MLTN Infoline – May 7, 2024
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Love Maine Trails Month Hosts Needed
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The third annual Love Maine Trails Month (LMTM) will be taking place from Saturday, June 1st through Sunday, June 30th, 2024 at locations across Maine. Love Maine Trails Month needs host organizations to plan their events and list them on the website by Wednesday, May 15th. The sooner you list your event, the better they can help promote it.
LMTM hosts can be trail managers, towns, community leaders, non-profits, land trusts, ATV and snowmobile clubs, outdoor affinity groups, NEMBA chapters, trail running/run clubs, health organizations, youth groups, and more!
Need a bit more encouragement? LMTM has a handy toolkit to help you promote and plan on your end. Full details on the Love Maine Trails Month Host Info Page. If you have any questions or need additional support to host a Love Maine Trails Month event(s), email Silvia, Maine Trails Coalition Project Coordinator. Let’s help Maine trails get the love they deserve!
Angela, Jeff, and Donna
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MERIT Registration Deadline Coming Up
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MERIT is a new retirement savings program governed by the Maine Retirement Savings Board. Maine businesses and organizations with five or more employees who have been operational for two years are now required to either offer their own retirement plans or allow employees to set up accounts through this state-run program. Those who choose the latter must register with the program before the deadline to avoid penalties, including a fine for each individual employee they fail to cover without reasonable cause. Employers that offer their own plans to at least some employees must at the very least certify the organization as exempt. Those that do not offer any retirement plans must register to set up accounts for employees through MERIT. The registration deadline for employers with 15 or more employees just passed on April 30; the deadline for employers having 5 to 14 employees is coming up on June 30.
Registration, exemption, and additional information at https://meritsaves.com/. You can also check out this helpful summary of the law.
Our thanks to Rob Levin for his excellent explanation and reminder of this requirement in his recent Maine Nonprofit Law E-bulletin. Land trusts can sign up for free on his website.
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Building the New Forest Future
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Building the New Forest Future is a webinar series that amplifies stories, practices, and lessons from community development, sustainable tourism, and rural economy in the Northern Forest. It features communities and organizations that have demonstrated innovation and progress in critical sectors. The first webinar in their series has already taken place but you can watch the recording. It included a conversation with three of the seven authors of the recent report Beyond the “Illusion of Preservation” that addresses the imbalance of wood production and wood consumption in New England and encourages taking regional responsibility by protecting forests, reducing consumption, and expanding ecological forestry in New England. You can access the recording on youtube here.
The second webinar in the series, Directives from the Northern Forest Outdoor Recreation Symposium, will take place Tuesday, June 18th, from 12:00-1:30pm. The 2024 Northern Forest Outdoor Recreation Symposium gathered leaders from across the region to generate shared regional priorities and action. Join event facilitators to discover the outcomes and next steps from the symposium.
Learn more and register at Northern Forest Center’s website.
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Board’s Guide to Money
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Two Tuesdays, May 14 and 21, 2024 via Zoom
2:00-3:00pm
Cost for Individuals: $45 for MANP members*, $90 for non-members
Cost for Whole Org: $75 MANP members*, $150 for non-members This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Montana Nonprofit Association
This course is for board members who want a foundation in nonprofit finance in order to better serve their mission and fiduciary obligations. Whether you are a first-time board member or seasoned treasurer, this two-part series offers clarity and guidance for how to focus on what matters. The May 14th session will comprise an overview of nonprofit financial leadership, while the May 21st session will examine effective structures for fiscal oversight.
Learn more about this series and get the link to register on the partner website at MANP’s website here.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Making IT Governance Work for Your Nonprofit
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Wednesday, May 15, 2024 via Zoom
3:00-4:00pm
Cost: FREE
What Information Technology policies do you need? What are the best ways to create them? And how do you roll them out to all staff?
If your organization has no IT governance documents or even if you have them but they haven’t been updated in a while, join this webinar from Community IT Innovators to learn how and where to start addressing this often overlooked governance work. Don’t get caught without policies you can rely on and refer back to when situations with cyber attacks or disgruntled employees arise.
Learn more and register at Community IT’s website.
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Fundraising Strategy Reality Check
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Thursday, May 23, 2024 9:00am-4:00pm
Hilton Garden Inn, 5 Park Street, Freeport
Instructor: Andy Robinson
Limited remaining seats available!
Cost: $150 for MANP members*, $200 for non-members
Discounts for teams! $25 off each additional registration from the same organization
Scholarships available! Prior to registering, email your scholarship request to and be sure to include your name and organization.
Planning provides a guide for action, and it has been proven that fundraising works better when you have a plan — and even better if you follow it. When was the last time your fundraising plan had a refresh? This is a hands-on learning opportunity for board members, volunteers, executive directors and other staff involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of their organization’s annual fundraising plan.
This session is especially geared toward teams from the same organizations who want dedicated time to review “the way they’ve always done things,” refresh their plans and put what they learn to immediate use.
Learn more about this workshop and register on MANP’s website.
*Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check your organization’s MLTN membership status.
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Is Your Land Trust Ready to Protect Water?
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Thursday, May 23, 2024 via Zoom
2:00-3:30pm
Cost: $75 for LTA members, $115 for non-members Is your land trust ready to protect water using easements or other legal tools? Leslie Ratley Beach from the Land Trust Alliance will present key concepts and relevant legal information your land trust must understand before committing to steward either water quantity or quality in perpetuity. Practitioners will discuss how they got their board “All-Aboard” on protecting water and funding stewardship, while emphasizing the importance of strategic planning and internal communication.
Here’s a look at the topics that will be covered:
Learn more and register on LTA’s website.
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Data in Bloom: Visualizing Impact & Outcomes
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Wednesday, May 29, 2024 via Zoom
10:00-11:30am
Cost: $35 for MANP members*, $45 for non-members
This event is possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and Nonprofit New York. This dynamic and interactive session is designed to equip nonprofit professionals with the tools and insights needed to harness the power of data for maximum impact. Discover the art of collecting and curating meaningful data in your nonprofit’s journey and learn how to craft powerful stories that engage stakeholders, donors, and beneficiaries.
Key Take-Aways:
Learn more and get link to register on the partner website at MANP’s website here.
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How To Be a Great Board Chair
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Thursday, May 30, 2024 via Zoom 2:00-3:30pm
Cost: $75 for LTA members, $115 for non-members
As the senior, volunteer leader of the organization, the board chair is responsible for leading the board to fulfill its responsibilities for the oversight, thinking, and governance of your land trust and for cultivating a working partnership with your executive director. In this workshop, Cynthia Winter of Solid Ground Consulting will share what makes an A+ Board Chair and how to avoid the pitfalls that can hinder successfully executing your role. You’ll leave with helpful tools you can use at your next board meeting.
Here’s a look at what we will cover:
Learn more and register on LTA’s website.
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Three Ways to Estimate the Economic Impact of Trails and Outdoor Recreation
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Thursday, June 13, 2024 via Zoom
1:00-2:00pm
Instructor: Michele Archie, The Harbinger Consultancy
Cost: FREE, donations encouraged
A tremendous body of studies has substantiated the economic value of trails and outdoor recreation. These can be useful in helping you make your case, but it’s even more compelling to speak directly about the benefits of trails and outdoor recreation in your own community. You don’t need to hire an economist and wade through piles of complex data to understand these economic benefits. This webinar from American Trails will introduce you to three ways to use research and data to estimate the economic effects of trails and outdoor recreation, plus provide an overview of how to quantify several other types of economic benefits. These approaches can be used for all types of trails. Learn more and register at American Trails website.
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Jobs in the Conservation Sector
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Great opportunities abound! Newest postings listed here or check out the full list on our website. Planning and Research Associate I – Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
Place-based Class Teachers (2 positions) – The Community School for Place Based Education
Borestone Mountain Assistant Caretaker – Maine Audubon
Lands Planner – Appalachian Mountain Club
Administrative Assistant – United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
President/CEO – Forest Society of Maine
Program Manager – Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District
Development Coordinator – 7 Lakes Alliance
MFT/NRCS Conservation and Climate Planner – Maine Farmland Trust
Habitat Restoration Project Manager – Downeast Salmon Federation
Farm Business Planning Project Manager – Maine Farmland Trust
Climate Resilience Program Manager – Maine Farmland Trust
Multiple seasonal positions – Maine Conservation Corps
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National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program
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Applications Due: Friday, June 21, 2024 at 11:59pm
Applications are submitted by partners at the state Fish & Wildlife Service, who encourage you to be in touch with them as soon as possible to discuss your application!
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants Program annually provides grants of up to $1 million to coastal and Great Lakes states, as well as U.S. territories, to protect, restore and enhance coastal wetland ecosystems and associated uplands. The Program is funded by revenues collected from excise taxes on sport fishing equipment, electric motors and sonar, import duties on fishing tackle, yachts and pleasure craft, a portion of the gasoline tax attributable to motorboats and small engines, and interest on the fund, under the authority of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950. Eligible projects include the acquisition of real property interest in coastal lands or waters and the restoration, enhancement, or management of coastal wetlands ecosystems.
The program had more funds than applications last year, and so with that extra amount carried forward, the program anticipates $20 million available nationwide. Maximum awards are $1 million. Minimum award is $50,000.
More information is available on grants.gov.
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