MLTN Infoline – June 12, 2023
New Land for Maine’s Future Director Announced | |
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) Commissioner Amanda Beal has announced that Steve Walker will be joining the Department as the next Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) Director. Read the press release here. Some of you may remember Steve as the Midcoast Land Protection Project Manager at Maine Coast Heritage Trust for several years, until he became Coordinator of the Beginning with Habitat program at the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife. With his education in Wildlife Management, extensive experience working on all types of land protection projects, interest in planning, and success with conservation funding, he is uniquely qualified to take on the LMF Director position. “I’m very much looking forward to working with the MLTN membership to advance the pace of land conservation to address the governor’s goals outlined in Maine Won’t Wait,” Steve told us. He added, “As someone long interested in the role of land conservation in land use planning, I look forward to deepening LMF’s relationship to Maine towns, especially traditionally underserved communities.” Please join us in congratulating Steve on his new position. We are excited to work closely with Steve and all LMF staff to keep the program’s upward momentum going. Land for Maine’s Future rocks! Angela, Jeff, and Donna | |
More Ways to Get Involved with Love Maine Trails Month | |
You probably know by now that Love Maine Trails month is going on this month through Sunday, July 2nd. Love Maine Trails Month (LMTM) is a collective month of trail stewardship where staff and volunteers from trail maintaining organizations and groups come together to perform trail work projects throughout Maine. LMTM is organized by the Maine Trails Coalition (MTC) in partnership with Maine Trailfinder. Of course, LMTM would love to have you host an event but if that’s not feasible, you can instead provide MTC with data and photos from your trail projects during the LMTM time period. Just fill out a Post Event Report by Friday, July 28 at 5pm. If you can help out in this way, MTC would appreciate an email letting them know that this is how you plan to participate. | |
Climate Change in the American Mind | |
The Climate Change in the American Mind report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication in early December 2022, just after the 2022 U.S. congressional elections. Why would we include this report in Infoline? Well, as Judy Anderson suggested in her most recent Climate Change & Conservation newsletter, we need to help people connect the dots between how climate change is impacting them and the meaningful and creative solutions we have to slow it down. But politics can get in the way unless we understand what we have in common with each other and how we can speak to the values and priorities of people who think differently than we do. Interested in more information like this? Sign up for Judy’s Climate Change & Conservation eNews here. The newsletters come out every couple of months and are thoughtfully procured and presented. And they’re free! | |
Be Your Land Trust’s Ambassador: Word of Mouth Marketing | |
Thursday, June 22, 2023 2:00-3:15pm Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for non-members Instructor: Andy Robinson The most effective marketing strategy has always been word of mouth (even more so now that social media algorithms and platforms are not what they used to be). Regardless of your role – board, staff or volunteer, you can represent your organization more effectively and encourage positive buzz. Join long-time fundraiser Andy Robinson as he discusses how to engage potential supporters, develop compelling messages, and deliver them effectively. He will cover:
Learn more and register at LTA’s website. | |
Identifying and Inventorying Ash Forests Workshop | |
Monday, June 26, 2023 1:00-4:00pm In-Person at the University Forest, Orono Cost: Free Limit: 40 participants Tyler Everett and the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik Team are generously offering a repeat of the in-person Ash Tree Inventory workshop they did as part of the 2023 Maine Land Conservation Conference. Inventory of forests containing ash is important for monitoring, and managing ash for emerald ash borer, as well as scoping for future seed collection efforts. During this field tour, Tyler Everett will discuss the importance of land manager actions to inventory ash across the region. Tyler is of Mi’kmaq Nation, United South and Eastern Tribes Inc., Passamaquoddy Forestry Department, and UMaine PhD Student. Tom Newall of Passamaquoddy Forestry Department will also join to educate participants about Wabanaki basket making and characteristics of basket-quality ash. Tom will tentatively hold an ash pounding demonstration. During the field tour, they will demonstrate key concepts and core skills related to ash inventory, including:
Registrants are required to watch the online webinar recording of Identifying and Inventorying Ash Forests before attending the field tour. Register for the field tour on June 26 here. | |
Self Aware Leader | |
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 11:00am-12:00pm Cost: $15 for MANP members*, $25 for non-members This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Nonprofit New York Explore your identity and the intersection between your identity, blind spots, and leadership style. As non-profit and community leaders it is not only imperative to understand the people you lead but to lead authentically by embracing the strength of our identities and understanding the significance of our blind spots. This Zoom workshop will help leaders at all-levels embrace authentic leadership by building self-awareness and gaining an understanding of how their social identities impact their ability to lead diverse teams. Learn more and register at MANP’s website. *Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your organization’s MLTN membership status. | |
Intermediate Grantwriting | |
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 2:00-5:00pm Cost: $89 for MANP members*, $129 for non-members This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Many people who work in nonprofits find themselves in the position of “accidental grantwriter” and do not feel fully equipped for the challenge. This Zoom session will provide a balance of tools, practice of skills, and significant writing opportunities to deepen participants’ knowledge of and skills in grantwriting. This intermediate-level training is also a hands-on writing clinic, in which registrants will receive feedback from other participants about specific sections of one of their grant proposals as well as have an opportunity to create and/or improve some usable grant content for their organizations. Learn more and register at MANP’s website. *Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your organization’s MLTN membership status. | |
Introduction to Affordable Housing For Land Trusts | |
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 2:00-3:30pm Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for non-members Communities around the country are facing an affordable housing crisis; land trusts can be part of the solution. Equitable partnerships between land trusts and affordable housing organizations can bring together expertise across movements to better serve communities. But to be effective partners, land trusts must be familiar with the basics of affordable housing. Join this webinar to learn from researchers and practitioners about opportunities for collaboration between land trusts and affordable housing organizations. Hear about a model for partnership from Bozeman, Montana, and get acquainted with a brand new set of resources designed to introduce land trusts to the fundamentals of affordable housing and models for equitable partnership between affordable housing organizations and land trusts. Learn more and register at LTA’s website. | |
Registration Open for Rally 2023 in Portland, Oregon | |
Registration is now open for this year’s Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference, happening September 6–9 in Portland, Oregon! Rally 2020 was meant to be in “the other Portland” but became a virtual event, so this will be take two. The annual National Land Conservation Conference is the perfect time to connect, learn and grow! Rally is the annual gathering of inspired and passionate land conservationists from around the world who are dedicated to conserving cherished places in our communities. Some scholarships and stipends are available. Early bird pricing through July 24. Learn more and register. | |
Did You Know? DEI Resources from the Maine Land Trust Network | |
From mid-2020 through late 2021, in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and other violence perpetrated against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in our country, a group of representatives from the Maine Land Trust Network and other non-land trust partners worked together on a process to explore diversity, equity, and inclusion and how we could support land trusts seeking to do better at making their organizations and the lands they own and manage more welcoming and accessible to all people. The process was lengthy, and in honesty, is still going on today. However, we did culminate our group work with three online meetings where we shared resources to support organizations looking to address these issues. You can check out the resources here. We highly recommend that you start with Episode 1 and explore and sit with each episode and the related resources in order. We also hope you’ll revisit them from time to time, as the answers to questions and how we receive the resources can change over time. Let us know what you think of the episodes and how you used them. It will help us shape future offering. |