Executive Director

Island Heritage Trust (IHT) seeks a full-time Executive Director to lead a growing non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the natural and cultural heritage of Deer Isle and surrounding islands.

The ideal candidate should have strong leadership and strategic planning skills, a passion for land conservation, and the ability to work effectively with the Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers and to serve as the public face of IHT with landowners, donors, local citizens and the broader land trust community.

Founded in 1987, Island Heritage Trust’s mission is to contribute to the well-being of the Island community by conserving its distinctive landscapes and natural resources, by maintaining public access to valued trails, shoreline and islands and by providing educational programming for all ages.  IHT owns 25 properties (totaling over 600 acres), holds conservation easements on 37 properties (covering more than 850 acres), and co-manages with The Nature Conservancy and the State of Maine three conservation properties totaling nearly 300 acres.

The Executive Director is responsible for the day-to-day management of IHT under the supervision of the Board of Trustees and is an ex officio member of the Board.  The organization is currently staffed by a Development Director, a Land Steward, an Environmental Educator, a Volunteer Coordinator and Office Manager, a Bookkeeper and a Seasonal Stewardship Assistant. Major organizational functions are overseen by volunteer committees, including a Stewardship Committee, Land Committee, Finance Committee, Development Committee and Program Committee.  Dozens of other volunteers help maintain trails, run our Nature Shop, help out in the office and participate in our other programs.  IHT is a membership nonprofit with more than 700 Members.

The Executive Director’s responsibilities encompass the following:

Leadership and Strategy

• Work with the Board of Trustees to develop and implement strategies to carry out IHT’s mission
• Lead program development and execution
• Guide satisfaction of LTA accreditation requirements and compliance with LTA standards
• Help devise strategies to improve IHT’s financial position
• Recruit, train, supervise, evaluate and inspire staff
• Promote active participation by volunteers in IHT’s programs and activities
• Expand IHT’s community outreach
• Represent IHT in its work with the public, donors and the land trust community

Land Conservation

• Oversee the implementation of IHT’s land conservation programs
• Evaluate and negotiate conservation easements and fee property acquisitions
• Supervise the work of the Land Steward and oversee stewardship of conservation properties
• Interact with property owners
• Recommend responses to easement amendments and violations
• Remain up-to-date on issues and trends in the land trust community

Community Relations

• Develop and oversee public relations activities and relations with landowners, members, community leaders and other organizations
• Disseminate information to the public on land conservation and on IHT, its programs and its projects
• Oversee the work of the Environmental Educator in developing and implementing educational programs for the schools and public
• Oversee the maintenance and updating of the IHT website, its Facebook page and its other social media feeds

Development

• Oversee the development and implementation of land program, operating and capital campaign fundraising activities
• Supervise the work of the Development Director
• Identify and pursue grants and other funding sources
• Promote an active membership recruitment program

Budgeting and Accounting

• Work with the Treasurer, the Finance Committee and other committees to prepare the annual budget
• Manage expenditures in compliance with the annual budget
• Ensure that restricted funds are expended solely in accordance with the donor’s instructions
• Work with IHT’s accountant to prepare its Form 990 and annual financial statements
• Oversee the work of the Bookkeeper in all of the Bookkeeper’s functions, including ensuring that IHT bills are paid in a timely fashion and that appropriate filings are made with respect to donations
• Ensure that all insurance policies, documentation relating to IHT’s charitable status, IHT’s annual reports, tax filings and PILOT contributions are up-to-date and made in a timely fashion

Administration

• Communicate regularly with the Board of Trustees and committees to maintain a consistent flow of information both inside and outside the organization
• Prepare and circulate to Trustees documentation for each Board meeting
• Attend Board meetings and Committee meetings as required
• Maintain Board records and files of all Board minutes, agendas, and related documentation
• Help prepare and organize materials and training for new and existing Board members
• Supervise the work of the Volunteer Coordinator and Office Manager and other staff
• Plan for, and allocate resources to meet, organizational and transactional deadlines
• Keep current with relevant employment and tax laws and practices
• Review and recommend to the Board appropriate changes to organizational structure and personnel policies
• Manage IHT facilities
• Maintain and secure membership lists, donation records and other IHT records in an orderly and accessible manner

Minimum Qualifications

To apply for this position: Send cover letter and résumé to Chair, chair@islandheritagetrust.org or to Island Heritage Trust, P.O. Box 42, Deer Isle, ME 04627. Deadline for application: September 1, 2020.

Upwest & Downeast: Meandering the Maine Coast by Sea Kayak

Co-hosted Webinar Series with Blue Hill Heritage Trust

REGISTRATION INFO

Register online HERE or in person, Friday, May 15, (4:30-6:30 PM) at Island Heritage Trust (IHT) and take a look at the Festival Art Exhibit in the barn, 420 Sunset Rd., Deer Isle.

Questions? Contact IHT at 207-348-2455 or jmccarty@islandheritagetrust.org
Registration is $35 and includes entry to all activities, except where fees are noted. Limited seating available for ticketed dinner on Saturday evening. Registration packets include: bird list, nature preserve info, maps, Island Guide, local coupons, the coveted WWW cap or reusable tote bag, and helps support next year’s event. For boat trips allow plenty of time for parking and boarding, and dress warmly! For bad weather notices and program info/updates call IHT at 207-348-2455 or check the Wings, Waves & Woods Facebook page.

Want to come to just one or two activities? No problem–just show up! Suggested donation of $5 per event.

Full schedule and description HERE.

This program is postponed until further notice! A heartfelt thank you to those who donated to this program. We will be working with the Isle au Haut school to hold this program once it is safe to gather together again and share the puffin trip experience with the students.

Original Press Release Below:

“Nearly 50 years ago a young ornithology instructor named Stephen Kress set out to right an environmental wrong—the near-extinction of Atlantic Puffins from Maine’s off-shore islands—by painstakingly translocating and rearing nearly 1,000 baby puffins.  Today Audubon’s Project Puffin (puffinproject.audubon.org) based in Rockland, Maine, has broadened to include other seabirds and countless advocacy and education efforts.

Also, facing extinction on Maine’s islands is the one-room island schoolhouse.  Not on Isle au Haut!  Nearly 6 miles off Stonington this island’s half dozen K-6 grade students are thriving, and very concerned about the effects of climate change on seabirds, puffins in particular.  This fall they raised $600 (!) by making crafts to sell before Christmas, so that they could each “adopt” a puffin and help do their part to support the work of Project Puffin.

At Deer Isle’s annual birding festival, the boat trip to Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge (prime location for nesting pelagics, including puffins) is the most popular event of the weekend.  Guided by Bob Duchesne, the 5-hour trip guarantees a good look at lots of puffins and the probability of seeing half a dozen other seabirds that are not typically visible from the mainland. This year, we are inviting these kids to join us!  What fun to share in the excitement of birding and learn about these amazing creatures together.

We are looking for donations to help purchase boat tickets for four bright, enthusiastic Isle au Haut students (Grade 3-6), their parents and a teacher.  They are thrilled for the chance to take a trip out to the island where “their” puffins may be breeding and nesting.  Please adopt a puffin adopter, and foster a new generation of birding conservationists, by making a donation towards their trip to Seal Island! Any amount we raise beyond the funding needed for this event will go towards future educational opportunities for students. Please reach out with any questions!”

Thank you again, to all those who funded this program, and will make this wonderful opportunity possible!

Have you noticed fewer birds at your feeder? Are numbers of common eiders really down or have bald eagles increased?  You are invited to participate in the Deer Isle Christmas Bird Count, which takes place on Saturday, Dec. 28. The count is part of the 120th Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Data from thousands of counts throughout the hemisphere are collated in a database used to assess the health of bird populations and their environment.

The local count, organized by the Downeast Audubon Chapter and Island Heritage Trust, is conducted on a circle 15 miles in diameter centered on the Monument at the intersection of Quacco Rd and Route 15. A dozen teams cover Deer Isle and parts of Blue Hill, Sedgwick, and Brooksville. Regardless of age or experience, interested persons are invited to join one of the teams of observers, and anyone with a bird feeder may submit a feeder count made from the comfort of their home For detailed instructions for the feeder count or if you would like to join a team in the field, for Deer Isle contact Ken Crowell at kennethlcrowell@gmail.com (348-6065, 7:00-9:00 AM. 4:00-7:00 PM.