Is you land trust involved in or looking to become involved in a collaboration? If so, we have great news for you – MLTN is offering one time grants to support its members who are stretching themselves to partner with other groups in their region. Please visit our website for all the details and to download an application. Although the deadline is fast approaching, we’ve made every effort to streamline the application process to make it easy to apply. If you have questions or would like to discuss a potential application, contact Warren Whitney. To check on your MLTN membership status, contact Donna.
We look forward to a great pool of applications, as we know many of you are doing great work with all kinds of partners!
Ag Allies & Cornell Help with Grassland Bird Habitat Management
Have grasslands in your conservation portfolio? Want to be able to showcase nesting populations of iconic, at-risk birds? Maine’s Ag Allies Program in partnership with Cornell’s Land Trust Conservation Initiative is happy to assist. Bobolinks are one of our most charismatic and iconic grasslands species. They, along with other grassland species, have suffered steep losses in recent decades, facing threats on several fronts simultaneously. Habitat loss is a driving factor in these widespread declines, particularly agricultural intensification and development.
Since 2016, Ag Allies, hosted by Somerset County SWCD, has worked with land trusts and landowners statewide to increase the nesting success of grassland birds using incentive payments, technical assistance, and education. The program empowers land trusts to make sustainable, bird-friendly management changes on their land and improve the chance for nesting success of grassland birds in Maine.
This year Ag Allies is proud to announce a new partnership with Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT). Thanks to grant funding from Maine Inland Fish and Wildlife, Maeve at KELT will be helping Ag Allies to provide technical assistance to land trusts for grassland bird habitat management.
Additionally, Ag Allies’ formal collaboration with Cornell’s Land Trust Initiative has moved forward this season, with a grant focused on managing habitat for at-risk bird species. Also stay tuned for upcoming grassland management workshops and E-bird training with Sara Barker, Leader of Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Land Trust Initiative.
To learn more, contact Laura Suomi-Lecker, Technical Director and Manager of Ag Allies, at or (207) 474-8323 x3.
Beyond Diversity 101: Micro-Inequities, Implicit Bias, and Moving toward Equity
Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
11:00am-1:00pm
Cost: $45 for MANP members*, $65 for nonmembers
Brought to you thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Many of us have been involved with diversity training that focuses on cultural difference and respecting all perspectives. While this is a good start, we cannot move toward true equity in our workplaces, organizations, and personal relationships until we address historical and institutional inequality. In order to address the myriad ways that certain people are marginalized based on social identities such as race, gender, disability, religion, class, sexual orientation, etc., every one of us needs to understand our own identities, how we all demonstrate bias that is often unconscious, and how we are all capable of moving toward equity.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your MLTN membership status.
NRCS and Buy-Protect-Sell
Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
2:00-3:30pm
Cost: FREE
Brought to you by the Land Trust Alliance
Buy-Protect-Sell (BPS) is one of the most popular ways land trusts use NRCS funds to conserve land. Now that we have the Final Rule in place, land trusts need to be aware of how that will impact how they can use federal money to conserve farms and ranches. Join NRCS staff as they demystify the Final Rule and what it means for Buy-Protect-Sell projects.
Here’s a look at what will be covered:
Overview of Final Rule implications for Buy-Protect-Sell projects
Overview of BPS process and the entity’s role
Opportunities to use Buy-Protect-Sell to conserve farms and ranches
Two identical sessions in the morning and afternoon – sign up for ONE
Whitney Memorial Forest, Gray
Cost: $25, $20 for MOFGA and Maine Woodland Owners members
Maine Woodland Owners, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), and Maine Forest Service are proud to offer Forestry 101. This program will introduce essential concepts new woodland owners need to know to manage their woods well. It is designed for those with beginner to intermediate experience with active forest stewardship, but is open to all. All participants will receive a copy of the publication “Small Woodland Owners Handbook.”
Finding Affordable Retirement and Health Insurance
Tuesday, June 15th, 2021
2:00-3:30pm
Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for non-members
Brought to you by the Land Trust Alliance
A solid benefits package is key to attracting and retaining the best employees, but the cost and availability of employee benefits are a concern for large and small land trusts alike. Join Melanie Lockwood Herman from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center as she explores several approaches to identifying and securing affordable retirement and healthcare benefits, with an emphasis on the challenges facing small employers. Find out whether you are required to provide certain benefits, and learn what you can do to successfully identify and secure benefits for your team.
Here’s a look at what will be covered:
Common challenges and issues related to securing and providing benefits
Benefits and affordability: how to weigh and convey the value of the benefits you provide
Strategies to secure affordable benefits for your land trust
Geospatial Technologies for Prioritization, Monitoring and Engagement Towards 30×30
Thursday, June 17th, 2021
2:00-3:30pm
Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for non-members
Brought to you by the Land Trust Alliance
With the new calls to increase the pace and scale of land protection to meet climate change, the land trust community must use all available tools and processes to meet 30×30. How do we know what to protect to create a pipeline of places that meet traditional conservation goals plus places that include equity and climate resilience? Join GIS experts Breece Robertson and Jeff Allenby as they discuss how geospatial data and technologies can help land trusts meet these challenges.
This webinar will provide an overview of the current state of geospatial data and technologies, how you can access them, and where the field is going. No matter where your organization is in terms of capacity, funding or technical sophistication, you can tap into the power of data, science, and technology to support your mission. Specific use cases that feature different technology applications on topics like climate resilience, equity and monitoring will be shared. Learn the answers to these questions and more:
How can you access geospatial data and tools to prioritize where to work and to monitor easements?
How to access free or low cost geospatial data and tools.
What is artificial intelligence and machine learning and how can they help your workflows to save time and money?
Brought to you thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Nonprofit boards have an obligation to act as responsible stewards in managing their financial resources. By adhering to sound accounting principles that produce reliable financial information, you can ensure fiscal responsibility and build public trust. Does your organization follow the appropriate regulations and procedures to accomplish your mission in effective and efficient ways?
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your MLTN membership status.
Communicators’ Network Meeting
Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
The Land Trust Alliance convenes a quarterly Communicators’ Network meeting, and you’re invited. This virtual gathering, hosted by Elizabeth Ward, LTA’s Vice President of Communications, will provide a special overview of market research that the Alliance commissioned from Heart + Mind Strategies at the beginning of 2021. This research tested concepts and messages to inform creative content development when speaking to high prospects for land trust support. You won’t want to miss hearing about the themes and messages that resonate most with key target audiences.
Letters of Intent Due: Wednesday, June 30th, by 5:00pm
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is seeking initial proposals for a new round of competitive grants from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP), which TNC administers on behalf of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Over $7.4 million will be available for award in 2021 for those seeking to restore and protect wetlands, streams, riparian areas, and significant wildlife habitat in Maine. Funding is available throughout the entire state. Municipalities, public agencies, tribes, and non-profit conservation organizations are all eligible for funding and are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent. Projects with a coastal wetland component (e.g., salt marsh, mud flats, eelgrass, sub-tidal habitats) are strongly encouraged this year, as well as any wetland restoration and enhancement projects.
To be considered for funding, a Letter of Intent must be submitted online at http://mnrcp.org by 5:00 pm, Wednesday, June 30, 2021. For questions not answered at the MNRCP website, contact Bryan Emerson at or .
