – land management decisions at nearly every scale.
 
These connections are the subject of a series of articles and infographics from Northern Woodlands magazine, now available to you as a free educational resource. These articles invite you to:
You can see all articles and infographics in the series here. If these topics interest your organization’s constituents, Northern Woodland Magazine invites you to share the links, or contact Emily Rowe, Circulation and Communications Manager, for permission to reprint the articles in your own outreach materials.

Jobs in the Conservation Sector

Here are the newest job postings since our last newsletter. Click here for full list.
Sheepscot River Watershed Manager – Midcoast Conservancy
Land Protection Specialist – Midcoast Conservancy
Director of Land Management – The Nature Conservancy, Maine
Forester, Island Falls – Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Maine Forest Service
Baxter Park Trail Crew Member – Baxter State Park
Baxter Park Campground Ranger – Baxter State Park

U.S. Standard NAWCA Grants

Applications Due: February 25, 2022
The U.S. Standard Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). These projects must involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds.
 
Applicants submit project proposals to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Division of Bird Habitat Conservation (Division) for either of the program’s two funding cycles per year. All proposals must be submitted through Grants.Gov. In order to apply for a grant, your organization must complete the Grants.gov registration process. 
 
If you are considering applying for a U.S. Standard Grants, get started early by clicking here.