MLTN Infoline – May 11, 2023
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month | |
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and Maine CDC wants to remind everyone to be “Tick Free ME.” Now that warmer weather has arrived, Maine’s ticks are out in full force. The best way to prevent a tickborne disease is to prevent tick bites in the first place. Deer ticks can be active any time the temperature is above freezing. Make these habits part of your daily routine year-round to stay tick free:
State of Maine has resources to help land trusts spread the word about tick avoidance, including posters, data tracking, short informational videos you can share on social media, and more. Let’s stay Lyme Disease-free this season, Whit, Jeff, and Donna | |
Come Help Us Say Thanks to Whit | |
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 11:30am-1:30pm Maine Beer Company, Freeport Registration encouraged but not required As you probably know by now, Warren Whitney, who has led the Land Trust Program at Maine Coast Heritage Trust for the past 13 years, will be retiring at the end of May. We’ll be gathering at Maine Beer Company to hang out, celebrate, roast him a little, and thank him for all his work on behalf of Maine’s land trusts. The format will be casual – come when you can and stay for as long as you can. Registration is not required but it will help us plan. Click here or visit the MLTN website to let us know you’re planning to attend. | |
Managing the Transition From Acquisition To Stewardship | |
Tuesday, May 16th, 2023 (Rescheduled from an earlier date) 2:00-3:30pm Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for nonmembers We all know that conservation is not finished when the easement is signed and recorded. No, it is an ongoing partnership between landowner and land trust that works best when it is structured as a holistic process that begins at the first conversation and carries on through annual monitoring and landowner engagement. Join stewardship experts Jesica Blake, Coastal Land Trust, and Erin Van Waus, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, as they discuss how to make the transition from project to stewardship as seamless as possible. Filled with stories and lessons learned, this webinar will leave plenty of time for participant questions and discussion. Here’s a look at what we will cover:
Visit LTA’s website to register for this webinar. | |
Rewriting the Rules of Volunteer Engagement | |
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 via Zoom 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Cost: $35 for MANP Members*, $50 for nonmembers This event made possible thanks to a partnership between the Maine Association of Nonprofits and the Kentucky Nonprofit Network In the wake of recent challenges, expectations of both volunteers and nonprofit leaders have changed dramatically. How does one balance the foundations of engagement against emerging strategies? There is no better time than now to rewrite the “rules of engagement.” Join this virtual event that will equip you to lead your organization in rewriting the traditional rules of engagement, allowing you to continue to leverage volunteers’ time and talent to sustain or increase impact. Learn from real-life innovations and metrics for success and gain tools you can begin to apply immediately in your work. Content will include an overview of changing recruitment strategies, the evolution of the definition of retention success, and new perspectives on measuring volunteer impact. The thread of accessibility, diversity, and inclusion will weave through all three. Led by Beth Steinhorn of VQ Volunteer Strategies. For more information, visit MANP’s website. Most MLTN member are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your MLTN membership status. | |
Margins and Muster: Intersectionality, Power, and Radical Solidarity | |
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 via Zoom 10:30am-12:00pm Cost: $45 for MANP members*, $65 for nonmembers This event made possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits This workshop uncovers the complex relationship between multilayered identities, power, and solidarity. Dig into the nuance of navigating social hierarchy while intentionally centering marginalized experiences. Participants will be challenged to confront their own power, identify ways to actively challenge the status quo, and leave with a collective ideation mapping for liberation centered DEI. For more information, visit MANP’s website. Most MLTN member are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your MLTN membership status. | |
Blue Hill Peninsula Accessible Trails Field Trip | |
Thursday, May 25, 2023 9:00am-2:00pm Limit: 20 people Event Leaders: Blue Hill Heritage Trust Associate Directors George Fields and Chrissy Allen (Member of the Land Trust Alliance Advisory Council on Inclusive Health and Disabilities) Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust for an Accessible Trails Field Trip around the Blue Hill Peninsula. Participants will meet in Blue Hill at 9am and then car pool to the various sites, as parking at some of these destinations is very limited. The day will include:
To register, email Donna and provide your name, phone number, organization, and if you can take passengers in your car for the car pool, how many additional passengers you can take. We will share more specific details about meeting place, lunch options, etc as the date approaches. This event is a follow up to the Accessibility Workshop MLTN hosted last fall. We hope it will be the first in a series of field trips hosted by Maine land trusts to share their experiences, challenges, and rewards of building accessible trails. Contact Donna if you are interested in hosting a field trip in your area. | |
The Science, Management and Carbon Markets Opportunities for Forest Carbon for Maine Land Trusts | |
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 via Zoom 12:00 – 1:00pm Cost: FREE Understanding the science, management options and carbon markets is essential for land trust staff and board members to make informed decisions about managing for forest carbon and climate resiliency and accessing forest carbon markets for their land trust ownerships, while providing counsel forest landowners they work with. In this workshop, Charles Levesque, President of Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC, will provide essential background on all of these topics and link to the wealth of information provided through the Securing Northeast Forest Carbon Program. Charles Levesque is President of Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC, a northeastern-based consulting firm working in forest sustainability, management, carbon, forest industry development and renewable energy. He also serves as Executive Director of the North East State Foresters Association (NEFA), a non-profit of the state foresters in the northeastern states. Through NEFA he coordinates the USDA Forest Service funded Securing Northeast Forest Carbon Program – an effort to reach key audiences about the latest info on forest carbon and forest carbon markets. This webinar is free but registration is required. Register here. | |
2nd Annual Love Maine Trails Month | |
Next month, the Maine Trails Coalition is coordinating their 2nd annual Love Maine Trails Month! Events will take place from Thursday, June 3rd through Sunday, July 2, 2023. Love Maine Trails Month (LMTM) is a collective statewide month of trail stewardship where trail maintaining organizations, municipalities, state and federal agencies, staff and volunteers come together to perform a variety of trail work projects, engaging volunteers and raising awareness of the ethic of care and magnitude of scale required to maintain Maine’s trails. Now is the time to plan your Love Maine Trails event. Cash prizes are available for most hours/days worked, most impact, and other categories! Even if you can’t host a trail stewardship event, you can support Love Maine Trials Month by spreading the word to your members and friends. Click here to learn more. | |
Jobs in the Conservation Sector | |
Exciting position opening are added each week. Don’t miss these great opportunities to work for Maine environmental groups! See the full list at MLTN.org. Here are the latest additions. Executive Director – Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Manager of Applied Ecology – Wild Seed Project IT Manager – Maine Audubon Education & Community Engagement Coordinator – Greater Lovell Land Trust Summer Camp Environmental Educators – Maine Audubon Stewardship Coordinator – Vinalhaven Land Trust Land Conservation Specialist – Boothbay Region Land Trust Operations and Grant Program Director – Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Marketing Associate – The Nature Conservancy, Maine Finance Director – Northeast Wilderness Trust Development and Communications Director – Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative | |
Did You Know? Conservation Options for Maine Landowners | |
A reminder that Maine Coast Heritage Trust publishes a great informational booklet for anyone interested in learning about options available in Maine for conserving land you own – Conservation Options: A Guide for Maine Landowners. Anyone can download a PDF copy for free on MLTN.org or MCHT.org. Individuals can request a single free print copy of the booklet by emailing . Some Maine land trusts also use this publication when speaking with potential donors or anyone who wants to know more about how voluntary land conservation works in Maine. Land trusts can order print copies for $6 each ($5 for MLTN members) plus shipping, or we are happy to work with you to arrange a pick-up. Contact Donna to place a bulk order. | |