MLTN Infoline – February 10, 2025
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Call for Nominations for Espy Land Heritage Award
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Each year, as part of the annual Maine Land Conservation Conference, Maine Coast Heritage Trust presents the Espy Land Heritage Award. The award recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to land conservation in Maine while inspiring others. Past winners include Lee Dassler, Burnham Martin, and the Portland Water District. On February 4, MCHT issued the call for nominations for the 2025 Espy Land Heritage Award. On April 30 this year, the 37th Espy Land Heritage Award will be awarded during the Conference plenary session at the Augusta Civic Center. Maine is home to so many talented, hard-working, and inspirational people, scientists, advocates, and educators who are passionate about nature, the environment, and conserving the best of Maine’s outdoors. Who should this year’s winner be? We want to hear from YOU!
More information and a link to this year’s nomination form are available on our website now. Nominations are due by midnight on March 3rd.
Help us recognize a deserving conservationist this year!
Angela, Jeff, Donna, and Katia
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Helping Maine’s Forest Future
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As the climate changes, Maine will become too warm and dry for many tree species that currently fill our forests. What does this mean for Maine’s forested landscapes? And what roles can/should land trusts play in helping ensure our forests persist into the future? These are some of the questions being asked in a new MCHT column called “Helping Maine’s Future Forest” in partnership with Science Communication Specialist Catherine Schmitt of Schoodic Institute. In Part I, Catherine uses a tulip tree research experiment in Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Schoodic Forest Preserve in Winter Harbor to explore the concept of “assisted migration,” a strategy used to actively move plants into new ranges in order to help them survive in a rapidly changing climate. Read Part I here.
Over the next several months, the column will explore the effects of climate change on Maine’s forests, what conservation organizations are currently doing to assist in species migration, and some of the questions we are asking and issues we’re grappling with as we work to determine the right next steps.
Sign up to have future installments delivered to your inbox as they’re published!
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APCAW Event Series: Pathways to Sustain Ash
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The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW) is partnering with the Sustaining Ash Partners Network (SAP-Ne) on a series of educational opportunities called Pathways to Sustain Ash. The series will focus on seed collection and growing ash and will include a field component where participants will visit the New Hampshire state nursery to learn about growing ash from seed. Information about the entire series can be found here, or click these links to go directly to individual events.
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Cybersecurity Awareness Training Tips
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Wednesday, February 26, 2025 via Zoom 3:00-4:00pm
Cost: FREE
Presented by Community IT Innovators
Join Community IT Innovators to learn how to implement an up-to-date and flexible cybersecurity awareness training program this year.
Staff training is a foundation for cybersecurity protections. As the risks are always evolving, your training needs to be current too. Gone are the days when your staff could be adequately protected by watching an hour long video with a quiz once a year. But managing more frequent training is difficult. Presenters will discuss the tool they use, KnowBe4, which makes it easy to stay up to date and administer training to all staff.
There are other training tools out there that work for nonprofit staff – the most important tip is to commit to training and to prioritize it as a team. Your staff and leadership are your best defense of the organization you care about. If you’ve been putting off implementing a comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training regime, don’t wait any longer.
Learn more and register at Community IT Innovators’ website.
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Addressing Compassion Fatigue & Burnout
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Thursday, February 27, 2025 via Zoom
9:00am-12:00pm
Cost: $75 for MANP members*, $95 for non-members
Space is limited to 30 participants!
Scholarships available for MANP members! Prior to registering, email your scholarship request to and be sure to include your name and organization.
Compassion Fatigue and Burnout are states of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. They occur when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands … and can leave you feeling devoid of motivation and beyond caring. In this session, participants will identify specific signs of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout and explore the role that connection (to self, to others, and to team) can make in recharging their energy reserves.
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Creating a Coaching Culture
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Tuesday, March 4, 2025 via Zoom 1:00-2:15pm
Cost: $25 for MANP members*, $50 for non-members
This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Iowa Nonprofit Alliance
Are you ready to create a positive workplace culture where team members feel valued and thrive? Do you want your team to discover their own solutions and empower them to determine an action plan as they move closer to their goals?
Participants will be introduced to the OSCAR coaching model, which can be used to coach individuals and groups, manage performance, and facilitate successful and productive meetings. When leaders ask questions from a place of curiosity, actively listen to the answers, and involve their team in achieving goals, relationships will elevate, teams will be empowered, and productivity increased, all creating a more positive work environment. Leave with at least one action step that can be implemented immediately.
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Submit a Proposal to Present at Rally 2025
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Proposals due: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Last year, more than 2,300 attendees learned from fellow land conservation professionals at Rally in Providence. This year, the Land Trust Alliance will host Rally 2025: The National Land Conservation Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 3-6, and you are invited to share your expertise! Rally workshops and seminars are distributed across learning tracks that include administering easements, communicating successfully, conserving working lands, engaging community, doing deals, Indigenous land relationships, stewarding and restoring land and more. Without the support of volunteer faculty, Rally would not be the success it is year after year.
Click here to learn more and submit a proposal.
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Jobs in the Conservation Sector
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Here are the latest additions to our jobs page. View the full list at mltn.org/jobs. Biologist II (Senior Ecologist) – Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry
Accounting Associate – Maine Audubon
Seasonal Land Stewardship Technician – Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Operations Coordinator – Kennebec Land Trust
Farmland Access and Transfer Program Manager – Maine Farmland Trust
Community Engagement Manager – Georges River Land Trust
Human Resources Manager – Maine Audubon
Loon Restoration Program Intern – Maine Audubon
Seasonal Trails Steward – Coastal Mountains Land Trust
2025 Pendleton Intern – Coastal Mountains Land Trust
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2025 Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund Program
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Applications due: Friday, May 2, 2025 at 11:59pm Momentum Conservation is thrilled to announce year three of the Land Trust Grant Fund Program. This program will continue to provide unrestricted general operating funding to land trusts in Maine. All Maine land trusts are invited to apply. The Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund Program aims to strengthen the organizational capacity and programmatic effectiveness of land trusts throughout Maine. Their grantmaking process works to center equity and shift power in philanthropy by involving community grant reviewers in decision making.
To apply for funding, you must be a Maine land trust. Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status. Applications must contain a valid EIN (tax ID) number to be considered.
For the purpose of this grant program, Momentum Conservation defines a land trust as an organization whose mission and focus is to actively conserve land through easements or acquisition for purposes that may include: providing public access and housing, protecting agricultural land, ecosystems, land of cultural significance, water quality, working waterfronts, and/or addressing climate resilience in perpetuity.
Learn more at Momentum Conservation’s website. Questions can be directed to Peyton Black, Operations and Grant Program Director.
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