TNCMaine_Summer26 - Flipbook - Page 9
The Maine State House in Augusta as viewed from
a park conserved through the Land for Maine’s
Future program. © Matt Didisheim
2018: Convening a bipartisan Conservation Task Force to
revitalize LMF and identify other ways to strengthen future land
conservation activities in Maine.
2019: Collaborating with the Conservation Task Force to release
two dozen recommendations, including renewed state
commitment to LMF.
More recently, the partnership has worked closely with Governor
Mills and legislators from both sides of the aisle:
2021: Approving a $40 million LMF appropriation—the 昀椀rst new
funding for the program in nine years.
2023: Creating the LMF Trust Fund, which has generated more
than $3 million (and growing) in investment income in less than
three years.
2026: Enacting dedicated, ongoing funding, ensuring longterm
program stability.
Rather than turning to another bond issue and adding to the state’s
debt service or looking to the General Fund, the new funding
mechanism directs 25 percent of the investment income from the
state’s Budget Stabilization Fund into the LMF Trust Fund each month.
This not only provides more longterm stability for the program, but
does so in a more 昀椀scally sound way for Maine taxpayers.
The new funding mechanism also aligns with the state’s four-year
climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, which identi昀椀es securing
ongoing LMF funding as a key priority. Because conservation
projects take time—in some cases, months to years—the
consistency and availability of LMF funding enables many
landowners and community members the 昀氀exibility to conserve
their properties when the time is right for them.
Looking Ahead
This legislative win honors the program’s long line of successes
while better positioning communities around the state to meet the
conservation challenges of the next generation—protecting
drinking water, supporting natural resource–based industries and
working lands, strengthening climate resilience, and ensuring that
every Mainer has access to the outdoors, with a focus on locations
close to where they live.
TNC, MCHT and SAM will continue working with partners,
lawmakers and people in Maine to ensure that LMF remains a
powerful tool for protecting the places that de昀椀ne the state. Stay
tuned for opportunities to learn more about and celebrate LMF
during its 40th anniversary in 2027!
Maine Roots | Summer 2026 | 9
