MLTN Infoline – May 28, 2026
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Updated Conservation Options Booklets Now Available
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At last we have a new supply of Conservation Options: A Guide for Maine Landowners. The booklets have been lightly updated with Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s new logo and some minor changes to language, particularly around IRS deductions. As always, everyone can get a free PDF download of the publication on the MLTN website. Individuals may request a free print copy for personal use by calling or emailing MCHT. Land trusts who wish to have a supply to give out can purchase them for $6 each (far less than the cost to print them) or $5 each for MLTN members by emailing mltn@mcht.org. Stop into one of our offices, or if you’d like them mailed to you, we will add the cost of shipping to your invoice.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust makes every effort to provide accurate, authoritative information. However, we do not render legal or financial advice. Tax examples in this book are simplified sample calculations based on laws that can change quickly, and should not be relied upon to calculate tax benefits. Landowners and land trusts should consult their own legal, financial, and tax advisors to determine potential outcomes.
Wishing you a happy, healthy summer season,
Angela, Jeff, Megan, Katia, and Donna
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Community Resilience Funding and Financing Survey
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Please complete the survey by May 31
Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership program is encouraging municipal officials and volunteer community leaders to participate in a community funding and financing survey. Click here to view and complete the survey.
The Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, in partnership with consultant Allen Kratz of Resilience Works LLC, has developed a 15-minute survey for elected and appointed municipal officials, as well as volunteer community leaders, about the challenges communities face when planning, funding, financing, and implementing infrastructure and resilience projects. In addition, Allen will be reaching out to communities to conduct brief interviews to learn more about these challenges.
The survey will inform ongoing state efforts to improve access to funding and financing tools for infrastructure, hazard mitigation, resilience, and long-term community preparedness. Broad participation will ensure the results reflect the wide range of experiences and needs across Maine communities. Thank you.
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Decoding Data Centers: Local Impacts and Strategies for Community Preparedness
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Thursday, June 4th, 2026 4:00-5:00pm
Cost: Sliding scale – suggested donation $25, Free to GrowSmart Maine members
This event is presented by GrowSmart Maine
Jay, Sanford, Limestone, Wiscasset, Eastport, Scarborough, Lewiston – what do these towns have in common? They have each been in the news as a prospective host community for data center development in the state.
Investment in AI companies and data center development has become a major macroeconomic force, with some projections forecasting that companies will invest nearly $7 trillion dollar in data centers by 2030 and the valuations of AI companies ballooning into the billions, if not trillions, of dollars; what is less clear is the economic growth that occurs at the local level as a result of data center development, particularly after these facilities are built.
How can communities prepare themselves to approach planning and development decisions that balance a diverse array of local priorities? What tools and resources are out there to build and implement a sound decision-making process; and which are necessary to create?
Learn more and register for this GrowSmart webinar here.
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Stronger Communities Summit
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Wednesday, June 10, 2026 8:00am-5:00pm
Wells Conference Center, Orono
Cost: $0-$25, or join online at no cost
Across Maine, communities are taking practical steps to address climate change—improving energy efficiency, upgrading public buildings, and preparing for climate impacts. Join the Community Resilience Partnership for a statewide summit highlighting local efforts from municipalities, Tribal communities, islands, and partners. Through peer exchange and discussions of practical case studies, participants will gain insight into designing effective solutions, overcoming implementation challenges, and sustaining long-term positive change.
Panels will focus on:
Learn more and register here.
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Leadership in Action Half-day Retreat: Communicating and Leading with Civility
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Thursday, June 11, 2026
9:00am-1:00pm
Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center, 5 Boardwalk Drive, Saco Cost: $35 Maine Development Foundation Members & Alums; $45 General Public
How can we have difficult conversations, find common ground, and resolve differences in the workplace, in community, and in our personal lives? Attend this workshop to explore how to establish common ground, build bonds, and communicate & lead with civility even in the face of difficult topics and divisive cultural forces.
Learn more and register at Maine Development Foundation’s website.
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FSC Group Certification: A Practical Overview for Land Trusts
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Tuesday, June 16, 2026 via Zoom
12:00-1:00pm
Cost: Free but registration is required
This MLTN Lunch & Learn webinar provides an overview of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast’s (PLC) FSC Forest Management group certificate and how it applies to land trusts. Participants will learn how the program works, typical costs and responsibilities, and where certification can add value—from documenting stewardship to supporting funding opportunities. The session will include perspectives from land trusts currently participating in the program and highlight the connection to the Master Logger Certification Program® and responsible harvesting practices on the ground. Time will be included for questions and discussion. Register here. A recording will be shared with all registrants afterwards.
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Maine Philanthropy Center Grant Research Tutorial
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Wednesday, June 17, 2026 via Zoom 11:00am-12:15pm
Cost: FREE
If you are new to grant research, new to Maine Philanthropy Center’s research databases, or just want to expand your research prowess, you are welcome to attend one of MPC’s monthly tutorials. These interactive virtual classes are designed to familiarize you with the landscape of foundation giving in Maine and walk you through the basics of researching high-quality prospective funders for your work. The tutorials give you a chance to learn more about MPC’s Directory of Maine Grantmakers and the Candid tools we have available as a Candid community partner.
Learn more and register here.
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Hope on a Changing Planet: Science, Democracy, Nature, and Us
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Tuesday, June 23, 2026, both online and in person 7:00pm
In-person at Schoodic Institute’s Moore Auditorium in Winter Harbor or online via Zoom
Cost: FREE though registration is required
Join Schoodic Institute as they kick off their Summer Lecture Series with this event featuring Dr. Peter Reich, University of Michigan’s Director of the Institute for Global Change Biology and most cited ecologist worldwide.
At a time of growing environmental challenges, there is also a growing need for hope. In this talk, Dr. Reich will share how much of our hope in this realm involves finding and supporting the synergies between biodiversity, climate mitigation, social justice, and economic vitality — in forests, grasslands, croplands, and the waters that surround them.
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Three Day In-Person Facilitation Workshop with Michael Rohd
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July 16-18, 2026
10:00am-5:00pm (one-hour lunch break) Viles Arboretum, Augusta
Cost: $200 (bring your own lunch/snacks)
Co-hosted by JustME for JustUS & Viles Arboretum, Augusta
If you do the work of facilitating groups and projects, of imagining possibility, you are making opportunities for connection, and you are stewarding hope. You are doing the hard work of building trust. And America in 2026 is dangerously low on trust. Harmful policies abound; public narratives don’t match and talking with strangers has never felt so fraught. This course invites you to strengthen your capacity to hold space for trust, dialogue and change. Whether you are starting out as a facilitator or have been leading conversations and group process for years, this course equips you with tools to design and shape experience, help groups productively accomplish goals, and move through difficult moments when they arise. The course is structured as six sequential three-hour workshops that focus on curiosity, deep listening, boundary setting, the transformative power of understanding context and purpose, and specific strategies for navigating the challenges your participants will encounter within themselves, and with each other.
Learn more and register at https://michaelrohd.com/summer-2026-facilitation-workshops/.
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Ensuring Sound Remote Monitoring Practices
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Saturday, July 18, 2026 via Zoom 2:00-3:30pm
Cost: $75 for LTA members, $140 for non-members
Remote monitoring is an incredibly useful tool for many conservation organizations, but if practiced incorrectly, it can become a liability. Join Naomi Brattlof, easement stewardship director at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, for a detailed look at ensuring your organization’s remote monitoring program is functioning with complete efficiency and in accordance with the best known practices.
In this interactive webinar, you will learn:
This webinar is built for stewardship practitioners working in existing remote monitoring programs. Expect to participate actively in breakout sessions to test-run lessons learned throughout the webinar.
Learn more and register at LTA’s website.
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