MLTN Infoline – January 29, 2026

January 29, 2026|Infoline

A Focus on Caring in Difficult Times

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Today’s MLTN Infoline arrives in your inboxes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has ramped up in our state. The anxiety, fear, and pain this is causing is real. Immigrant communities and communities of color are bearing the brunt of this, but each of us – alongside our neighbors, families, friends, and organizations – are impacted.

In our organizations, as in our daily interactions with others, stress is heightened. We are feeling it here at the Maine Land Trust Network and Maine Coast Heritage Trust and we are working to create space and flexibility for people to show up a little differently, tend to themselves, their family and friends, and communities. We are looking to our values and our focus on caring – for people and place – to lead the way.

Apps like Insight Timer are a great resource – with ample free offerings spanning mediation, calming music, and yoga. The Maine Immigrant Resource Hub & Hotline is an incredible resource, providing a wealth of information related to knowing your rights, taking action, and providing financial and volunteer support. ACLU Maine worked with partners to provide guidance on preparing for immigration enforcement activity in Maine, including in the workplace. We are glad to be in community with you and take solace in knowing that our shared work helps to make Maine a special place to call home.

Here are a few additional resources for those looking for more information:

Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), “Know Your Rights” overview
ACLU Maine
Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC)

If you are interested, here are some resources on where to volunteer and places to give:

Take care of yourselves and keep in touch,

Angela, Jeff, Megan, Katia, and Donna

2026 Land Trust Leadership Lab: Professional Development for Directors and Managers

Applications accepted until February 13, 2026

Looking to grow your leadership skills and confidence in your land trust career? You may be interested in the Land Trust Alliance’s new leadership program! It’s designed for professionals who oversee staff and manage budgets who want to develop their skills on a variety of topics, including staff supervision, financial management, fundraising, leadership competencies and styles, and having difficult conversations.

From April to July 2026, participants from across the U.S. will engage in virtual training sessions that cover important aspects of nonprofit land trust leadership development as well as interactive peer sessions where participants will explore and apply these concepts through peer discussion, exercises, and activities. The cohort will build their skills and confidence, deepen their management know-how, and develop a peer network.

Click here to learn more and apply.

Maine Natural Areas Program Offers Free Pre-acquisition Review for Conservation Projects

The Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP), within the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, has long served as a significant source of information on the State’s important natural features. Working with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, MNAP offers a pre-acquisition review service for conservation projects. Land Trusts, municipalities, and State and Federal Agencies may request this free service.

This review will best serve projects that are currently being considered for conservation, have landowner engagement, and are scoping or drafting funding proposals for any public funding source such as Land for Maine’s Future Fund, NAWCA, the Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program, or Climate Resilience Conservation Fund. You will receive a checklist and map that identifies documented rare plant and animal species, rare and exemplary natural communities, significant wildlife habitats, climate resiliency modeling, marsh migration opportunities, and/or forest condition information.

For more information visit: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/ and click on the Pre-acquisition Review link. Interested applicants may download a one-page form to request review and submit requests to us at .

Just Do It: Build the Endowment You Really Need

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 (rescheduled from January 29) via Zoom

2:00-3:30pm

Cost: $75 for LTA members, $140 for non-members

Have you been told that donors won’t contribute to stewardship? Do you know what your organization needs to thrive, but have trouble convincing your board to take the first step? Join San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust’s executive director Sharon Weaver and assistant director Sarah Parkes, to learn how determined land trust staff in a “challenging fundraising region” created an operations and maintenance endowment despite a lack of enthusiasm from consultants and board members. With persistence, focus and the use of campaign-like fundraising techniques, you can secure the funding that you need, too.

Learn more and register on LTA’s website.

Stewardship Tea and Talk 2026

Thursday, February 12, 2026 via Zoom

2:00-3:30pm

Cost: FREE to alliance members, $140 for non-members

Have you been wishing for a conversation with someone working through the same stewardship challenges as you? Join the third annual Stewardship Tea and Talk! Discuss the most pressing stewardship issues for lasting conservation facing you and your peers. After an introduction from Alliance staff, you’ll get to choose a breakout room to discuss a specific topic for one hour. Breakout rooms are facilitated by Alliance staff and experienced land trust stewards.

Whether you started in your position two weeks ago or have been stewarding land for decades as a staff, board or a volunteer member, come prepared to ask and answer questions. You will make connections with your peers from across the country, sharing ideas, experiences and support.

Learn more and register at LTA’s website.

Individual Giving 201

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 via Zoom

11:30am-1:00pm

Cost: $50 for MANP members*, $70 for non-members

This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Ready to grow your individual giving program beyond the basics? In Aligned Strategy Group’s Individual Giving 201, you will receive distilled and practical knowledge for leveling up your individual giving program. In this 90-minute session you will:

develop a donor stewardship strategy grounded in community-centric fundraising principles
create an effective and efficient framework for donor qualification
determine the necessary infrastructure for bigger and more complex asks
create actionable fundraising strategies to unlock deeper donor relationships

Visit MANP’s website for discount code and link to register on partner website.

*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact us to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.

Evaluation for Grantseekers: From Proposal to Reporting

Thursday, February 19, 2026 via Zoom

11:00am-1:00pm

Cost: $50 for MANP members*, $70 for non-members

This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

An evaluation can be a powerful tool, both for creating compelling grant proposals and providing sound reporting. This interactive session will provide participants with a framework for thinking about and including evaluation “at the front end” of the proposal process and using it for reporting at the end of the grant period. We will explore interpreting funder requirements, touch on the components of an evaluation plan, and discover the needs of the various stakeholders once you are implementing your grant.

Learn what to include in an evaluation plan for your grant proposal
Learn how to set up evaluation so you can report on your program
Learn how to use evaluation to track outcomes and indicate where to improve

Visit MANP’s website to learn more and get discount code and link to register on partner website.

*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact us to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.

Invasive Plants: The Big Picture

Thursday, February 26, 2026 via Zoom

2:00-3:30pm

Cost: FREE for LTA members, $140 for non-members

If you’ve been involved in land conservation for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard many different things about invasive plants. You know they have a negative impact on the land, and you may be able to identify a species or two in your area. But unless you’re a botany expert, the details can get overwhelming quickly. Join this webinar to see the big picture on what invasive species are, what makes them invasive, how they impact our landscapes and conservation values, and what can be done about them. Adam Black, rare plant conservationist with Bartlett Tree Experts, will provide foundational terminology, biological characteristics, environmental impacts and management options. Here’s a look at what Adam will cover:

Defining exotic invasive plants versus aggressive or successional native plants.
Examples of a few ubiquitous invasive plants across North America and their impacts on the environment and conservation values.
Tips on finding resources to learn more about specific invasive species in your area.
Pros and cons of various methods to control invasives, including chemical and non-chemical options.

Visit LTA’s website to learn more and register.

Jobs in the Conservation Sector

Do you know someone who is looking for part-time, full-time, or seasonal employment? Please share these exciting postings currently accepting applications. Newest additions listed here or visit our website for the full list.

Swan Internship – Forest Society of Maine

Summer Associate – Momentum Conservation

Maine Land Steward – Northeast Wilderness Trust

Director of Stewardship – Loon Echo Land Trust

Policy and Science Assistant – Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

Seasonal Stewardship Assistant – Downeast Coastal Conservancy

Nature Camp Instructor/Counselor – Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust

Membership & Outreach Coordinator – Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust

Operations Manager – Downeast Coastal Conservancy

Seasonal Environmental Educator – Maine Audubon

Program Internship – Maine Audubon

Land and Easement Acquisition Program

Express desire and attend follow up meeting by June 15.
By invitation only, submit pre-application materials by June 30.
A limited number of organizations will be invited to submit a formal application to PCLB in late July or early August. Applications are due by the end of August.

The Land and Easement Acquisition Program from the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation (PCLB) has proven effective at helping land trusts complete active projects needing matching funds to close in New York and Connecticut, and it is being expanded in 2026 to include parts of Maine. The program is intended to be some of the last money in on a project to facilitate closing out fundraising – so it is important to make sure the project has the ability to close within a year of receiving grant funds. The Maine Land Trust Network will be working closely with the PCLB Foundation to spread the word about the program and to support land trusts as needed to develop compelling applications.

The detailed guidelines for the program can be found here. Please reach out to Angela Twitchell at MLTN if you have questions about whether your project is a good fit for this funding source or if you need support in pulling together the application requirements.

Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative

Applications due: March 1, 2026

Each year, the Cornell Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative small grant program supports projects that help accelerate and amplify land stewardship and bird conservation on private lands. In 2026, the program will award a total of $260,000 to land trusts and their partners to support 14 projects across the U.S. The RFP opened the first week of January, with applications due March 1 and funds distributed in May—see the Request for Proposals to learn more and apply.

There are two grant tracks available:

Capacity and Partnership Projects – 6 grants of $10,000 each
Management and Restoration Projects – 8 grants of $25,000 each.

Questions can be directed to Sara Barker, Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Program Director, .