MLTN Infoline – December 9, 2025
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L.L.Bean Grants Fund Priority Projects Across Maine
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Please join us in congratulating the nine organizations who were successful in their bids for funding through the L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grant Program. The demand for funding was strong this year, with requested grants totaling $178,765! And the projects that received a boost from these funds covered a wide range of activities from building bridges at Chebeague & Cumberland’s Watson Woods (pictured above) to completing the final leg of Downeast Lakes Land Trust’s Dobsis Narrows Trail to expanding access for people with mobility challenges and for non-English speakers at York Land Trust’s Near Point Preserve. Here is the full list of this year’s awardees:
Read more about the great stewardship and programming that these grants will make possible thanks to our friends at L.L.Bean.
We’re so grateful for this ongoing partnership with L.L.Bean,
Angela, Katia, Donna, Megan, and Jeff
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A Quick Thank You to Jennifer Plowden
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We recently learned that Jennifer Plowden, the New England Senior Program Manager at the Land Trust Alliance, will be leaving her post at the end of the year. While she will be finishing up some projects in the coming weeks, the Alliance will be seeking a replacement. Jen took her position at the Alliance to a new level, becoming a resource and a friend to many Maine conservation organizations. She brought such warmth and a deep desire to build lasting relationships to her work across New England. She was also instrumental in bringing fantastic program’s like last winter’s Fundraising Short Course with David Allen to members of the Maine Land Trust Network, and she did the same in other New England states. We are so grateful for all the good work she did in partnership with MLTN, and the helpful ways she worked to connect us with our peers in other states.
Thankfully, it sounds like Jen will still be around in conservation circles, sharing her expertise in new and exciting ways. We wish her the best and hope to see her around Maine in the coming year!!
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Beyond Fit: Rethinking How Nonprofits Hire for the Future
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Friday, December 12, 2025 via Zoom 1:00-2:30pm
Cost: Pay what you can tiers available for MANP members
$25-$45 MANP members*, $65 for non-members
Scholarships available!
Too often, hiring decisions are made around “fit” (comfort, familiarity, or shared style) rather than what the organization truly needs next. This session helps nonprofit leaders rethink their approach to recruitment through the lens of strategy, inclusion, and organizational growth. Participants will explore how implicit bias shapes hiring choices, why “fit” often reproduces sameness, and how to design selection processes that expand perspective and capacity. Whether you’re filling a front-line role or preparing for your next executive search, you’ll leave with practical tools to make your next hire both equitable and strategic.
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact MLTN to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Authentic and Timely Feedback
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Thursday, December 18, 2025 via Zoom 11:00am-1:00pm
Cost: $50 for MANP members*, $70 for non-members
This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Providing and receiving feedback are critical skills for a highly functioning team. However, we can often find ourselves hesitant to provide it out of fear of a negative response from the recipient, or trouble making time to do so.
This workshop is designed to introduce participants to the Radical Candor feedback framework, a powerful tool for fostering honest, direct, and compassionate communication in the workplace. Attendees will learn the core principles of Radical Candor—care personally and challenge directly—and how to apply them effectively in giving and receiving feedback. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how feedback can be used as a tool for growth rather than criticism and how to tailor feedback to individual team members based on their unique needs.
Learn more and get a code and link to register on partner website at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact MLTN to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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K-12 Education Evaluation Toolkit Guide
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Wednesday, January 14, 2026 via Zoom
2:00-3:30pm
Cost: FREE
The Land Trust K-12 Education Evaluation Toolkit was created by Catalyst Consulting Group in partnership with the Land Trust K-12 Community of Practice to help land trusts who have dedicated K-12 and youth outdoor education programming. In this webinar, you will learn how to evaluate the success of your programs. The toolkit has seven practical, field-tested tools with step-by-step guidance and real-world examples. Catalyst consultants will walk you through:
Please look at the toolkit ahead of this event so the consultants can dive into the material during the webinar.
Learn more and register at LTA’s website.
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Decision Quality – How Bias Shapes What We See and Choose
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Wednesday, January 21, 2026 via Zoom
1:00-2:30pm Cost: Pay what you can tiers available for MANP members
$25-$45 MANP members*, $65 for non-members
Scholarships available!
Every leadership decision blends insight, experience, and assumption. Even skilled leaders rely on mental shortcuts (patterns shaped by culture, comfort, and habit) that quietly influence who gets heard and what gets prioritized. This session explores how those hidden dynamics affect decision quality and organizational effectiveness. Participants will learn to recognize bias not as a moral flaw, but as a predictable factor that can be managed through awareness and intentional process design.
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact MLTN to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Nonprofit Tech Roundtable 2026
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 via Zoom 3:00-4:00pm
Cost: FREE
Community IT’s popular Nonprofit Technology Roundtable panel of experts will take your questions on the trends that will shape the nonprofit sector in 2026. AI, Cybersecurity, Google Workspace v Microsoft Office, Gemini v Copilot or ChatGPT or another generative AI tool, AI agents, AI FOMO, data data data, safety and security of your staff, budgeting for and maintaining basic IT, not to mention fancy IT … anything else you want to know about? Enter your questions when you register and they will do their best to answer them.
Community IT is proudly vendor-agnostic, and their webinars cover a range of topics and discussions. Webinars are never a sales pitch, always a way to share their knowledge with their community.
Learn more and register at Community IT’s website.
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Acquiring Land and Conservation Easements
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Friday through Sunday, March 3-5, 2026 Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cost: $1,895 for Alliance members, $2,370 for non-members
Space at this training is limited to offer the highest quality experience to those attending. Registration is open until Jan. 30, but spots may fill before then.
This course is designed to strengthen the skill set of land trust professionals handling acquisitions. By attending this training, you will be immersed in the elements of successful acquisition, including strategies on how to begin the conservation conversation, the basics of real property law, transaction due diligence, federal tax benefits and tips for ensuring your projects can be effectively stewarded.
Registration includes 2.5 days of sessions led by acquisition experts, three nights of lodging, welcome and closing events, breakfasts and lunches, access to curated resources, a private discussion forum and two follow-up webinars.
You can visit the event page to learn more about the specifics that will be covered in the course. Reach out to Mary Burke, director of educational services, with any questions.
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Jobs in the Conservation Sector
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Here are the newest additions to our jobs page. View the full list on our website. Environment Program Associate – Onion Foundation
Vice President for Land Conservation – Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Campaign Coordinator – York Land Trust
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Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program
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Applications due: midnight on February 13, 2026 The Nature Conservancy is pleased to announce its third year of grants aimed at supporting partners and accelerating conservation across the Appalachian region. As a leader in developing the Resilient and Connected Network (RCN) of lands across North America, The Nature Conservancy works in collaboration with partners to improve the viability of these connected networks, while safeguarding critical habitat and climate resilient sites. In the Appalachians, a protected RCN will help sustain biodiversity, increase resilience, protect the drinking water sources, secure forest carbon, and improve recreational and economic opportunities for people.
The Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund—comprised of the New York Climate Resilience Grant Program and the Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program—offers grants of up to $100,000. Nonprofit organizations, tribal and municipal governments, and other partners in 18 states including Maine are eligible.
Conserving resilient, connected landscapes brings meaningful benefits to all people. Projects supported by the Connectivity, Climate and Communities Fund will help communities adapt to climate change while creating spaces that foster health, connection and resilience.
Don’t miss the information webinar on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 to learn more. Register here.
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