MLTN Infoline – October 17, 2022
Laying the Groundwork for a Successful Legislative Session | |
| On November 8th, Maine voters will be heading to the polls to elect 186 individuals who will comprise the state’s 131st Legislature. Due to term limits and other factors, more than 40% of this year’s winners will likely be serving their first terms when they arrive in Augusta in early December. To begin the process of ensuring the next legislature is well-informed on conservation issues, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine joined together to organize gatherings with Maine Land Trust Network members in Western and Midcoast Maine. We invited candidates to learn more about the many ways conservation organizations are partnering with each other and with local businesses, municipalities, and community leaders to make Maine a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Learn more about the events here. The election is just three weeks away, but you can reach out to candidates or legislators from all parties in your region at any time of year. Invite them out to a trail or preserve and talk to them about the important work the land trust does in your community. MCHT’s Public Policy Manager Jeff Romano is always available to help you connect with the right people and craft the messages you want to share, building relationships to support conservation interests in Augusta. Together, we can lay the groundwork for a successful legislative session, | |
Funding for Wetlands | |
Each of the last 5 years, Maine has submitted two North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) Grants with the entire State as a focus area. The grants in total have ranged from $1M to $2M and so far Maine has been 100% successful in receiving funds. In recent rounds, we have asked for and received around $2M, which has funded the acquisition of 4-6 projects. A different land trust or State agency has taken the lead on each grant as the applicant. Learn more here. In early November, The Wetlands Coalition will meet to discuss the projects for the next round and develop a project slate. We now have an easy system of doing initial assessments of those projects. Projects must close after the application is submitted in February (you can be under P&S before submission). Funds will not be available until late 2023 or early 2024, so you need to be able to upfront the acquisition costs or have a patient land owner who will enter into a longer Option to Purchase. Because we contract with an experienced grant writer, the amount of work required on your part to submit the grant is relatively small. Receiving the money, like many grant programs, requires extra due diligence on your part including a Yellow Book appraisal. If you have a project that you think might qualify, read the full post here for all the details, then submit a shapefile and this form, with as much of it filled out as you can, to Marty Anderson before October 26th. If you have questions contact Betsy Ham at (207) 607-4589 or Bob DeForrest at (207) 801-4053. | |
Introduction To Land Trust Work for New Board Members | |
Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 2:00-3:15pm Cost: $70 for Alliance members, $100 for non-members You’ve joined the board of a land trust — wonderful! What’s next? What do you need to know to translate your passion for conservation into impactful participation in your new governance role? In this webinar, you’ll take a look under the hood to learn what land trusts do, how they do it and how you fit in. Connie Manes works as a consultant with the Land Trust Alliance providing education and capacity building services, in addition to her boots-on-the-ground role as an executive director of a small community land trust. Join her to learn the lingo, connect with colleagues and understand the rich diversity, responsibility and ongoing contribution of land trusts. To learn more and register, visit LTA’s website. | |
Preparing for Natural Disasters | |
Thursday, October 20, 2022 2:00-3:30pm Cost: $70 for LTA members, $100 for non-members Unprecedented climate impacts threaten the health, safety and integrity of human and natural communities across the country, and many things that people need and value will be at risk as a result. Land trusts have the potential to play an important role in alleviating aspects of this challenge, working in partnership with local or state government, using their expertise on land protection and stewardship as a resource in response. Increased focus, technical support and funding is now available for hazard mitigation planning. Join experts Earnest Cook, principle at Land and Water Associates and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to learn more about why and how land trusts can navigate and access FEMA programs. To learn more and register, visit LTA’s website. | |
Tribal Sovereignty and Wabanaki Nationhood – Past, Present, and Future | |
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 5:30-7:00pm Cost: Free Join Tribal Ambassador for the Houlton Band of Maliseets Osihkiyol (Zeke) Crofton-Macdonald to learn about the history of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine, Tribal Sovereignty from a Wabanaki perspective, the history of the Settlement Act and the State of Maine, and the ways we can work to create a better relationship together. (Zeke) Crofton-Macdonald is a Wolastoqey person from the Houlton Band of Maliseets in Maine (Metaksonikewiyik) and the Oromocto First Nation (Welamukotuk) in New Brunswick Canada. Zeke has spent his life advocating for Native rights in the United States and Canada. He is currently serving as the Tribal Ambassador for the Houlton Band of Maliseets in Maine. He serves as one of the board members for the Wabanaki Alliance and as Tribal Co-Commissioner for the Houlton Band on the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission. Portland’s Sustainability Series is co-hosted by the Portland Public Library and the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative. Sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes through time. The Portland Sustainability Series presents a diversity of speakers to share different aspects of the work moving Maine to greater endurance and sustainability. Click here for more information and link to join this webinar. | |
Climate Impacts on Water Quality | |
Tuesdays, November 1, 8, and 15, plus optional discussion on December 6 Cost: $50 for LTA members, $75 for non-members Registration Closes: Thursday, October 27, 2022 In this short course from the Land Trust Alliance, participants will examine the synergies between climate, water and land protection. We’ll walk through a strategic process to focus your efforts and explore resources that can guide and fund your work. You’ll gain practical knowledge and concrete steps to make your land and water conservation work more intentional and effective. The course includes three 90-minute interactive training sessions. Each session will build on the last and feature presentations, case studies, small-group conversations and large-group debriefings. All registrants will receive a link to the recording within a week after each session. The final session on Dec. 6 will be a 60-minute discussion for participants to share what plans your organization is developing and the progress you’ve made, and to ask questions to help guide your future progress. This session will not be recorded so you can share freely with your peers. To learn more and register, visit the LTA website. | |
Beginner Grant Seeking | |
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 10:00am-1:00pm Cost: $89 for MANP members*, $129 for non-members This event is made possible thanks to a partnership between Maine Association of Nonprofits and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Where does the grantseeking process start? How do you find funders interested in your organization and your programs? There are proven tactics for finding funders that are a good fit for your organization–and plentiful resources online–many of them free! In this three-hour live online training, we’ll discuss the best ways to begin grantseeking (which is closer than you think!) Four good places to start looking will be introduced, and we’ll work through a proven process for finding funder information, discover how to “dig deeper” into a foundation’s interests, and determine the best way for you to start capturing what you are learning about your organization and its potential funders. This training is specifically designed to help you gain important grantseeking competencies and skills related to researching, identifying, and matching funding resources to meet specific needs. Workshop participants will receive a digital copy of the Handbook for Successful Grant Writing that covers topics ranging from research and planning to a glossary of commonly used terms. The Handbook is only available to participants and is not otherwise for sale. To learn more and register for this webinar, visit MANP’s website. *Most MLTN members are MANP members. Contact Donna to check you MLTN member status. | |
Black Land Stewardship | |
Land ownership in the United States has represented a form of freedom, power, and financial security. However, not everyone has had equal access to these benefits. A history of institutional racism, biased policies and assistance programs still influence the pattern of private landownership today. To gain a better understanding of the unique experiences of Black landowners, it is important to listen to their stories in their own words. The documentation of some of these stories, as voiced in the new publication Black Land Stewardship, helps provide an opportunity for the forest conservation community to partner with Black forest owners in addressing the common challenges they face in acquiring, stewarding, and passing on land. The publication was produced through a partnership between Cornell University and UMass Amherst. To request a free paper copy, contact Paul Catanzaro. | |
Did You Know? Free Job Board for Conservation Employment Openings | |
Did you know that MLTN provides a free job board where your organization can post your open positions? It’s the most frequently viewed page on our website! So your opening will get the most exposure possible. Plus, each time we send out one of these Infoline newsletters, we share the newest additions to the job board (see the block immediately following). To submit your job opening to the MLTN job board, visit https://www.mltn.org/jobs/submit/ or go to the job board and click on the “Submit a job here” link at the top. | |
Jobs in the Conservation Sector | |
Check out the latest job postings on our jobs page. Click here to view the full list. Executive Director – Upper Saco Valley Land Trust Office Manager – Scarborough Land Trust Multiple MCC Environmental Stewards working all across the state – Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands Erickson Fields Seasonal Program Assistant – Maine Coast Heritage Trust Education Program Coordinator – Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Land Stewards – Maine Farmland Trust Community Engagement Coordinator – Great Works Regional Land Trust | |