Maine Forest Collaborative Mid-September Newsletter
- Rural Aspirations
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
Students and teachers are preparing for their first cohort days where they will be presenting their Map of Place about their communities!
In the News
Northern Forest Center's Gehring House in Bethel Featured in Video
Healthy forests and thriving communities go hand in hand. The latest wood innovation video from Forest Proud features the Center’s wood-first approach to renovating the Gehring House and shows how using innovative wood products can strengthen local economies, create sustainable housing solutions, and connect people to the benefits of forests. ->>> Full video
Cutting a new trail for Maine's next generation of loggers
Timber harvesters and haulers are the backbone of Maine’s $8 billion forest products industry. But the most forested state in the country is losing loggers, fast.
Spreading sand to save a salt marsh
In the first project of its kind in Maine, researchers are using dredged materials to help a marsh in Wells better withstand sea level rise and protect endangered birds.
Engagement Opportunities
Building the New Forest Future webinar on Federal Forest Policy: Impacts on the Northern Forest.
Please visit our website where we have posted the recording. We joined regional forest policy advocates and liaisons for a panel discussion on federal forest policy as it currently stands and its impacts for forest management, land conservation, on-the-ground research, forest-based economy, and more. Our panelists walked us through various “levers for change” including:
Executive branch actions including executive orders, trade policy, administrative actions
Budget and fiscal policy legislation including the One Big Beautiful Bill
President’s discretionary budget proposal
Annual appropriations
Stand-alone legislation
Scientist To Go
Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Scientist To Go series is starting up again. We hope your school year has gotten off to a great start and are excited to bring a whole new group of scientists to your students.
October 9th at 10-10:45 AM with Valerie Eddington. Valerie is a researcher and PhD candidate at the University of New Hampshire, who will be discussing how she researches bat and bird populations using their sounds, a scientific field called bioacoustics. Click here to register.
November 18th at 1-1:45 PM with Sam Bengs. Sam is a research associate in the Fisheries Ecology Lab here at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Her research is centered on using environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to assess fish and plankton populations in the Gulf of Maine. Click here to register.
Scientist To Go is intended for grades 4-12, but anyone and everyone is welcome to join! During the program students will meet with a scientist live over Zoom to learn a little bit more about their research and what got them to where they are today. These 45-minute sessions start with a 20-25 minute presentation, then around 15-20 minutes of Q&A with students.
We hope these presentations will expose students to a diverse group of scientists and science career paths, including both formal and informal science, and let them see science in ways that they may not get to do in a traditional classroom setting.
Funding Opportunities
MEEA Outdoor Education Mini Grants
Up to $1,500 to fund your school’s outdoor learning environmental education, and Wabanaki studies projects! Applications open today! Apply by October 17th.
NRCM Sustainability Grants
NRCM is offering grants of up to $2,000 for schools organized nonprofit committees, municipalities, and community libraries to help them reach their sustainability goals.
The Sustainability Grant Program encourages communities to adopt innovative, practical, and effective measures to reduce waste. This grant program helps schools, municipalities, and other nonprofit entities share the tools, knowledge, and skills to prevent waste at the source, and divert valuable resources from the landfill.
Deadlines: December 5th Learn more and apply here!
For Teachers
Wabanaki Studies PD
Wabanaki Studies professional development opportunity - Bri and Kaya Lolar and the team of Wabanaki advisors have created: a series of micro- courses for building knowledge and confidence teaching Wabanaki Studies. The courses are designed to be done independently and we will gather virtually and in person this fall to debrief, meet other educators and work towards implementation. Topics you will learn about include:
Understanding Wabanaki Studies Legislation and Its Significance
Identifying Gaps and Challenges in Current Implementation
Understanding Your Place in the Wabanaki Studies Journey
Best Practices in Teaching Wabanaki Studies
Advocating for and Sustaining Wabanaki Studies in Schools
Who Are Wabanaki?
History of Dawnland
Wabanaki Worldview: Understanding The Implications & Importance of Relationships
The registration link is here. There will be an introductory meeting (virtual, same content on both dates) happening on 10/2. I hope to see you there!
Rural Thrive "What I Need (WIN)" Funds
We know that rural teachers are talented professionals who often face barriers to getting the support they need to access continuing education: Fewer local professional development offerings, insufficient district funding, lack of substitute teacher availability, transportation costs, and trainings that are poorly aligned with rural school or community needs.
To address this, the Rural Thrive project is making a pool of funds available to support rural teachers in accessing what they need to support their longevity, resilience and growth in the profession of teaching using a responsive low-barrier grant disbursement model. Up to $2500 are available per teacher. Apply here!
Northern Woodlands Magazine Free for Teachers!
The Northern Woodlands Goes to School (NWGTS) program connects classroom teachers and homeschools in the K-12 setting with free subscriptions to Northern Woodlands magazine. (Digital Edition Collection access included.)Sign up here to get the print and digital version!
Preserving Ash, Protecting Traditions
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 am-4:00 pm@ Wildlands, Half Mile Field, Don Fish Road, OrlandAn event focused on learning effective strategies to preserve ash and its unique cultural and ecological value, featuring expert talks and live Wabanaki basketmaking demos.Registration and more info at greatpondtrust.org
Other Upcoming Events
Check APCAW's events page for more details
August 26th: Downeast Audubon presents Collective Strategies for Ash Tree Resilience in the Face Of Emerald Ash Borer, 7pm-8:30pm, @Moore Community Center (Ellsworth, ME). Learn more here.
September 11th: Maine’s Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry presents: Emerald Ash Borer Update for Cities and Towns, 9:30am-12pm @ Belfast City Boathouse (Belfast, ME). Register here.
September 16th: Oxford County Ash Seed Collection Training with Tyler Everett and Ella McDonald, 4-6 pm @Classroom at Robert's Farm of Western Foothills Land Trust (Norway, ME). Learn more and register here. Flier attached - share widely!
September 20th: APCAW will present at the Common Ground fair, 10am @Low Impact Forestry Tent (Unity, ME). Fair information here.
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