MLTN Infoline – February 15, 2023
Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik Training Series | |
We’re so excited to be able to share information with you about this collaboration and upcoming training series dedicated to protecting the future of ash trees in the Northeast! Ash trees throughout the region are under severe threat due to the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). In response to the growing interest in protecting the future of ash trees, in particular brown ash, John Daigle and his team of graduate researchers working together as the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW), are organizing a multi-part training series in 2023. This series will share information about how to care for ash in ways informed by current research and Wabanaki priorities, and will cover everything from ash inventorying, to seed collection and storage, to fostering ash regeneration. On March 6th from 1-2 pm over Zoom, APCAW is holding a kickoff event called Introduction to the Ash Protection Collaboration across Wabanakik Training Program to welcome attendees into the series, introduce key organizers, and present the schedule of programs for the coming year. To register for free, sign up here. The APCAW team hopes to have statewide participation from people representing land trusts, Tribes, federal and state agencies, foresters, private landowners, educators, loggers, and anyone interested in protecting the future of ash trees. Get on board for this great series today! Whit, Jeff, and Donna | |
Virtual Conference Starts in 4 Weeks! | |
Thursday, March 9 through Thursday, March 30, 2023 Webinars begin at 9:30am and run 75-90 minutes $25 includes access to all eight webinars and recordings The virtual Maine Land Conservation Conference starts in just four weeks. With the help of our generous sponsors, Maine Coast Heritage Trust presents the Conference annually, providing training, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and inspiration to support all Maine land trusts in their work. This year’s webinars will explore:
and lots more. All sessions will be recorded and recordings will be available to registrants until July 1st. Visit our website for the full list of webinars, presenter details, and registration information. Would you like to support this year’s conference as a sponsor? Visit our website to learn more and fill out an online sponsorship form. | |
Seeking Nominations for Espy Land Heritage Award | |
Nominations Due: Midnight, March 3, 2023 We all know someone who goes above and beyond, someone who works tirelessly and selflessly to further the cause of conservation. They make the world a better place, but do they get the recognition they deserve? With over 80 land trusts in the state, and many more environmental nonprofits, environmental education organizations, and plain old good Samaritans seeking to preserve Maine’s natural places, we know there are loads of people worthy of recognition. But we need YOU to help us give them their due by nominating your favorite conservationist for the Espy Land Heritage Award! The Espy Land Heritage Award recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to land conservation in Maine while inspiring others. The award is presented at the annual Maine Land Conservation Conference and the recipient is entitled to direct $5,000 to the non-profit organization of their choosing. This year’s Conference will take place on May 3rd at the Samoset in Rockport. Please consider nominating someone from your town, school, land trust, or region who is making outstanding contributions. Nominations will be accepted until midnight, March 3rd. Click here for more information. | |
Inclusion Maine Conference | |
5:30pm March 28 through 4:30pm March 30, 2023 Portland Sheraton Maine needs skilled workers to grow. Attend this multi-day conference to learn how we can attract racially diverse talent to Maine’s workforce. The conference will feature:
and a whole lot more training and resources for DEI advocates taking action. Professional Development Credits will be awarded to SHRM-CP® and SHRM-SCP®. | |
2023 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference | |
Thursday, March 30, 2023 7:30am-4:00pm Augusta Civic Center Cost of Full Day Registration: $60 The Maine Sustainability & Water Conference provides an annual forum where professionals, researchers, consultants, citizens, students, regulators, and planners gather to exchange information and present new findings on sustainability and water resource issues in Maine. Launched in 1994 by UMaine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center with a primary focus on the future of Maine’s water resources, the conference has grown to incorporate topics related to many of the sustainability challenges facing Maine, including issues related to climate change, energy futures, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, and municipal planning. The conference attracts a broad range of participants from across the state and land trusts will be presenting as well as in the audience. | |
The Role of the Board Chair | |
Wednesdays, March 1 to March 22, 2023 3:00-4:00pm Cost: $60 for MANP members*, $120 for nonmembers This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and the Nonprofit Association of Washington. This course is a great primer for new board chairs and excellent refresher for more seasoned board members! Whether you’re a current chair, chair-elect, or head up a committee, this workshop covers leadership skills every board member needs. Topics include: leadership characteristics of effective board leaders, key relationships in and out of the board room, your leadership legacy, facilitating meetings that matter, and ways to engage individual board members. Visit MANP’s website for more information, discount code, and registration link. *Most MLTN members are MANP. Contact Donna to check on your MLTN membership status. | |
A to Z of Human Resources: Talent Management | |
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm Cost: $45 for MANP member*, $65 for nonmembers This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Small and medium-sized nonprofits typically don’t have the resources to create a human resources department with an experienced HR professional. The job of HR may be done by the executive director, the chief financial officer, a manager or administrative staff – wherever there is a little capacity or a little interest. If this is you, the A to Z of Human Resources series can help! Join veteran HR expert Arlene Vernon as she helps those new to HR — or those who’ve just had the work added to their plate — do the right things, comply with the laws, and adhere to best practices. Visit MANP’s website for details, discount code, and registration link. *Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your MLTN membership status. | |
Title Review: What Land Trusts Need to Know | |
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 2:00–3:30pm Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for nonmembers It’s the simple truth: you can’t protect conservation land without getting good title. It is one of the most critical parts of the due diligence process for acquiring land or easements. Without a proper title review, a land trust risks encumbering the wrong property, being subject to mortgages, tax liens, mineral rights or other restrictions that prevent deductibility and cause a host of other problems. Join conservation attorney Joannie Dwoskin as she provides an introduction to title for land trusts. She will cover the basics of title review with a practical, step by step approach to reviewing documents and solving common title problems to help your land trust comply with Land Trust Standards and Practices. Visit LTA’s website for details and registration link. | |
Virtual Courses from Harbinger Consultancy | |
Harbinger Consultancy is back with some great online courses this spring, with significant discounts if you register by February 28th. Plus save an additional 10% with the special code for MLTN members: mltn2023. Three Wednesdays, April 5-19, 2023 1:00-2:00pm Cost: $245 regular course fee, $195 early registration through February 28 In this course, you will learn how to pull together—and pull off—a meaningful trail study that you can afford. You’ll emerge with a plan for a trail study that you can implement right away, whether you have money or not, using targeted volunteer effort, free or low-cost tools, and an approach focused on what you most want or need to learn. You will also learn how to analyze your results, present findings, and use your study to catalyze action. Six Thursdays, April 6 – May 4, 2023 1:00-2:00pm Cost: $525 regular course fee, $425 early registration discount through February 28 The “outdoor recreation economy” is at the heart of a burgeoning development trend for rural areas and small cities. Investing in outdoor recreation earns dividends in healthier communities, healthier economies and healthier people. According to the Forest Service, “outdoor recreation is no longer a ‘nice to have,’ it is now a ‘must-have’” for community resilience, competitiveness and spirit. This course will drill down to the nitty gritty—how to bring your community together around outdoor recreation to generate more awareness and buy-in, make quick progress that can be sustained over time, and create meaningful changes that make a difference for your community’s business and economic vitality, physical health and confidence. You’ll learn a step-by-step process that you can adapt to use “nature-based placemaking” to transform how your community sees, talks about and invests in itself to make it a more attractive place to live, visit and do business. | |
Virtual Course on Creating Collaborative Action Plans | |
Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 11–May 2, 2023 12:30-3:30pm Live virtual meetings on Zoom Cost: $700 until March 11; $800 thereafter Are you worried that:
If so, you may be interested in this virtual course entitled, Conservation Standards: a blueprint for creating a collaborative natural resource action plan, presented by NaturePlan. Instructors will provide an 8-step process—a blueprint, if you will—of how to bring a team together, develop a shared vision, identify critical threats, prioritize actions, and create a monitoring plan to enable the team or organization to maximize its impact at reducing critical threats and restoring ecological resources. Participants will also learn how to account for risks associated with climate change, how to incorporate human wellbeing values, and how to apply principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. In short, the course will teach you how to create a strategic action plan and prepare for implementation and future adaptive management by generating associated monitoring and work plans. To learn more or to sign up, visit the course website. For more information, contact Quinn Shurtliff. | |
Jobs in the Conservation Sector | |
Summer employment galore! Plus some great new year-round full-time positions as well. View the full list here. Steward (Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area) – Bates College Land Stewardship Field Coordinator – Appalachian Trail Conservancy Land Stewardship Technician – Appalachian Trail Conservancy External Media and Communications Consultant – Maine Woodland Owners Conservation Director – Upper Saco Valley Land Trust Southern Maine Assistant Steward – Maine Coast Heritage Trust Summer Program Steward – Kennebec Estuary Land Trust Tim Glidden Intern on Mount Desert Island – Maine Coast Heritage Trust 2023 Cadot Summer Program Intern – Freeport Conservation Trust Pendleton Stewardship Intern – Coastal Mountains Land Trust General Land Trust Intern – Boothbay Region Land Trust | |
Did You Know? Public Grant Funds List | |
| Maine Coast Heritage Trust staff have compiled a spreadsheet that outlines Federal and State government programs that provide grants for land conservation related activities in Maine. The list provides a quick snapshot for each program, including eligible grantees, subject focus, and required match. You will also find web links that lead to more extensive background materials and contact information to help answer additional questions. View and print the spreadsheet here. Keep in mind, the details for many of these programs, such as application deadlines, can shift regularly. We do our best to keep the spreadsheet as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible and welcome your feedback. | |