City of Ellsworth

Location: Ellsworth, ME

Housing: Not provided, possible stipend

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Host Site and Position Overview:

As a municipal government, the city is the agent and servant of the citizens of Ellsworth with a legal mandate to govern for the betterment of the city. It is the shiretown and major service center for Hancock County.  As one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Maine over the past decade and a major crossroads for tourism as well as an attractive retirement community, Ellsworth offers year-round amenities, especially for those interested in outdoor activities.  Although substantial development in Ellsworth's urban core has resulted in a lack of adequate tree canopy, Ellsworth is the largest city by land area in the state of Maine and is therefore blessed with large tracts of forested and conserved land (some managed by the City), a substantial network of trails for summer and winter activities and 4 large lakes with excellent recreational opportunities. It is also 20 minutes from the heart of Acadia National Park with its world class natural assets. One of the reasons for the project that the CTS will work on is that the City's goal is to bring its urban core more in line with the enviable tree canopy elsewhere within city boundaries.

The purpose of this CTS is to support the development of a strong urban forestry program for the City of Ellsworth with the immediate goal of laying the groundwork for the successful completion of and ongoing care for our first major planting project since the appointment of our Arbor Commission in August 2023. 

Key objectives will be 1) strong engagement of and communication with residents in the planting area as well as other Ellsworth citizens, 2) preparatory assessment and work towards a major fall 2025 planting, 3) organizing training of staff and volunteers for long-term care and planting of our urban forest, 4) engagement in the Arbor Commission's initiatives in establishing a long-term forestry management program in Ellsworth and 5) satisfy the standard requirements of all MCC and AmeriCorps positions. 

Website: https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/

City of Portland

Location: Portland, ME

Housing: Not provided, possible stipend

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Host Site and Position Overview:

The City of Portland Parks, Recreation, and Facilities (PRF) Department manages a parks system of over 65 parks and playgrounds, 7.5 miles of multi-use trails, 11 community gardens, 2 stadiums, 16 cemeteries, and dozens of athletic fields and courts, all spread across 1,000+ acres of land. The mission of the PRF Department is to enhance the quality of life through people, parks and programming while creating lasting memories for the citizens of Portland and its visitors.

The CTS under the supervision of the Parks GIS technician will update the tree inventory. Additionally, the CTS will serve as a technical resource for City personnel and members of the general public to raise the baseline understanding of tree biology and considerations for tree health within the urban environment. The CTS will gain experience in mitigating the range of tree and vegetation concerns that occur in city planning, maintenance, and day-to-day operations.

Website: https://www.portlandmaine.gov/

Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District

Location: South Paris, ME

Housing: Not provided, member is responsible for finding and paying for their own housing

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Host Site and Position Overview:

Oxford County SWCD provides technical assistance, outreach and education about many natural resource conservation areas and topics. We are an independent agency of the State of Maine, funded in part by the State and Oxford County. The mission of the Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District is to provide leadership, education and technical assistance in the management and conservation of agricultural and natural resources by integrating and disseminating local, state and federal resources.

The CTS will be an integral member of the Oxford County SWCD team in implementing and promoting all of the District’s Forestry Conservation activities, with special emphasis on the Agroforestry and Climate Change Resiliency Demonstration Project. The goal of the project is to help the forestland owners, students and the general public understand the role healthy and diverse forests play in battling Climate Change. The objective is to promote forest health through by helping demonstrate new forest conservation practices related to agroforestry, timber stand improvement, soil health and Invasive Forest Pest Management. The CTS’s activities will help us achieve the goals and objectives of this project by engaging the community and students, promoting the objectives of the project and providing outreach and education opportunities throughout the Oxford County Community.

Overall Goal: The CTS will assist the Oxford County SWCD in implementation, educational programming, outreach, and promotion of its Forestry Conservation programming including project work at Tenmile River Demonstration Forest, the Native Plant Sale, and Invasive Forest Pest technical assistance.

Website: https://oxfordcountyswcd.org/about-us/ 

ReTreeUS Lewiston/Auburn

Location: Lewiston, ME

Housing: Stipend provided, member is responsible for finding and covering and difference in cost

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Host Site and Position Overview:

ReTreeUS is a nonprofit program of United Charitable (501c3) with the mission of “promoting an environmentally sustainable, socially just food system through education, practical resources and mentorship.” We plant orchards in schools and with partner organizations in order to feed and empower generations of healthy environmental stewards. We seek to create equitable access to nutritious food by equipping youth with the knowledge and resources necessary to grow food.

By planting educational orchards with students and food forests with community organizations, we are creating positive change in the food system that benefits the environment.

This project empowers people to grow & harvest their own food and contribute to their community. It helps connect them with tools & ideas that inspire work in healthy food production. This project increases fruit & nut production at school and community orchards, providing more access to food for the public, cafeterias & food pantries. The service member will increase capacity by providing more direct, on-the-ground stewardship visits to our educational orchards.  

Several school and community orchards in Lewiston-Auburn are in need of on-going maintenance and community engagement. The community involvement varies per orchard. For example, at schools we coordinate with teachers to manage maintenance and lessons and with community orchards we work with community partners to manage the orchards and to create educational opportunities

Website: https://www.retree.us/

Somerset Woods Trustees

Location: Skowhegan, ME

Housing: discounted housing Jan-April, free housing May-November

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Host Site and Position Overview:

Somerset Woods Trustees is a nonprofit land trust founded in 1927 with a mission to conserve lands with ecological and cultural significance and manage them for public good. We manage a portfolio of more than 3,000 acres of wild and working lands in southern Somerset County for biodiversity, climate resiliency, and community benefit. Our diverse holdings range from a rare orchid preserve to an ADA-compliant riverwalk, a 650-acre woodland reserve to a community picnic area on the banks of the Kennebec. In 2024, we added to our program list Somerset Woods Share, a firewood bank providing emergency heating assistance to community members in need, with firewood sourced from our conserved lands.

A Community Tree Steward (CTS) at Somerset Woods will dramatically increase our capacity and help advance our woodland stewardship goals guided by our strategic framework of conservation, community, and climate resilience. The CTS will increase our property knowledge, build systems to support program growth, and increase community engagement in tree care.

The CTS will collaborate with Somerset Woods to promote and enhance forest health on conservation lands and increase community engagement and volunteerism in support of urban and community trees. The CTS will use their forestry background and education to engage the community in learning about what trees provide and need, and deliver much-needed care and stewardship of trees in our community.

Projects will include:

• Continued development of a wood bank sourced from management activities in urban woodlands
• Development of a volunteer program focused on black ash conservation
• The planting and care of community trees, including a native tree restoration project at a high-visitation community picnic area
• Protection of forest health and biodiversity through invasive species control

Website: https://www.somersetwoodstrustees.org/

Washington Academy

Location: East Machias, ME

Housing: Provided

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Host Site and Position Overview:

Washington Academy (WA) is a semi-private non-profit secondary school in Washington County, Maine that is composed of approximately 340 students from all across Washington County including both of the Passamaquoddy Reservations. Individuals of all academic abilities – students requiring special services, students whose English is their second, or even third language, those that aspire to post-secondary, and those that want to study the trades– can be found thriving at Washington Academy. The mission statement speaks of curiosity, innovation, and community engagement, which are three of the most important aspects of the culture of the Academy. The passion for learning, ignited by our teachers, and supported by our caring and nurturing of the individual, make Washington Academy a warm and welcoming educational home.

The CTS will develop and launch a small conservation horticulture and educational tree nursery to furnish native species for river restoration projects throughout Washington County.  This nursery will engage WA students in studying and caring for these trees and the nursery infrastructure.  This nursery is part of a statewide network of community tree nurseries led by Maine Audubon and its partners.

This project addresses the shortage of native trees available to city and conservation arboriculture efforts.  With funding and other support from Project Canopy, Maine Audubon seeks to use its robust community engagement mechanisms to establish and sustain these nurseries.  This CTS will bridge the need for trees and plants in local landscape restoration with WA’s need to engage their students in authentic experience and solutions.

The CTS will focus the initial month on collaborating with partners, school staff, and classes to restore the hoop house and nursery infrastructure on campus.  When that is complete, the CTS will facilitate the growing of the first batch of tree seedlings/saplings, while also connecting with teachers and partners to engage students.  During the summer, the CTS will care for the trees and support education and engagement activities which Maine Audubon will coordinate with WA and the surrounding communities.  By fall, we should have robust classroom engagement and planting fieldwork for the CTS to help support and coordinate.

Website: https://www.washingtonacademy.org/