MCHT’s Merger Assistance Fund Open for Applications
Accepting applications on a rolling basis
Maine Coast Heritage Trust is very pleased to announce that its Merger Assistance Fund has received new funding and is again taking applications. MCHT established this fund to assist land trusts seeking stronger organizational health and effectiveness through advanced collaboration, structural realignment, or merger with other organizations. Maximum grant size is $10,000. This fund helps organizations determine if a higher level of collaboration is in their best interest. It covers expenses including nuts and bolts costs for organizations pursuing a merger. Review the Merger Assistance Fund guidelines and contact Warren Whitney if you are interested in submitting a proposal.
Sometimes joining forces can take you where you want to go,
In July of 2020, the Land for Maine’s Future Board created a workgroup to hear feedback from and discuss with cooperating entities how to collaborate most effectively in meeting shared goals to conserve natural, recreational, and working lands. The work group finalized their recommendations in early January and presented them to the Board on January 26. Read more here. For more information or if you have questions, contact Jeff Romano, MCHT Public Policy Manager.
Maine Forest Service Invasive Plant Academy
May 19, 20 and 25, 2021: 3 days, plus a 1/2 day’s homework between the 20th and 25th
Cost: Free but applications are required; applications due February 17, 2021
The Maine Forest Service and the Maine Natural Areas Program are offering a multi-day intensive training on invasive plant identification, mapping, and treatment practices. The training is part of a new program that offers financial incentives to public and private landowners to have Invasive Plant Control Practice Plans written by a trained professional. The program will also provide free treatments for selected properties.
The Invasive Plant Academy (IPA) will will include a combination of live online sessions and in-person field site visits around the state, offering training on:
invasive plant ID using the iMapInvasives tool,
preparing Invasive Plant Control Practice Plans (IPCPPs),
and helping clients participate in the new Maine Forest Service Invasive Plant Management Program.
Public and private woodland owners need help identifying invasive plants in their woods and figuring out what to do about them. They need professionals to survey their woodlands, map infestations, and recommend actions to address them. Graduates of the IPA will be eligible to participate in this program by writing IPCPPs for clients, including town and land trust ownerships. Only landowners with approved IPCPPs may apply for the free treatments.
Like everything else, COVID has changed the way land trusts steward their land and easements. From ensuring safety with socially distant monitoring visits to managing explosive growth in the number of people accessing trails and properties, it seems like everything is different now. If 2020 up-ended your tried and true stewardship practices join stewardship experts Jesica Blake, Coastal Land Trust, and John Lawrence, Sycamore Land Trust, as they discuss stewardship challenges brought up by COVID. As an added bonus, Indiana University researcher Gina Depper will preview the preliminary results of a study she is conducting on the impact of COVID-19 and other causes of increased visitation to park and recreation facilities.
Visit LTA’s website for all the details.
The Americans with Disability Act: What It Means for Land Trusts
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
2:00-3:30pm
Price: $70 for member; $100 for non-members
Brought to you by The Land Trust Alliance
Increasing accessibility of natural areas and online is an important endeavor, but not always easy to navigate. Join conservation attorneys Rachel Hampton, The Nature Conservancy, and Ray Lyons, as they discuss how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to nature preserves, conservation easement properties, websites and social media. Some of the questions covered include:
What types of properties and improvements are subject to the ADA?
What, if any rules apply to “outdoor developed areas” such as trails and viewing areas?
When must wheelchairs and “other power-driven mobility devices” be permitted?
What are the rules governing Service Animals?
What are the requirements for websites and social media?
Who can sue land trusts under the ADA? What will happen when they do?
How do Land Trust Standards and Practices apply?
Visit the Land Trust Alliance website to register.
Dodge Point Forestry Tour
Friday, February 26, 2021
Snow date: Friday, March 5th
9:30am
Price: FREE
Limited to 15 participants
Interested in learning about how forest management can coexist with a busy recreational trail destination on public lands? Staff at the DACF Bureau of Parks and Lands, in partnership with Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, is hosting a tour of the Dodge Point Public Lands along the Damariscotta River in Newcastle. Walk the popular trail system and look at the forest pre and post-harvest, and expect to find opportunities to see logging equipment in action. Check out a video clip here. Please expect to hike approximately two miles and be prepared for uneven hiking trail footing with the possibility of snow or ice. Further information including directions, COVID-19 safety protocols and other details will be circulated to registrants in advance of the trip.
To register, send an email with your name and phone number to . Please enter “Dodge Point Forestry Tour” in the subject line.
2020 Report on Maine Nonprofit Wages + Benefits
This biennial report is Maine’s go-to resource for reliable, objective salary and benefit data nonprofits can use to:
understand compensation trends;
set appropriate and competitive pay and benefits for staff and new hires; and
justify compensation levels to the public and the IRS.
Members and participating organizations receive significant discounts. Visit MANP’s website for details.
MLTN Member Forum
From time to time we like to remind people of ongoing opportunities offered through the Maine Land Trust Network. We run an online member forum where you can converse with your peers from Maine and beyond. Get advice, share ideas, and compare notes with other land trust board members and staff. Sign up through the MLTN website. Member posts will arrive via your email account and you can choose to receive them in real time or batch them in a weekly update. Join the conversation!
Jobs in the Conservation Sector
Lots of new opportunities for conservation positions added in last two weeks. Here are the latest additions.
Seasonal Agricultural Programs Coordinator – Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust
Market Parking Coordinator- Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust
Recreation Technician – Friends of Acadia
Outreach Associate – Maine Farmland Trust
Piscataquis County Education Coordinator – Appalachian Mountain Club
900 HR Environmental Steward – Maine Conservation Corps
Applications must be submitted through the online grant system by Friday, February 26, 2021
The U.S. Standard Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). These projects must involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. To download the US Standard Grants Fact Sheet, view the most recently funded projects, or learn how to apply, visit the US Fish & Wildlife Service website.
Contact Mitch Hartley, North Atlantic Coordinator for the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, for assistance with proposals, for information about how proposals are ranked, and/or for guidance on Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and National Historic Preservation Act compliance requirements.
Common Loon Restoration Grants
Applications Due: 5:00pm Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Funds for this award were derived from a natural resource damages settlement with Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. The Natural Resource Trustees (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and State of Rhode Island) prepared a publicly reviewed Final Restoration Plan for Common Loon and Other Birds (Restoration Plan) that identified the Trustees approach for restoration. As authorized in the Restoration Plan, the Trustees approved the use of $3,685,500 for a competitive grant to restore common loon. Examples of how funds might be used include:
Deployment of artificial nest sites to increase common loon productivity;
Nest site management, including signs and wardening to increase common loon productivity and survival;
Rescue and rehabilitation of stranded birds to reduce individual common loon mortality;
Efforts to reduce common loon exposure to, and potential mortality from lead tackle through lead tackle exchange programs and public outreach; and
Protection of common loon breeding habitat through shoreline land protection efforts.
Award min is $50k with a max up to $1M per project. More information at the Grants.gov website. Contact Molly Sperduto, NRDAR/Spill Response Program Supervisor at USFWS at 603-227-6415 or if you have questions.
