Healthy tidal marshes provide valuable social and ecological benefits, including improved water quality, protection from storm surge, aesthetic value and critical habitat for both rare and commercially important species. Traditional approaches to tidal marsh conservation have focused significantly on the protection of the marsh features themselves, and management activities that often focused on a single species/taxa. The current era of rapid climate changes demands a more integrative approach to marsh conservation that considers the impacts of sea level rise, protection of upland buffers to allow for marsh migration, and restoration to correct for human impacts (ie. salt hay farming). In Downeast Maine, several land trusts are using this integrative approach and are regionally leading salt marsh conservation in a uniquely collaborative way. Using examples from active salt marsh restoration projects, each at a different stage in the process, we will share the iterative conservation planning process we used to assess threats to tidal marshes in the region and identify strategies for resiliency. We will discuss the importance of gaining community support, funding and shared positions, and effective two-way communication with private landowners, local communities, researchers and state and federal agencies. The majority of salt marshes in eastern Maine are privately owned and of little real estate market value, which poses a challenge for conducting restoration projects and incentivizing landowners to participate. We will discuss solutions we have identified, how our approach has shifted over time and share lessons learned from the collaborative approach we are using to conserve and restore salt marshes in the region.