MLTN Infoline – July 6, 2023

July 7, 2023|Infoline

Maine Land Trusts Leading the Way

It’s thrilling how often Maine land trusts are featured in the Land Trust Alliance Saving Land publication. Nearly every edition contains a reference to at least one Maine group that is excelling, trying something new, or making a difference in the community where they work.

This month Loon Echo Land Trust and Mahoosuc Land Trust earned a 6-page spread in the magazine for work they are doing as part of LTA’s Forest Carbon Offset Pilot Program. Together, the two groups have enough acreage to make a carbon offset project feasible, and with the support and resources they have access to as part of the pilot program, they’re making a go of it. Read more about the effort here.

Congratulations to Matt, Kirk, Maggie, and all their dedicated board, staff, and volunteers for taking this leap! And to all of you at all of Maine’s land trusts who work to keep the future bright for our planet and our people, THANK YOU.

Angela, Jeff, and Donna

Working Waterfront Inventory Report & Template

Coastal gentrification in Maine has intensified in the last few years due to many factors. This has increased pressure on the working waterfront at a faster pace than many towns can keep up with, adapt to, and plan for.

In order to preserve the working waterfront and the culture and industries it supports, especially commercial fishing, towns need to know what they have for working waterfront infrastructure in their community. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) worked with Tidal Bay Consulting to analyze the existing landscape of how municipalities have incorporated working waterfront into their comprehensive plans and coastal ordinances. They developed a process and standard data collection template for communities to inventory their working waterfront and help communities understand their current working waterfronts, and provides the tools to monitor, preserve, and invest in working waterfront for future generations.

Explore the report and template at MCFA’s website.

Diversifying Partnerships in the Face of Forest Threats: New Research on Emerald Ash Borer Management

As climate change challenges the resilience of our forests, the presence of nonindigenous insects and pathogens will continue to threaten the existence of certain trees and the lifeways they support. Harvard Forest researcher Dave Orwig partnered with experts throughout the northeast (including a team you may recognize from the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabinakik workshop series happening throughout this year and led by UMaine faculty and graduate students) to research considerations of species preservation, with a particular focus on response to the emerald ash borer (EAB).

Published in the Journal of Forestry, three new papers describe a novel framework for nonindigenous insects and pathogens (NIIP) adaptation, including unique case studies with broadened preservation values relative to EAB and new insight into how foresters and loggers approach decision-making on stands threatened by this invasive pest.

Learn more on Harvard Forest’s website.

Building Inclusive Benefits Packages

Thursday, July 13, 2023

1:30-3:00pm

Cost: $40

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

Nonprofit staff and volunteers are invited to attend this 90-minute session where you will learn about which benefits to consider that could help your organization stay competitive when hiring, keep your staff engaged and serve employees from ALL identity backgrounds. This interactive virtual session will cover:

Equitable benefits for LGBTQIA+ staff members
Benefits best practices
Overall benefits trends in the nonprofit sector

Visit MANP’s website to register.

How to Prepare for an Audit

Thursday, July 13, 2023

3:00-4:00pm

Cost: $35 for MANP members*, $70 for nonmembers

This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Montana Nonprofit Association

Do you need a financial statement audit, but have questions on how to best prepare for one? In this 60-minute Zoom session, we will provide tips and best practices to make the audit-readiness process smooth and less stressful for you!

Visit MANP’s website to register.

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

Build a StoryMap Workshop

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

11:00am-1:30pm

Cost: $33.85

Pre-course work: 1 hour

Limited to 20 participants

The Coastal Training Program at Wells Reserve is excited to present this virtual workshop!

Story Maps engage with your audience by telling compelling, interactive stories and they are free to use. Community groups can share information about their projects (be it restoration, watershed planning, community resilience planning) and gather input from their audience to help guide their process. During this hands-on workshop, Sue Bickford will share many of the Story Map features and give you time to draft up your own StoryMap.

Sue Bickford has spent over two decades in the geospatial mapping world, working hard to keep up with the rapid pace of changes. Sue teaches online for Unity College as well as leading a nonprofit (1000 Drones for 100 Girls) that brings STEM education using drones and mapping to elementary school girls. She relies on StoryMaps as a communication tool for public education and grant writing – with or without having a map in it!

Learn more and register here.

Beginner Grant Seeking

Tuesday, July 18th, 2023

2:00-5:00pm

Cost: $89 for MANP members*, $129 for nonmembers

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

Where does the grantseeking process start? How do you find funders interested in your organization and your programs? There are proven tactics for finding funders that are a good fit for your organization–and plentiful resources online–some free!

In this three-hour live online training, we’ll discuss the best ways to begin grantseeking (which is closer than you think!), explore four good places to start looking, work through a proven process for finding funder information, discover how to “dig deeper” into a foundation’s interests, and determine the best way for you to start capturing what you are learning about your organization and its potential funders.

Read a breakdown of what’s covered in this training and register on MANP’s website.

This session focuses on the nonprofit funding landscape and the process of seeking grants. MANP is also offering a Grant Writing 101 webinar on July 27th.

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

Deconstructing the Boundaries: A Future of Land & Food Resilience

Saturday, July 22, 2023

10:00am-5:00pm

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Cost: Free

Presented by Indigo Arts Alliance in partnership with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

This program is the first symposium in a multi-year collaboration between the two organizations. Indigo Arts Alliance assembled a curated panel of thought leaders and workshop presenters to discuss how Black and Brown communities have always held spiritual, traditional, and cultural relationships to the land. Conversations, demonstrations, and interactive workshops will present experiences from multidisciplinary artists, cultural workers, and members of the local, national, and global community.

Through this symposium, the partnership hopes to explore and address these three key questions:

How do we evolve our personal, communal, and institutional relationships with land ownership and stewardship?
How do we address and heal the deep distrust that has taken root in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities?
How do we acknowledge and appreciate the ways in which African, Brown, and Indigenous cultural and social systems, as well as spirituality exist outside of settler colonial paradigms?

Transportation will be available for those that need it. Pick up points will be in Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor. Once you’ve registered for a ticket, you will be prompted to register for a complimentary bus ticket.

Keeping Up With The Pace: How Are We Responding To Change?

Monday, July 24, 2023

4:00-5:30pm

In-Person at Schoodic Institute, 9 Atterbury Circle, Winter Harbor, with a Zoom option as well

Cost: FREE

When it comes to our climate, too often our focus is on what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future; however, communities across the globe are experiencing dramatic changes right now. Here in Maine, we are dealing with hotter temperatures, rising sea level, and increasing storm frequency and intensity.

As part of their Summer Lecture Series, Schoodic institute is hosting a special conversation with Ira Flatow, host of Science Friday on NPR. The event will include discussion about how scientists are working to understand and respond to rapid change in the Acadia region and beyond. Ira will also share thoughts on the role science communicators can play in their communities and the importance of serving as an ambassador for science.

This event is free and open to the public. Register today!

Jobs in the Conservation Sector

What’s your dream job? Could it be one of these? Check out our newest postings below and view the full list on our website.

Senior Conservation Project Manager – Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust

Conservation Coordinator – Southeast Land Trust (SELT) of New Hampshire

Habitat Restoration Project Manager – Downeast Salmon Federation

Community Engagement Coordinator – Downeast Salmon Federation

Field Team Leader and Members – Maine Conservation Corps

Office Administrator – Portland Trails

Kennebec Land Trust 2023 Stewardship Assistant – Kennebec Land Trust

Program Associate – National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA)

Human Resources and Office Manager – Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park

Administrative Coordinator – Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed

York River Watershed Coordinator – York River Stewardship Committee & the Wells Reserve

Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund

Applications Due: Thursday, July 13, 2023 by 11:59pm

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals for the Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund (NEFRF) (formerly known as the New England Forests and Rivers Fund) to restore and sustain healthy rivers, forests and grasslands that provide habitat for diverse fish and wildlife populations. The program will advance this goal by investing in projects that:

Restore the quality and connectivity of stream and riparian habitats with a focus on improving habitat for river herring, Atlantic salmon, eastern brook trout and wood turtles;
Improve management of forest blocks to enhance age and structural diversity, resulting in improved forest conditions for native wildlife, with a focus on improving habitat for golden-winged warbler and New England cottontail; and,
Promote hayfield management that allows for successful grassland bird breeding, with a specific focus on habitat for bobolink.

Proposals should strive to contribute to goals detailed in NFWF’s Northeast Watersheds Business Plan (March 2023), and specifically the strategies for Stream and Riparian Habitat, and Upland Forests and Grasslands. In addition, projects that incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged.

Read the complete RFP at NFWF’s website.

AgEnhancement Grants

Applications Due: Close of business on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 (as well as COB on December 1 and April 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 2 million dollars in grants to organizations across the Northeast.

AgEnhancement 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.

Learn more and apply here.