Nominations for Espy Land Heritage Award Due Friday
Maine Coast Heritage Trust presents the Espy Land Heritage Award each year to an individual, organization, agency, or coalition for exemplary conservation efforts in Maine. We need your help to find the most worthy recipient to recognize this April!
The more nominees the better. Challenge us to find the most-worthy recipient, so we can showcase their leadership and accomplishments and inspire the state’s entire conservation community.
The recipient of the award will be recognized at the 2021 Maine Land Conservation Conference in April and will be entitled to direct $5,000 to the land conservation organization of their choosing. Nominations must be received by Friday, March 5th. Visit the MLTN website for more information and an application.
Maine Land Conservation Conference – More Sessions Added
Registration has begun for the 2021 Maine Land Conservation Conference and we’ve added sessions on Nature-Based Education and Building Relationships with the New Wave of Land Trust Visitors. The conference kicks off on Tuesday, March 16th and continues through the end of April. A low price of $25 gets you access to all sessions and recordings. Register now so you don’t miss a thing!
Maine Environmental Education Association’s Annual Conference
Wednesday and Thursday, April 7 & 8, 2021
Cost: Pay what you can sliding scale
Registration is now open for the Maine Environmental Education Association’s Annual Conference: EEvolve. Come together in community virtually to share strategies and ideas for more effectively implementing outdoor and environmental education in schools and communities across the state. We are in a time of great change in our field and our work has never been more important for the health and wellness of all Mainers and our communities. The MEEA conference is the largest event of the year where folks who support environmental and/or outdoor education with Mainers of all ages share best practices, explore new ideas, and build relationships for new collaborations. 30 workshops, Plenary Panels, Virtual Exhibits and more! All workshops will be recorded and posted online on our conference portal so attendees can watch after the event at your leisure! All are welcome.
The Maine Forest Tick Survey, a project led by the University of Maine, was set up to study the impact land management has on ticks and tick-borne pathogens. They are seeking land managers or owners who plan to harvest timber or remove invasive plant species from wooded properties in the following counties: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Kennebec, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and York. As part of an expansion to the Maine Forest Tick Survey’s research, they are launching a new project called Tick Response. For this project, their lab wants to conduct tick surveys before and after major land management activities. If you own or manage a property that will be conducting management in the next three years (2021-2024), and are willing to let them assess tick densities, please email Elissa Ballman at .
The program also seeks landowners in Southern and Coastal Maine who own between 5 and 1,000 acres of wooded land to participate in their citizen science project. They will provide all the supplies and training necessary for landowners to collect ticks on their properties during July 2021. They will identify all collected ticks to species, test blacklegged tick nymphs for pathogens, and report all our findings to their volunteers. For more information and to sign up, please visit www.UMaine.edu/ForestTickSurvey.
Nonprofit Financial Strategy in Response to Crisis
Thursday, March 11, 2021
1:00-3:00pm
Cost: $50; MANP members* receive 20% off
Brought to you thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Nancy Bacon Consulting
The current public health crisis has disrupted nonprofits’ operations and funding sources, with longer-term impacts that remain unknown. Organizations face immediate budget impacts and potentially serious threats to sustainability. Organizational leaders need help to navigate through this situation and bring board and funders along to a place of greater sustainability. That is what this webinar is all about.
Over two hours, participants will gain the information needed to visualize and chart a financial strategy that proactively addresses the short- and longer-term impacts of the crisis. You will receive a toolkit of information to support your learning and to bring back into the life of your organization. We know you can’t do this alone, so we’ll make sure you have tools to bring your colleagues along with you.
Visit MANP’s website for more information and to register.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your organization’s membership status.
Heirs’ Property: What Land Trusts Need to Know
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
2:00-3:30pm
Price: $70 for member; $100 for non-members
Brought to you by The Land Trust Alliance
Family land ownership has been an important way for families to pass on wealth to future generations; however, landowners with multiple heirs and no estate plan leave their families in a difficult situation upon their passing. The new owners of so-called heirs’ property face significant obstacles keeping the land in the family and working with land trusts to conserve it. Join heirs’ property expert Diana Norris, Land Trust Alliance, as she discusses the cultural and historical context of heirs’ property and what land trusts can do to engage with landowners on conservation and support the stabilization of ownership in their own states. The webinar will also highlight land trusts recent work in Virginia to pass the Heirs Property Act, which provides important protections for families faced with the threat of partition sales.
Here’s a look at what we will cover:
What is heirs’ property and why it is a problem
Strategies for supporting heir’s property landowners
What is Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA) and how land trusts can get involved in their own states in ratifying it
For details including pre-work and registration link, visit the Land Trust Alliance website to register.
Mergers, Assignments and Dissolution: Stewarding Conservation Easements During Transition
Thursday, March 25, 2021
2:00-3:30pm
Price: $70 for member; $100 for non-members
Brought to you by The Land Trust Alliance
Is your land trust facing a merger or taking on easements from an organization that is dissolving or shifting its mission? If so, there’s a lot to think through in assessing and stewarding your new or incoming portfolio. Join stewardship experts Cheryl Cufre, Colorado Open Lands, and Andrew Norman and Rick Remington, Landmark Conservancy, as they discuss what you need to know about stewarding easements acquired through merger, dissolution or assignment.
Here’s a look at what will be covered:
Developing an effective process to keep everyone sane
Financial implications of merging portfolios and budgeting tips
Strategies for merging information and ensuring files are complete
Strategies for merging stewardship cultures and philosophies
How to communicate effectively with landowners, donors and other stakeholders
Accreditation requirements
Visit LTA’s website to register.
Board Training Series: Models of Governance
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
7:30-9:00pm
Price: $45 for MANP members*
Brought to you thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Great boards don’t happen by accident. It takes vision, planning, training, structure, tools, technology, passion, and dedication to create a high-impact board. In this session, the presenter will lead nonprofit board members through an educational training on effective models of nonprofit governance. This workshop is great for current and future board members, along with nonprofit staff who work with boards. Topics include:
Define “Governance” what it means to be on a nonprofit board
Develop a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit board member
Learn the characteristics of a high-impact board
Understand various types of board: working board, managing board, policy board, ratifying board, and a failing board
Visit MANP’s website for details. *Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check on your MLTN membership status.
Jobs in the Conservation Sector
It’s the time of year when job postings abound, both seasonal and permanent! Here are our latest additions. Click here for full list.
Executive Director – Freeport Conservation Trust
Summer Land Steward – Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Brunswick Topsham Land Trust, Phippsburg Land Trust
Proposals Due: 5:00pm on Wednesday, April 14, 2021
The Open Space Institute is pleased to announce the launch of the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund and the inaugural Request for Proposals for the Fund. The Fund, created with a seed grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, will support the purchase of land and conservation easements in key focus areas of the Appalachian Mountain region that facilitate wildlife adaption to climate change and forest carbon uptake. The Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund seeks to protect 50,000 acres in the focus areas, which contain some of the nation’s most at-risk, biologically rich, and climate-resilient landscapes that also store and sequester massive amounts of carbon.
The Fund, building on a growing movement to increase awareness and use of nature-based solutions to combat climate change, follows OSI’s Resilient Landscape Initiative, which advanced climate resilience through land protection, education and training efforts.
OSI is committed to advancing justice and equity in its grantmaking and in supporting organizations that identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color led with reduced grant match requirements. As we are learning alongside our grantees, we are also asking all applicants to reflect on equity and justice in their organizations and projects.
Potential applicants are encouraged to attend an informational Zoom webinar on Monday, March 8th from 1:00 – 3:00 PM. Register here.
To learn more about the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund, visit OSI’s website.
