MLTN Infoline – July 15, 2026

July 15, 2026|Infoline

Mark Your Calendars for Fall Regional Land Trust Meetings

Each fall, the Maine Land Trust Network brings together land trust staff, board members, volunteers, and community members across the state for our Regional Land Trust Meetings — a chance to connect, share ideas, and build community in each region of the state. We’re sending the dates now so that you can mark your calendars and plan ahead to attend.

Casco Bay Region – Sept 23, Wolf Neck Center
Downeast Region – Sept 30, University of Maine at Machias
Southern Maine Region – Oct 8, York Land Trust
Western & Inland Region – Oct 15, location still TBD
Penobscot Bay Region – Oct 21, Caribou Bog Outdoor Center
Midcoast Region – Nov 4, Rockland Public Library

Regions are loosely defined and we include some guidance in the description of each meeting on our events page. If the date we’ve chosen in your region doesn’t work for you, you are more than welcome to attend one of the other meetings. Some but not all of the discussion topics will be repeated.

These free public meetings are open to all and attendees help set the agenda – please let us know what you’d like to talk about with your colleagues when you RSVP. RSVP by emailing mltn@mcht.org and be sure to include which region/date you’ll be attending. See you there!

Angela, Katia, Jeff, Megan, and Donna

New Affordable Housing Learning Path From the Land Trust Alliance

Did you know that the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) offers learning paths? What even is a learning path? Well, a learning path is a curated guide to resources by topic. Whether you’re looking to understand the steps in acquiring land or conservation easements, drill down into the nuts and bolts of managing your land trust’s finances, or find resources to help you onboard new land trust board members, LTA’s learning paths have got you covered.

The newest learning path from the Alliance focuses on affordable housing, a topic that has been coming up strongly in MLTN conversations over the past couple of years. By supporting affordable housing, conservationists can also advance their own goals, including around climate and meeting the needs of community. The best practices highlighted in the selected resources in this new learning path emphasize the importance of learning and partnership building. Read more and take a look at the included resources here.

Early-bird Registration for Rally Ends July 31

This year, the 2026 National Land Conservation Conference “Rally” will take place in Denver, Colorado on September 16-19. Early-bird registration is currently open and you can save a chunk of change if you sign up now. There are flexible options depending on how many days you wish to attend, and discounts for Land Trust Alliance members, students, and current Americorps volunteers. View all the details here.

Designing Plastic Out of the Ocean Economy

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

7:00-8:30pm

In person at Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, or online via Zoom

Cost: FREE

After years documenting microplastic pollution worldwide, marine researcher Abigail Barrows turned her focus toward prevention. This talk traces the journey from measuring plastic contamination in marine ecosystems to redesigning aquaculture systems that eliminate plastic gear entirely. Featuring field-tested innovations from Maine oyster farms, the presentation explores how practical design changes can reduce pollution, protect marine life, and create more resilient coastal economies.

Learn more and register at Schoodic Institute’s website.

Organizational AI Policy as a Tool to Shape Ethical & Effective Use

Thursday, July 23, 2026 via Zoom

1:00-2:30pm

Cost: $40.50 for MANP members*, $45 for non-members

This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Common Good Vermont

This practical session is built around AI policy best practices. Topics include why create a policy, central elements to consider, options for developing a policy, and current best practices. The workshop includes a basic framework for AI policy adoption. Discussion of an AI policy is complemented by the examination of high-value use cases relevant for non-profits that extend beyond basic AI tasks (like minutes or summaries).

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

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

Capital Stacks 101: Blending Grants and Financing

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 via Zoom

12:00-1:00pm

Cost: FREE

Hosted by Maine Resilience Finance Coordinators: New England Environmental Finance Center and Gulf of Maine Research Institute

This webinar will explore capital stacks and how they can be used in municipal settings. Join us for this virtual session to learn the basics of constructing capital stacks to advance your most costly municipal projects through creative financing methods. Click here to register.

From Concept to Construction: Building a Long-Distance Adaptive Trail

Thursday, August 6, 2026 via Zoom

1:00-2:00pm

Cost: FREE to attend live and for 24 hours after

Presented by American Trails

The Wilderness Gateway State Trail is a newly developed, adaptive-optimized long-distance trail in the South Mountains of western North Carolina. This webinar shares the story of how Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina came to pursue an adaptive trail design, the construction techniques and lessons learned along the way, and how FCNC is continuing to advance the project through outreach and future planning. The presentation aims to demystify the process of building adaptive trails and equip participants with insights and practical considerations for expanding accessibility and welcoming a broader range of trail users.

Learn more and register at American Trails website.

Re(Human)ized Recruiting & Onboarding

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 via Zoom

2:00-3:00pm

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

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

Explore how to attract, interview, and onboard talent through an equity-centered lens. You will learn how traditional hiring practices replicate bias, and how inclusive job design, accessible onboarding, and culture-add approaches can create belonging from day one.

Key Concepts: Inclusive recruiting; bias-checking in job descriptions and interviews; transparency in process; accessibility audits; culture-add vs. culture-fit.

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

This webinar is part of a five-part series that includes other sessions on:

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

Beginning Grantwriting

Thursday, August 13, 2026 via Zoom

10:00am-1:00pm

Cost: $95 for MANP members*, $135 for non-members

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

This workshop will introduce grantwriting to nonprofit professionals who have less than one year of experience with the skill. Many people who work in nonprofits find themselves in the position of “accidental grantwriter” and do not feel fully equipped for the challenge. This session will provide a balance of applicable content and resources to deepen participants’ knowledge of and skills in grantwriting. It is specifically designed for beginners. By the end of this session, participants learners will learn the steps to craft, construct, and submit an effective grant application.

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

For non-beginners, there is an intermediate grant writing webinar scheduled for Wednesday, September 2nd, on Strategic Approaches to Competitive Proposals. Learn more.

Climate Finance Office Hours

Thursday, August 13, 2026, via Zoom

12:00-1:30pm

Cost: FREE

Hosted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, New England Environmental Finance Center, and Resilience Works, LLC

Climate Finance Office Hours are meant to be an open opportunity for anyone to come and ask questions related to funding and financing for a wide variety of adaptation and mitigation projects, energy projects, development and a variety of other topics. Each session will focus on a short topical presentation or speaker, then will be open to questions from participants.

Click here to learn more and register.

Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund

The Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF) is seeking grant applications for their upcoming grant funding round (Round 26-2). MOHF helps fund critical wildlife and conservation projects throughout Maine. Its sole purpose is maintaining, improving and expanding state and local natural resource conservation programs and associated compatible public uses in accordance with the MOHF Strategic Plan. Revenue is generated exclusively by a dedicated instant lottery ticket distributed by the Maine State Lottery (current ticket is the $3 Leap for Loot).

Grants are awarded semi-annually to natural resource agencies in response to grant proposals. To date, MOHF has awarded over 28 million to over 1200 projects.

View the MOHF Grant Process Quick Step Guide. Visit the MOHF info page on the Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife website.