Conservation Public Listening Sessions

On October 16^th and 18^th, MFT staff, Board members, and supporters spoke out about the importance of farmland protection in Maine at public listening sessions held in Portland and Bangor. The listening sessions were organized by the Task Force to Shape the Next Generation of Maine Land Conservation, which is a group of twenty diverse individuals and organizations that was formed to evaluate land conservation efforts in Maine and make related policy and programmatic recommendations. During the discussion, important points were raised about the threat to farmland from development pressure and succession issues, the importance of farmland protection to support the agricultural economy in Maine, and the need for increased funding for and administrative changes to the Land for Maine’s Future Program to make the Program work better for farmland protection. The Task Force is in the process of developing a set of findings and recommendations that can serve as a blueprint for future land conservation initiatives.

If you were not able to attend one of the public listening sessions, you can still share your thoughts HERE.