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MLTN Infoline – January 16, 2020

January 16, 2020|

Maine Legislature is Back in Session

Our legislators arrived back in Augusta earlier this month and they will be in session until mid-April. While there are not many land conservation-related bills on the agenda, one significant proposal remains – passage of a Land for Maine’s Future bond. The last time the legislature supported LMF was 2012, when more than 60% of Maine voters approved a $5 million measure. A broad coalition of organizations are calling on policymakers to back a more ambitious bond this year, after they failed to do so in 2019. It is never too late to contact your legislators on both sides of the aisle and encourage them to strongly support LMF and remind them how land conservation activities are improving the lives of people in their districts. Stay tuned for more updates on this and other issues that emerge in Augusta over the next few months.
Whit , Jeff , and Donna

Maine Nature-Based Education Consortium Gathering

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Summit Room, Thomas College, Waterville

Nature-Based Education Consortium (NBEC) is  gearing up to do some large scale work in 2020 and your voice and enthusiasm will be critical to where it goes from here.  At the first convening of 2020, you can:

  • Connect with Consortium participants new and old
  • Explore all the ways we can achieve more together
  • Shape the Consortium’s work in 2020
  • Guide the effort with a role that works for you
  • Get the tools you need to be an ambassador for NBEC

It’s free to attend and only costs the time and energy you generously give. Contact Nathan with any questions. 

Forest Climate Change Initiative Science and Practice Forum

Wednesday, February 12th, 2020
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wells Conference Center, University of Maine
There is no charge to attend the forum, but registration is required
Our forests are at risk. Foresters and natural resource professionals are on the front lines of climate change. How do they decide what actions to take in order to make our forests more resilient?  Join University of Maine’s  Forest Climate Change Initiative (FCCI)  for an interactive Science & Practice Forum to catalyze scientist-manager discussions about current research and stakeholder needs, grow Maine’s forest climate adaptation community of practice, and provide useful information for the work of the Maine Climate Council. Themes of the day include forest ecology, operations, and socioeconomics as well as communicating with landowners and the public about climate change. Workshops are intended to be interactive. SAF CEUs are pending.
 
Get all the information, including agenda and link to register, here. 

Introductory Chainsaw Training for Land Trusts

Tuesday, April 7th, 2020
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Rome, ME
Participation limited to 15 people. If the session fills quickly, we will keep a wait list and consider adding a 2nd session.

For the first time, Maine Coast Heritage Trust will offer chainsaw training for land trust stewards new to the job.  This training will include:

  1. Assessing and using proper personal protective gear (PPE)
  2. Turning on, arresting, and turning off the chainsaw
  3. Body Mechanics: safely, efficiently and effectively holding and operating the chainsaw.
  4. Assessing and releasing compression, tension, and twist
  5. Trail clearing considerations and esthetics.
This training will NOT include:
  1. Chainsaw maintenance or chain sharpening techniques
  2. Felling standing trees.

Get more information at the MLTN website. Contact Donna to register. 

It’s Your Turn: The Role of the Board Chair

January 30 – February 20, 2020
Sessions take place on Thursdays from 3:00 – 4:00 pm 
Cost: $80 for MANP members (most land trusts are MANP members*)

Whether you’re just stepping into this leadership role or are a seasoned board leader, this training will help you be more effective. 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. Course participants will learn about the chair’s responsibility in strengthening and improving the leadership work of the board as a whole.

This series is a great primer for new board chairs and an 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. Learn more and register here.

 
*For organizations with an operating budget of $500,000 or less, the MLTN membership includes a complimentary membership in MANP. Contact Donna to check if your land trust is a MLTN member.

Call for Rally Presentations 

All proposals due February 18, 2020
Be a part of the magic at Rally 2020 (October 8-10 in Portland, OR) by serving as faculty for a seminar or workshop. If you have knowledge, advice or experiences you’d like to share as an instructor at Rally, submit a proposal today. 
 
For the second year, presenters are challenged to consider incorporating into their sessions two cross-cutting themes that are critical to the future of land conservation: Inclusion and Climate Change. As land trusts, how might we think about how to plan, engage, adapt, mitigate and address these themes?
Without the generous support of our volunteer faculty, Rally would not be the success it is year after year. You make the difference! Learn more.

Job Openings in the Conservation Sector

Too many new jobs to list them all! Highlights below. View the full list here.
 
Deputy Director – Friends of Baxter State Park
Development and Events Internship – Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Land Steward – Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust
Nature Day Camp Leaders and Assistant Leaders – Harpswell Heritage Land Trust
District Forester – Maine Forest Service
Administrative and Program Assistant – Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust
Multiple Positions with Friends of Acadia
Piping Plover Technician (seasonal) – Maine Audubon/Rachel Carson
Planning and Research Associate II/Conservation Easement Steward – State of Maine, Bureau of Parks and Lands

Patagonia Retail Grant Program

Applications Due: Saturday, February 29, 2020
Over the lifetime of Patagonia’s environmental mission from 1985-2018, Patagonia has donated $89 million to non-profit environmental and social work around the globe. Around 1,000 non-profits are granted funding every fiscal year either through the Patagonia Corporate Grant Program or the Patagonia Retail Grant Program. The deadline for the next round of applications is February 29th, and the applications will be reviewed by staff at the local Patagonia store in Freeport. Store staff contacted MLTN directly to encourage land trusts to apply. 
 
While land acquisition, easements, and trail building aren’t eligible, other work, especially related to climate change, equity/inclusion, and public involvement/community-building definitely are. 
 
For more information about the Patagonia Grant Program and to apply, please visit https://www.patagonia.com/environmental-grants.html, review the information, and follow the links to the Retail Grant Program.  Note that the website indicates an April 30th deadline for these grants, but the deadline for this region is actually 2/29.  If you have questions, email Dana Wilfahrt , Sales Manager and Environmental Coordinator for Patagonia Freeport.