📝 E-Newsletter from Representative John Andrews

February is 2-1-1 Month

With hundreds of hotlines and helplines and thousands of programs offering all types of services to help people lead healthy, independent lives, it can be overwhelming to try and find the right phone number or service for you. You are not alone. Every day, thousands of people across Maine turn to 211.

211 is a free, confidential information and referral service that connects people of all ages across Maine to local services. 211 Maine is based in Maine and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our Specialists are trained and friendly; they know we all need help sometimes.

You can reach 211 via phone, text, email, or by searching our online database.

211 is known as the resource where people go when they don’t know where else to go.

Whether it’s financial assistance, domestic violence, addiction treatment, health care, mental health, or heating and utilities assistance, we will talk to you to find out what you need and walk you through all the options to find the right service or program for you.

Since 2006, 211 Maine has been a statewide service. 211 Maine began as part of the national 211 movement designed to centralize and streamline access to health and human service information and resources with an easy-to-remember universal number and website for non-emergency help.

211 Maine is a collaborative effort of the United Ways of Maine, the State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and The Opportunity Alliance as the Contact Center Partner.

Together, we ensure people in Maine have access to the information they need to stay safe and healthy.

211 Maine is completely confidential

Maine Senior FarmShare Program now accepting applications from farms for 2020

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's (DACF) Division of Agricultural Resource Development (ARD) today announced that the application period for new farms is now open for the 2020 Maine Senior FarmShare Program. Applications, including the full details for new farms and eligibility criteria, are available on the ARD website.

New for 2020, the Maine Senior FarmShare Program is welcoming more farms from throughout the state. Also, the USDA provided additional funding for 2020 that will help increase the number of participating farms from across Maine.

The Maine Senior FarmShare Program is administered by ARD and funded by the USDAs Food and Nutrition Service Program. Following the Community Supported Agriculture model, a Senior FarmShare is an agreement between a participating farmer and a qualified senior for $50 of fresh produce.

Eligible farms must have one or more acres of mixed produce and the ability to offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, over 8 weeks. The application deadline is end of business, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, and farms are encouraged to apply early as openings are limited.

For program information or to apply, farmers should contact Donna Murray, Program Manager with Maine Senior FarmShare Program, 207-287-7526 and donna.murray@maine.gov. Farms are invited to apply now on the Maine Senior FarmShare website.

Elver Lottery to Allow New Entrants into Maine’s Lucrative Elver Fishery

Nine Maine residents will soon have a chance to join the state’s lucrative elver fishery.

The Department of Marine Resources will hold a lottery, starting at noon Thursday, January 16, for the right to apply for an elver license. The lottery will be available through 4:30 pm February 21, providing lottery winners the chance to apply for a license prior to the upcoming season, which starts March 22 and runs through June 7.

The lottery, authorized by the legislature in 2017, is available to Maine residents who are at least 15 years of age by the start of the 2020 season, and who are eligible to purchase an elver license in 2020 because they have not had their right to obtain an elver license suspended.

At the time the lottery was established, the legislature also set a cap of 425 state-issued licenses. The nine available licenses are the result of licenses that were not renewed in 2018 and 2019.

Each new license holder will receive a minimum of four pounds of quota, which is made available from individual quota associated with licenses that were not renewed.

Individuals can enter the lottery online at http://www.maine.gov/elverlottery.

The Department is not accepting applications sent by mail however applicants may come to the DMR offices in Augusta to complete the application on paper. DMR will be accepting lottery applications between noon on January 16, 2020 and 4:30 pm on February 21, 2020.

Payment for anyone wishing to submit paper applications at the DMR office must be made with check, cash or money order. Payment for online applications must be made with a credit card or a debit card.

By law, each individual will be allowed to submit up to five applications at a cost of $35 per application. Those who submit applications online will incur an additional processing fee of $2 per application. $25 of the application fee will be deposited in the Eel and Elver Management Fund, which is used to research and manage the State's eel and elver resources, to enforce laws related to eels and elvers, and to cover the costs associated with determining eligibility for elver fishing licenses. By law, $10 is provided to the Department to fund Department costs associated with administering the lottery.

Anyone with questions about the lottery can contact the Maine Department of Marine Resources at 207-624-6550, Option 2.

Coastal grants available for municipal and regional projects

The Municipal Planning Assistance Program at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and Maine Coastal Program at the Department of Marine Resources are seeking applications for a new round of Coastal Community Grants for FY 2021. The grants are for municipal and regional projects in Maine's Coastal Zone. Funding for this technical assistance grants comes from Maine Coastal Programs annual grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Coastal Communities grants have a maximum award of $100,000.

Communities eligible to apply include towns in Maine’s coastal zone, groups of towns in Maine’s coastal zone; coastal Regional Planning Commissions; and coastal Councils of Government. Grant applications are due Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Eligible projects must be designed to improve water quality, increase resiliency/adaptation to erosion and flooding, conserve coastal habitat, promote sustainable development, and enhance the coastal-dependent economy while preserving natural coastal resources.

This program is designed to address the five priority goals of the Maine Coastal Program: - Ensuring Sustainable, Vibrant Coastal Communities - Improving Coastal Public Access - Addressing the effects of land use activity on water quality - Restoring Coastal Habitats - Preparing for coastal storms, erosion and flooding, coastal hazards Coastal Community Grants are an important element of the Municipal Planning Assistance Programs mission to foster innovative and effective approaches to land use management by providing technical and financial assistance to Maine municipalities.

The FY21 Coastal Community Grant Program (CCG) Statement can be found at: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/municipalplanning/financial_assistance.shtml Case Studies which include 'Lessons Learned of projects funded with CCGs are available on MPAPs CCG Case Studies webpage.

See: http://www.maine.gov/dacf/municipalplanning/casestudies/ccg-case-studies.shtml