MLTN Infoline – February 3, 2022
Conference Registration Has Begun! | |
We’re really excited about this year’s virtual Maine Land Conservation Conference, happening throughout the month of March! We’ve got great webinars lined up for you, including a keynote address on making your land trust properties more accessible, presented by Enock Glidden of Go Beyond the Fence and Zach Stegeman of the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center. We’re offering nine webinars for one low price of $25 – get more information on our website. And on top of that, those who register before February 14th can sign up for a free 5-part Board Boot Camp at no extra charge. See the next block for more information. | |
Free Conference Add-On: Board Boot Camp | |
Tuesdays, February 15th through March 15th from 6-7pm Free with your Maine Land Conservation Conference registration We’re excited to be partnering with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition and New Hampshire Land Trust Coalition to offer our Conference participants special access to Board Boot Camp. This five-part series provides an orientation to unique elements of land trust work and important roles that Board members play. Drawing from its foundational Standards and Practices, and in coordination with MLTN peers throughout New England, Land Trust Alliance Circuit Rider Connie Manes will guide participants through an exploration of governance, finance, transactions and stewardship issues. Ideal for new Board members or any land trust board or staff members looking to refresh their knowledge! More information here. To participate in Board Boot Camp, just register for the Conference. During registration, you’ll be asked if you want to participate – simply answer “Yes, sign me up!” We do ask that you commit to attending at least 4 of the 5 sessions. | |
Land for Maine’s Future Call for Working Waterfront Projects | |
The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) Board and the Maine Department of Marine Resources are seeking proposals for Working Waterfront Access Protection Program (WWAPP) projects. The Program provides funds to protect and secure commercial fishing access in Maine. Eligible applicants for WWAPP proposals include private landowners, non-profit land conservation organizations, counties, cities, towns, and state agencies. To apply for WWAPP funds, a project MUST be sponsored by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR). In order to receive a sponsorship, applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent (LOI) by Monday, February 28, 2022. Details on the LOI can be found in the WWAPP Workbook. Potential applicants can contact Melissa Britsch, Senior Planner with the Maine Coastal Program at (207) 215-6171 with any questions. | |
Time to Renew Your Conservation Easement Registry Account | |
It’s that time of year! As per 33 MRS §479C, a holder of a conservation easement or a fee owner of land held for conservation purposes that is organized or doing business in the State shall annually report to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Accounts must be renewed annually between January 1st and March 30th. Renewing your account will allow you to:
The Registry is internet-based with on-line access for account holders and enables you to directly manage and update your account information and records on-line.
For questions about your organization or agency’s account or about the registration renewal process, please telephone (207) 287-3200. | |
The Role of the Board Chair | |
Four 60-minute sessions, Thursdays, Feb. 3-24, 2022 3:00-4:00pm $80 for MANP Members*; $160 for Nonmembers This workshop is made possible by a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Washington Nonprofits Whether you’re just stepping into this leadership role or are a seasoned board leader, this training will help you be more effective in your role. You’ll learn how to bring your best leaderful self to the board chair role, artfully facilitate meetings that net results, and improve the leadership work of the board as a whole. Leading a group of governance volunteers can be challenging as well as rewarding. In this course, participants will learn about the chair’s responsibility in strengthening and improving the leadership work of the board as a whole. This course is a great primer for new board chairs and an excellent refresher for more seasoned board members! For more on topics covered each week and registration info, visit MANP’s website. *Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your MLTN membership status. | |
Using Excel With Your Donor Management System | |
Tuesday, February 15, 2022 12:00-1:15pm FREE This workshop is made possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Tech Impact You’re collecting data in your donor management software, but you want to be able to take that data to the next level. This webinar will help you learn some new skills to export and work with your data in Excel. Whether your nonprofit exports data to Excel to clean it and reupload it or if your nonprofit uses Excel primarily, these sessions will help you understand what data is important for fundraising and communications and define important KPIs, showing you how to calculate them using Excel formulas. In this webinar you will:
Visit MANP’s website for more info and to register. | |
Easement Appraisal Basics | |
Tuesday, February 15th, 2022 2:00-3:30pm $70 for LTA Members, $100 for Nonmembers Qualified appraisals are the lynchpin of the process that allows landowners to benefit from federal income, estate and state tax incentives flowing from the donation of a conservation easement. A poorly supported appraisal, whether fraudulent or merely sloppy, damages the integrity of a conservation easement transaction regardless of the conservation values involved. It also damages the reputation of the land trust involved in the transaction, risks violating the public trust and may reduce support for conservation in general. Join conservation attorney Bill Silberstein and appraiser Mark Weston as they provide an introduction to the requirements for appraisals of conservation easements used to seek charitable deductions outlined in §1.170A – 13, 14, 16, & 17 of the Treasury regulations. We will cover:
Visit LTA’s website for more info and to register. | |
How Remote Monitoring Technologies Can Save Your Land Trust Time and Money | |
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 2:00-3:30pm $70 for LTA Members, $100 for Nonmembers With COVID many land trusts started using remote monitoring and found it not only protected their health during the pandemic but also saved them precious time and money on their annual monitoring. Join Kate Losey, Land Trust Alliance, and Ethan Inlander, The Nature Conservancy CA(link is external), as they discuss how remote monitoring transformed easement monitoring programs for the better. Filled with practical examples and tips from real-world users, this webinar will also include easy-to-implement strategies for making the most of the technology beyond annual monitoring. Visit LTA’s website for more info and to register. | |
Nonprofits: How to Hang On | |
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 1:00pm Part of the Portland Press Herald Business Series, this FREE event is hosted by the Portland Press Herald and all are welcome to attend. Please share your questions, thoughts, or stories in the registration form. After two years of support in the form of PPP loans, Maine’s nonprofit community now faces extraordinary financial challenges while still in the midst of a pandemic. What resources and strategies are available to help them navigate this uncertain terrain? Join moderator Carol Coultas and panelists Jennifer Hutchins, executive director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits; Barbara Leonard, president and CEO of the Maine Health Access Foundation; and Jeannette Andre, president and CEO of the Maine Philanthropy Center, as they talk about trends and offer advice. Click here to register. | |
Maine Forest Service Launches Browntail Moth Awareness Month | |
February 2022 is Browntail Moth Awareness Month in Maine. During the pest’s dormant season. let’s all join together to reduce impacts from browntail moth (BTM). BTM populations in Maine have been in an outbreak phase since 2015 and the pest cannot be eradicated. Most areas of Maine, especially settled areas with significant host tree populations such as oak, apple, crabapple, pear, birch, cherry, or other hardwoods, are at risk of infestation by the caterpillars. Long-lasting tree defoliation and branch dieback are major concerns, but it’s BTM’s microscopic, toxic hairs that can cause trouble breathing and skin irritation similar to poison ivy that really get our attention! The Maine Forest Service (MFS) Forest Health and Monitoring Division tells us that winter is the best time to clip and destroy BTM winter webs within reach or hire licensed arborists or pesticide applicators to reduce out-of-reach populations. Comprehensive BTM information and tools compiled by MFS, Board of Pesticides Control, Maine Center for Disease Control, the University of Maine and other partners including research, infestation tracking, FAQs, and educational resources for communities, municipalities, businesses, and healthcare providers, are available on maine.gov/dacf/knockoutbtm. | |
Maine Sea Grant-Native American Programs Collaborative Research Assistantship | |
Review of materials will begin in early February and will continue until the position is filled. Maine Sea Grant and the Native American Program at the University of Maine seek applicants for an interdisciplinary learning experience at the graduate level. This research assistantship aims to build research collaborations with Maine Sea Grant and the Wabanaki Tribal Nations in what is now Maine and helps train the next generation of transdisciplinary researchers with expertise in stakeholder engagement and interdisciplinary research. Students with a demonstrated interest in research partnerships and collaborative processes from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines are encouraged to apply: e.g., social sciences, biological, earth, and chemical sciences, natural resource management, communication, engineering, education, mathematics, social work, business administration, and more. Preference for this assistantship is given to individuals who are committed to collaborative research with Wabanaki Tribal Nations. It is expected that the graduate assistant will work on a research project in collaboration with, or that has relevance to, Wabanaki Tribal Nations consistent with the Maine Sea Grant mission. They will also be expected to work with undergraduates and K-12 students in STEM fields and with Maine Sea Grant extension and outreach staff who share their field of interest/research goals. View the full posting including desired qualifications and application procedure at the Maine Sea Grant website. | |
Jobs in the Conservation Sector | |
Still lots of great conservation jobs open in Maine! Newest additions listed here or view the full list by clicking here. Land Protection Coordinator (P\T) – Great Works Regional Land Trust Summer Stewardship Assistant – Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Seed Program Manager – Wild Seed Project Field Team Leader (Trails) – Maine Conservation Corps Field Team Member (Trails) – Maine Conservation Corps Farmland Protection and Stewardship Administrative Assistant – Maine Farmland Trust Assistant Team Leader (Trails) – Maine Conservation Corps 900 HR Environmental Steward-Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust – Maine Conservation Corps 900 HR Environmental Steward-Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory – Maine Conservation Corps Seasonal Interpretive Internship – Baxter State Park Summer Intern – Greater Lovell Land Trust Finance and Office Coordinator – Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Field Ecology Technicians (3) – Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park |