First Light Delegation

The First Light Delegation was created to collaborate with and respond to the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship at the speed of trust. 

The Commission and the Delegation develop tools for return and build capacity among Wabanaki. The Delegation consists of representatives from across Maine organizations– big and small, northern and southern, focused on land and waters– and seeks to build a model of effective collaboration across non-native and Wabanaki communities.

 If your organization would like to get involved with First Light, please reach out to a Delegation member.

Current Members

  • Jess Burton

    she/her

    Executive Director at Momentum Conservation

    Liaison and communicator with the conservation community

  • Susan Caldwell

    she/her

    Conservation Coordinator at The Nature Conservancy

    Liaison with potential private land donors

  • Betsy Cook

    she/her

    Maine State Director at Trust for Public Land

  • Jennifer Melville

    she/her

    Board member at Maine Conservation Alliance & Maine Conservation Voters

  • Ethan Miller

    he/him

    Organizational Development Coordinator & Resident Member at Land in Common

    Liason for cooperative land governance

  • Kristin Peet

    she/her

    Forestland Conservation Specialist at Forest Society of Maine

    Land Projects, Cultural Access Tools, Wildlife Projects Liason

  • Ciona Ulbrich

    she/her

    Senior Project Manager at Maine Coast Heritage Trust

    Liason for Cultural access tools (Various tools), land projects

Past Members

  • Molly Payne Wynne

    she/her

    Freshwater Program Director at The Nature Conservancy

    River and Fisheries Project Liaison

  • Steve Tatko

    he/him

    Vice President of Land, Research and Trails at Appalachian Mountain Club

    Cultural access and harvest liaison

Coordinating Land Trust Communication and Action

The role of the First Light Delegation

The Delegation primarily collaborates with the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship to develop processes and tools for sharing or returning land. Another important role of the Delegation is to serve as a liaison between the conservation community and the Tribes. The Delegation is available to receive requests from the larger conservation community in Maine about Wabanaki engagement and considers (with Wabanaki input) whether that engagement would be a benefit to the Tribes. This process hopefully minimizes the administrative and communication burden on Tribal representatives.

The Delegation can be helpful as your first contact when your organization has a question about Wabanaki engagement projects or participating in the collective of First Light. They will consider your question and respond or connect you with a member of the Wabanaki Commission for further conversations.

As part of their service on the Delegation, member organizations are required to send a letter to First Light committing to sharing the resources needed for this work.

Read more about the terms and commitments of participation in the Delegation.