The Learning Center
A New Online Resource for Land Trust Training
The Learning Center is a new online resource for you to take a course, connect with colleagues and friends and share your success stories, around the clock. We are uploading all of our new Standards and Practices Curriculum into online courses, plus there are discussion groups facilitated by subject matter experts, and communities of practice you can join or create to have group interactions on the Web in between times when you can meet in person. Plus, it has all of the great content and search capabilities of what was LTAnet. and is now the Digital Library.
Who can use it?
How do I log-in?
What will I find at The Learning Center?
How does The Learning Center work?
Who Can Use It?
This is an Alliance resource made especially for our member land trusts and partner organizations. More information on joining the Alliance >>
How Do I Log-In?
We are standardizing the login so your LTAnet username and password are no longer valid. If you have ordered a book from us online, or registered for Rally online, you probably have an account already (even if you aren't aware of it), so click on "Retrieve My Password." Full log-in instructions >>
Once you have that, log in at http://learningcenter.lta.org.
What You Will Find at The Learning Center
All the content in the new Standards and Practices Curriculum books as they are ready. The following courses are posted, and the rest of the 15 courses will be posted as they are completed throughout the year (these can all be found under the Courses tab):
- Avoiding Conflicts of Interest and Running an Ethical Land Trust
- Land Trust Boards: Preparing for Perpetuity
- Evaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects
- Tax Benefits and Appraisals of Conservation Projects
And a non-curriculum overview course:
- Introduction to Private Land Conservation
For those courses not yet available, we will post final drafts of the Word documents or PDFs of the final courses as they become available.
Also Available
Free, downloadable course books and instructor manuals Audio files of the courses and course chapters Templates to craft your own policies New sample documents and access to everything from the old LTAnet (now called the Digital Library as part of the Learning Center) Discussion forums.
How The Learning Center Works
- User-friendly design
- Site is divided into four learning paths for easy navigation:
- Governance
- Strong Organizations
- Land Protection
- Stewardship
- Access to experts who can answer your questions about the course content
- This is Your NEW Online Resource for Land Trust Training!
- Free to Land Trust Alliance Members anytime, anywhere
- Accessible to members with dial-up web connections
We are very excited about the new Standards and Practices Curriculum we are developing that explains how to implement the accreditation indicator practices of the Land Trust Standards and Practices. There are three ways to access this curriculum:
The courses are designed to help your land trust implement Land Trust Standards and Practices and are for those new to the subject as well as those who want a refresher on important topics. We would love to hear from you! Send any comments, questions or suggestions to learn@lta.org
Forums
Your Frequently Asked Questions are Answered Here!
Question: “We are working with a landowner who wants to construct wind turbines on his 320 acres. We are willing to write him a conservation easement, however we want to put appropriate language under Permitted Uses. Has anyone worked with this before? If so, what language did you use?”
Answer: "The Trustees of Reservations has been struggling with this question over the past year, and we've begun using the following language in new easements to allow for renewable energy generation to service the restricted property. I hope this helps.
Sample language: Renewable Energy Generation. The construction, use, maintenance, repair and replacement of one turbine for the generation of wind energy shall be permitted exclusively, but only upon receipt of the Grantee’s prior written approval (to be granted in its sole discretion). When considering whether to issue such approval, Grantee shall weigh and evaluate, among other relevant factors, the overall aesthetic impacts of the proposed turbine in the context of the surrounding landscape, the environmental impacts, and the scope of its anticipated energy benefits, and, upon Grantee’s request, Grantor shall be required to provide Grantee with written documentation addressing these and other matters deemed relevant by the Grantee."
Join in other discussions by checking out the Forums on The Learning Center. Here you can network with colleagues and tap into the expertise of conservation experts across the country. Ask questions. Share your success stories. Answer questions and share your experience!
Linda Garrett, Executive Director, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, Watertown, NY
The Learning Center is a service offered to Alliance member land trusts, partners, and individual members at the $250 level and above.
