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August 2025
In this Issue:
 The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the University of Maine Climate Science Information Exchange will host the OUR SHORE Outreach Workshop & Practitioner Roundtable on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the University of Maine’s Wells Conference Center in Orono.
This full-day event will bring together contractors, engineers, landscapers, municipal officials, and community leaders to explore Nature-Based Solutions for inland and coastal shoreline erosion. Participants will learn how to apply living shoreline designs—using native plants and natural materials—to protect property, restore habitats, and improve water quality.
Highlights include training on the OUR SHORE Guide, updates on streamlined permitting, advanced certification opportunities, and interactive sessions with experts in geology, fish & wildlife, engineering, and plant selection.
📅 Date: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 📍 Location: University of Maine, Wells Conference Center – Orono 🕗 Time: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM (registration at 8:00 AM) 💻 Format: In-person.
Additional details are forthcoming.
Register for the OUR SHORE Workshop
 Many Erosion Control Certifications will be expiring for individuals at the end of December, and continuing education hours are required to keep your certification current. You don’t have to wait until expiration to take classes, so even if you expire in 2026, you can still get recertification credits.
As we approach the end of the year, we encourage certified individuals to check their certification expirations and contact information for accuracy. You can check your certification status here: NPS Training Center - Certified Contractor List, Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Please send any updates to NPSTraining.DEP@maine.gov.
The NPSTC will be offering in-person trainings statewide this fall and winter, with more being added in other locations over time. For anyone recertifying, we highly encourage taking classes you have not yet attended (instead of attending the introductory class again). We partner with towns and nonprofits to offer these trainings across the state, so reach out if you’d like to assist in setting up a training in your area.
For those needing recertification continuing education credit hours, here are a few options:
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Jordan Kimball joins Maine’s DEP as the Non-Point Source Training Center’s Assistant Coordinator to help scale-up the Center’s erosion and sediment control and shoreline restoration extension work. Jordan’s career has focused on forest resources management and conservation. He’ll promote the impactful work of the NPSTC and its stakeholders from across Maine through the provision of more trainings in more places, amplifying success stories and their application so that homeowners, municipalities, contractors, and natural resource managers can further unlock the vast potential of nature-based solutions and their integration with traditional erosion control technologies and practices. In addition, Jordan will foster partnerships with the talented and dedicated individuals and organizations throughout Maine to establish new shoreline restoration demonstration sites, highlight well-managed existing sites, and mobilize resources to help the region’s ecosystems and economies be as resilient as possible considering more frequent extreme weather events and intense development pressures. |
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