South Portland Land Trust members and members of the public are invited to attend the organization’s in-person annual meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at Lincoln & Main Electric Bike Cafe and Wine located at 93 Main St. in South Portland.

The annual meeting is an opportunity for members of the public to learn more about the land trust’s mission and accomplishments from the past year, including the opening of the Clark’s Pond Trail Extension and receiving one of Maine Trails Coalition’s Love Maine Trails Month awards for its efforts on the project.

South Portland Land Trust will also share upcoming goals and events, thank their volunteers, and make board nominations.

This year’s speaker is David Kunhardt from the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy climate change organization focused on national policies to address climate change. Kunhardt will introduce attendees to the organization’s climate advocacy work and speak about the need for local and national/international climate efforts.

He has worked to form community development partnerships for over 20 years — in government, nonprofit and for-profit settings — from Washington, D.C., to Boston to San Francisco, including a decade as senior VP of Transamerica Realty.

In 2007, Kunhardt began to address climate change, and shifted to the finance of solar energy. In 2020, he retired as a co-founder and CEO of SolEd Benefit Corp., which arranged solar partnerships for schools and cities to save them money as they committed to clean energy. He has volunteered for Citizens’ Climate Lobby since 2013, including the Portland Maine chapter, and the Maine chapter of the Foundation for Climate Restoration.

For more information on Citizens’ Climate Lobby, visit www.citizensclimatelobby.org.

The land trust requests RSVPs for the annual meeting at www.southportlandlandtrust.org/upcoming-events.

Millett named 2023 Maternal and Child Health Fellow

Representative Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth, has been named a 2023 Maternal and Child Health Fellow, a program by the National Conference of State Legislatures that supports state legislative leaders in child and maternal health policy from across the country.

Millett, a longtime member of the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, will engage with other legislative leaders and policy experts, build knowledge about new research and work to identify steps for immediate action in Maine.

“For more than 15 years, I have worked on education policy and legislation that impacts Maine children and young adults,” said Millett in a Jan. 10 news release. “Throughout that time, it has been abundantly clear that a child’s health and well-being is a critical foundation for their future success. We know child and maternal health outcomes ripple throughout families, communities and statewide economies. There is nothing more important for us as policymakers and citizens than to make sure young children and their parents have access to the care and support they need.”

The yearlong fellowship covers intersections with the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Program, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as legislative trends, research and cost-effective strategies. Each cohort comprises of roughly 20 to 25 legislators and staff. Millett was selected for the 2023 cohort from a record pool of applicants.

Millett is serving her second term in the Maine House and previously served eight years in the Maine Senate. In addition to serving on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, she is a member of the budget-writing Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. She is also the founder and co-chair of the Legislature’s Children’s Caucus.

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization serving legislators and legislative staff in America’s 50 states and territories. The organization creates opportunities for lawmakers and staff to share knowledge and ideas, allowing policymakers to make sound decisions to address the concerns of their constituents.

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