MLTN Infoline – July 24, 2025
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Help Us Welcome Megan Shore!
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The Partnerships & Public Policy department at Maine Coast Heritage Trust is growing again! We are pleased to be welcoming (back) Megan Shore! Megan ran the Land Trust Program for nine-years in the early 2000s before joining the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. In both roles she shaped and grew the organizations and their programs, with a dual focus on organizational/sector health and the interconnections of people and place. Megan returns to a new position at MCHT – Conservation Resilience Specialist – where she will work directly with land trusts to strengthen their capacity and advance the sector as a whole. Her work will primarily focus on inclusive community conservation, sustained collaborations and mergers, adaptive leadership, and organizational development and change management coaching and facilitation. Megan is delighted to be back and is looking forward to connecting with you. She’ll be working full-time out of our Topsham office, and you can reach her at .
Please help us welcome Megan back to MCHT!
Angela, Jeff, Donna, and Katia
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MCHT Conservation Easement Template Update
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MCHT recently updated our easement template with changes related to tribal cultural uses, discretionary approvals, as well as new protections included in the recent amendment to the Maine Recreational Use Statute. Did you know that MLTN’s Resource library includes not just one but two conservation easement templates? In addition to the Maine Land Conservation Attorney’s Network Boilerplate Easement template, we provide a conservation easement template generated by Maine Coast Heritage Trust staff. They are in many ways the same, but the former, a collaboration of several lawyers from around the state, is limited to sample administrative and deed provisions, aka “boilerplate.” MCHT’s includes suggestions for drafting restrictions and reserved rights for land uses of many sorts. This is not a sample draft easement, it is a compilation of many choices, from many types of easements, including limited development and public access.
Both of these documents are available on our Publications & Documents page, under the land protection heading. Both should be used with the advice of an experienced conservation attorney, and are not to be construed as legal advice.
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Housing & The Local Property Tax Struggle
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Tuesday, July 29th, 2025 via Zoom
4:30pm-6:00pm Cost: Free for GrowSmart members, $25 for non-members
Presenters: Jim Tischler, FAICP, PCP, MCIPI, Development Director, Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, and Kevin Sutherland, Town Manager, Town of Newcastle
This webinar is organized by GrowSmart Maine and sponsored by Kennebec Savings Bank
Crumbling infrastructure, budget deficits, deferred maintenance, strained budget negotiations… These are symptoms of a chronic lack of funding that comes to a head annually during the municipal budget process. Breaking the cycle requires a fundamental rethink of the relationship between infrastructure, finance, land use – and housing plays a role.
Join this session and learn about the ‘whole-life’ cycle municipal budgeting model. When applied systemically, this alternative approach provides a platform for municipal budgeting that is based on a land use pattern that strengthens rather than erodes the tax base, positioning Maine communities for greater financial and land use security.
Click here to register.
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Beginner Chainsaw Training
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Friday, August 15, 2025 8:30am-3:00pm Clifford Woods, Farmington
Cost: $50
You have one more opportunity to sign up for Maine Woodland Owners’ popular chainsaw training workshop. This hands-on beginner-level training provides instruction on saw handling and maintenance, protective equipment, firewood cutting, and tree felling. Participants must have safety gear (some gear will be available to borrow), a lunch, and a folding chair. Instructed by Jack Houz, a certified logging professional trainer with significant experience with chainsaws and training others to safely handle a chainsaw, all workshops are open to the public.
This workshop is not a full Certified Logging Professional training.
For more information and to register for a workshop, visit www.mainewoodlandowners.org/chainsaw-training or contact Jenn Hicks, Director of Communications and Outreach at MWO: or (207) 626-0005.
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How to Rally: Navigating the 2025 National Land Conservation Conference
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Thursday, August 14 at 1:00pm OR
Friday, August 22 at noon Cost: FREE
Rally 2025: The National Land Conservation Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, from September 3-6 is full of training and networking opportunities. If you’re a first-timer or want a refresher on “how to Rally,” please join us on August 14 or August 22 to learn more about Rally offerings, hear tips on getting the most out of your experience and meet other Rally participants from across the country . . . and world!
Visit LTA’s website to register.
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Measuring What Matters: Strengthening Your Nonprofit’s Impact Evaluation
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Thursday, August 21, 2025 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
Nonprofits use impact evaluation to make their case externally and improve internally. For these reasons, impact evaluation is a mission-critical activity. This presentation will dispel common misperceptions about evaluation and share examples and actions to help even the smallest nonprofits begin to evaluate their impact, make their case, and improve their work along the way.
If you are ready to take a step back and review your organization’s evaluation processes, or get advice about how to start evaluating and communicating program impact, this session is right for you.
Learn more and get the link to register on partner website at MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact us to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Board Roles + Responsibilities
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Thursday, August 21, 2025 via Zoom 6:00-7:30pm
Cost: $45 for MANP members*, $65 for non-members
Discounts for teams! $25 off each additional registration from the same organization
Scholarships available! Prior to registering, email your scholarship request to and be sure to include your name and organization.
A strong board of directors is built upon clear understanding of basic roles and responsibilities. This session will provide an overview of a board’s primary legal duties, important responsibilities and essential roles in governing the organization and stewarding its mission. Participants will discuss why we join boards; clarify the typical roles of the board and its responsibilities; and consider strategies for building and sustaining an effective board.
This webinar is for individuals already serving on nonprofit boards who are seeking an overview of their roles and responsibilities.
Board members who have some board service experience will gain the most from participation. It is strongly suggested that multiple board members from the same organization and the executive director participate as a team for maximum benefit.
Learn more and register at MANP’s website.
Can’t fit this date in your schedule? MANP will be offering an additional Board Roles + Responsibilities webinar on Tuesday, December 9, 9:00-10:30am. Click here to learn more.
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Farm Credit East AgEnhancement Grants
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3 funding rounds per year, application materials must be received by the close of business on April 1, August 1 or December 1
Each year, Farm Credit East and CoBank award grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 to help organizations promote awareness and strengthen agriculture, commercial fishing and forest products in the six New England states, New York and New Jersey. Since its inception in 1996, the Farm Credit AgEnhancement Program has awarded more than 3.5 million dollars in grants to organizations across the Northeast.
These grants support programs intended to assist all-size farms, promote diversity and create opportunities for new entrants into agriculture. Applicants that clearly demonstrate how a program, project, activity or event will have a long-term positive effect on the agriculture, forest products or the commercial fishing industries in the eight-state Northeast region are encouraged to seek funding. Statewide and regional projects are also eligible.
Program areas in which financial support may be provided include but are not limited to:
Learn more and apply at the program website.
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Maine Community Foundation Land for Communities Grant Program
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Applications Due: September 15, 2025
As part of MaineCF’s climate initiative, the foundation in 2024-2025 embarked on a field scan and funder landscape with Momentum Conservation on needs and gaps in the field. Using this landscape analysis and MaineCF’s internal program analysis, MaineCF worked with community advisors to redesign its conservation grant programs. As a result, the Conservation for All and the Maine Land Protection grant programs closed to create an opportunity for one new program: Land for Communities. This new grant program aligns with recommendations from Maine’s climate plan and the First Light community while addressing gaps in the field identified in the collaborative redesign process. The Land for Communities (L4C) grant program supports community land projects that increase relationships to land for underserved geographies and populations in Maine. Projects must:
The grant will offer two types of funding:
Visit MaineCF’s website for additional information and eligibility and grant guidelines, FAQs, and instructions for how to apply.
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