Quick Links: January 2005 Network Finishes Regional Development Plan Network Requests for State Agencies Hot Grant Opportunity Join the Network Interested in joining the Network? It's quick, easy, and free. Just fill out the form on our website to sign up now. Who's Involved The Network has now moved into the transition phase of our activities. To see who has been involved since the beginning view the list of Network Steering Committee Members. To learn More Contact the Network's Coordinating Agency Mountain Counties Heritage P.O. Box 508 Farmington ME 04938 (207) 778-3885 Email: info@mainemountains.org Web: www.mainemountains.org Not sure why you received our eNewsletter? We sent this electronic mailing to people who have an existing relationship with us and also to people whom we think the information will be of interest. We DON'T share your information with anyone - view our Privacy Policy. January 2005 Celebrating Maine's Mountain Heritage Fifth Edition... NETWORK UPDATE: Network Finishes Regional Development Plan In October, 2004, the Maine Mountain Heritage Network put forward a final draft of its heritage-based regional development plan. Work on the plan began in 2001 and has involved extensive information collecting and analysis.... READ MORE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NETWORK UPDATE: State Agencies Presented with Network Requests for Support The planning efforts of the Maine Mountain Heritage Network were supported in part by a consortium of state agencies calling itself the Maine Interagency Arts and Heritage Tourism Partnership. Participating agencies included... READ MORE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOT GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Green Community Technologies Request for Proposals Yellow Wood Associates is seeking municipal partners, including local governments and school districts, to participate in the second phase of our Green Community Technologies (GCT) service... READ MORE Welcome to the January 2005 Edition of Network News! Happy New Year to all! After a several-month hiatus, Network News is back to inform you about what's happening with the Maine Mountain Heritage Network. This newsletter is filled with updates and articles about what is happening in the Maine Mountain Heritage Area. If you want to learn more about the Network visit our website at www.mainemountains.org, or call the Network's coordinating agency, Mountain Counties Heritage, at (207) 778-3885. We welcome your story ideas! Email us at info@mainemountains.org. NETWORK UPDATE: Network Finishes Regional Development Plan In October, 2004, the Maine Mountain Heritage Network put forward a final draft of its heritage-based regional development plan. Work on the plan began in 2001 and has involved extensive information collecting and analysis and consultation with many people and organizations across the region. The plan lays out a vision for Maine's mountain region and suggests several interrelated strategies for achieving that vision. The strategies involve finding new ways to use the region's natural, historical, and cultural resources to meet emerging market opportunities. It also involves using heritage themes and a regional brand to market products across sectors. The plan adopts the "heritage area" model which has been used successfully in other parts of the country to organize development and marketing activities of the kind we are proposing for our region. To see a summary of the Network's plan, go to the Network's website at http://www.mainemountains.org/network/plans/introduction.htm. The plan includes descriptions of four major programs now being launched by the Network. These are Knowledge Power, Land and Waters, Village Works, and Mountain Made. Program descriptions include information about current and proposed activities, actual or potential partners and funding sources. Within each program area, the Network will advocate for support of local projects. To get an idea of the kinds of projects we will support, please see sample "local projects" on the web site. (We will be collecting additional information on local projects that fit within our program parameters, so if you would like to tell us about projects in your area, please do so. Send project info to Bruce Hazard at bhazard@mainemountains.org. ) Having completed its planning phase, the Network is moving to implementation. This transition is being accomplished through a "transition workshop" in which steering committee members, state agency representatives and others are being invited to consider ways in which action on the plan can best be organized and supported. This workshop is being facilitated by Tom Gross of the Genesis Consulting Group and Warren Cook of WCC Associates. When the workshop is complete (January 26) the group will put in place an implementation structure and process to move the plan forward. Information about this workshop can be found on the Network's website. Photo Above: Anne Ball of the Maine Office of Tourism speaking at the Network's Dec. 6th Transition workshop. By Nancy Marshall of Nancy Marshall Communications. NETWORK UPDATE: State Agencies Presented with Network Requests for Support The planning efforts of the Maine Mountain Heritage Network were supported in part by a consortium of state agencies calling itself the Maine Interagency Arts and Heritage Tourism Partnership. Participating agencies included the Maine Arts Commission, Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine Department of Conservation, Maine Department of Transportation, Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Maine Humanities Council, and the Maine State Planning Office. As a part its contract with the Network, the Interagency Partnership requested specific recommendations as to how these agencies might best support the kind of heritage-based development the Network was proposing. Responding to this request, the Network has forwarded to each agency its plan along with a list of specific recommendations for assistance in implementation. For a summary of state agency requests, please go to http://www.mainemountains.org. HOT GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Green Community Technologies Request for Proposals The quality of life in communities depends, to a significant extent, on the quality of municipal infrastructure. Is the drinking water clean and available? Are the roads well maintained? Is there enough sewage capacity to accommodate desired development? Is run-off into streams hurting the tourism businesses (fishing)? How sustainable are these systems, and how much are they costing the taxpayers? Call for Phase 2 Partner Communities: Improving Decision-Making for Sustainable Infrastructure Becoming a Partner Community: Yellow Wood Associates is seeking municipal partners, including local governments and school districts, to participate in the second phase of our Green Community Technologies (GCT) service. The five communities selected as Phase 2 partners will receive up to fifty percent of the cost of the Green Community Technologies service for free, as well as some financial support for a local coordinator to help gather information we will need. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, please visit the Maine Mountain Heritage Area Website's listing of Hot Grants. By the way, we have other hot grant opportunities listed on our website, be sure to check them out!

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