Land Trust Alliance

Fourth Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land Conservation

Kimberly Seese — 2013-03-11T21:38:53Z

Are you an attorney, senior practitioner or law school faculty looking to stay informed on conservation law? Interested in crafting practical legal solutions?

Gather with your colleagues to take advantage of this rare opportunity to discuss and contribute insight on these complex legal issues:

Anatomy of a "Lawsuit"
Analysis of a Surface Use Agreement
Current Events Case Law Update
Review of Law on Federal Preemption of State Laws, Supremacy Issues, Interplay of IRC and State Laws
Risk Management
CE Drafting - Amendments and Discretionary Approvals

All while earning your CLE’s!

Registration will open November 1. View more information >>

Running Effective Meetings

Kimberly Seese — 2013-03-02T01:15:00Z

Date: March 18, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm -3:30 pm Eastern (1:00 pm -2:30 pm Central)
Instructor: Andy Robinson
Cost: $25 members / $35 non-members

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

Are you tired of aimless meetings . . .

You know the ones. We've all sat through them. Probably even facilitated a few. Those painful-to-sit-through meetings that don't generate energy, commitment, or next steps.

Don't spend another moment in an aimless meeting. Come join us and learn how to make your meetings more productive, inclusive, and even fun!

Program Overview

In this productive, inclusive and fun webinar led by Andy Robinson, we will discuss:

Why meetings fail
The key to effective meetings: make decisions!
Building a great agenda
Robert's Rules vs. consensus: what's right for you?
How to fix a broken meeting

Andy Robinson provides training and consulting for nonprofits in facilitation, fundraising, grantseeking, board development, marketing, earned income, planning, and leadership development. Over the past seventeen years, Andy has worked with organizations in 47 US states and Canada. Recent clients include the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, American Bar Association, and the Center for Progressive Leadership. He is also the author of five books written for nonprofits. To learn more, please visit his website.

We look forward to talking with you!

Laws Give Break for Land Preservation. But Hurry.

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-23T05:00:00Z

February 23, 2013 | The Wall Street Journal

Restricted Gifts: Solving Accounting and Reporting Challenges

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-20T19:35:00Z

Date: April 24, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm ET
Instructor: Kay Sohl
Level: Beginner / Intermediate
Cost: $55 before 4/23, then cost will increase to $65

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Land trusts depend on the generosity of donors, and it’s absolutely essential that land trusts use these gifts according to the donor’s intentions. In this webinar, you will learn best practices in managing the receipt and use of restricted gifts.

Participants will learn:

1. How GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), FASB, and IRS regulations on restricted gifts

2. What constitutes unrestricted, temporarily restricted or permanently restricted gifts, including endowments

3. The difference between board designated funds and restricted gifts

4. How to record temporarily and permanently restricted gifts

5. How to record the use of temporarily restricted funds

6. How to manage time restrictions on gifts, multi-year grants and donor pledges

7. Strategies for setting up stewardship funds

21 Additional Land Trusts Achieve Accreditation

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-19T19:35:00Z

February 19, 2013 | Land Trust Accreditation Commission | Saratoga Springs, NY

A Giant Beneath Us; The Niagara Escarpment

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-10T05:00:00Z

February 10, 2013 | WGRZ | NY

Improve Your Chances for Success with FRPP Funding

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-06T01:44:07Z

Date: February 28, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 PM ET
Instructor: Jane Ellen Hamilton
Level: Beginner / Intermediate -- Participants should have a basic understanding of the FRPP Program.
Cost: FREE

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Applicants for federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program funding must comply with the requirements of the FRPP Manual. This webinar will help you understand how adopting and implementing Land Trust Standards and Practices that relate directly to FRPP Manual contents can help your organization improve its chances for securing funding to protect locally important farms and ranches. You will receive guidance on several important conservation easement transactional practices, including:

1. Evaluating and selecting projects

2. Completing strong transactions in a timely manner

3. Drafting conservation easements that meet FRPP standards

4. Adopting easement stewardship practices that ensure the perpetuity of FRPP-funded projects

This webinar is applicable to both governmental entities and land trusts and will help participants distill key information about how developing best practices can help your organization achieve its farmland protection goals.

Standards Covered: 8 (Evaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects), 9 (Ensuring Sound Transactions), and 11 (Conservation Easement Stewardship)

Conservation Loans and Investments: Tools to Achieve REPI Success

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-04T22:27:15Z

When: March 27, 2013, 1:00 PM ET

Sponsor: Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) for U.S. Department of Defense

This webinar is designed to educate you and your land conservation partners about tapping into “other people’s money” to potentially overcome the common hurdles you may face from gaps in funding or funding requests not being processed fast enough to meet a closing deadline. Logan Yonavjak, from the Conservation Private Capital Group, and Reggie Hall, from The Conservation Fund, will discuss conservation loans and investments that can help you focus on the project and not worry whether you will have the funds to move on it when the time is right.

Instructions on How to Join the Webinar:

Click this link.
Select “Enter as a Guest” and enter your name.
Upon entering the meeting room, you will be prompted to enter your phone number.
After entering your phone number, you will be called automatically by the system into the audio conference.

Managing Biodiversity on Land Trust Lands

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-31T21:28:00Z

Date: March 13, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 PM ET
Instructors: Paul Doscher, Chris Wilson
Cost: $55 before 3/12, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

How do you know if your land supports a rare species or ecological community or not? How do you gather biological information without breaking the bank? How can you manage land to protect biological and other resources and still generate income from the land? Learn about how to document what is out there, choose your conservation targets, decide how to protect your targets and more. The webinar is based on guidance from Chris Wilson’s Documenting and Protecting Biodiversity on Land Trust Projects and the on-the-ground experience of Paul Doscher who works for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. The Society has 150 properties that range from ecological reserves to intensively managed farmland and forests, some of which have been owned and managed for nearly 100 years.

You will learn how to:

1. Use a step-by-step process for documenting biodiversity

2. Decide when and how to engage biologists for this work

3. Determine threats to biodiversity and how to prioritize your responses

4. Integrate recreation, working lands, community concerns into management planning

Prioritizing Land to Protect Water Resources Through Strategic Conservation Planning

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-31T21:26:03Z

Date: March 12, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 PM ET
Instructors: Ole Amundsen, Anne Murphy
Cost: $55 before 3/11, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

In national polls, water is often cited as one of the most important conservation goals by a public who can easily “get” the importance of water. So, what do you do if water resource issues are a significant issue in your service area? This webinar will explore how to incorporate water resources into the conservation planning process for a more holistic framework in setting priorities. Case studies on land trusts engaged in planning for land and water resource issues will be featured along with proven strategies to fine tune your water resource protection efforts. Instructors will also discuss opportunities for collaboration with watershed associations and other groups focused on water resource protection. The webinar will provide a road map and specific steps to developing a strategic conservation plan with an emphasis on protecting water resources.

Boardwalk Takes Shape in Ithaca-area Wetlands

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-29T05:00:00Z

January 29, 2013 | ithacajournal.com | NY

Maryland Land Conservation Conference

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-25T00:27:00Z

When: April 23, 2013

Where: Conference Center at the Maritime Institute

Host: Maryland Environmental Trust

For more information or to sponsor the conference, please contact Michelle Johnson at mjohnson@dnr.state.md.us.

Statement from the Friends of New York's Environment on Governor Cuomo's Executive Budget

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-23T22:20:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jessica Ottney Mahar, The Nature Conservancy | 518‐669‐5067 | jottney@tnc.org
Dan Hendrick. NY League of Conservation Voters | 917‐207‐8715 | dhendrick@nylcv.org
Andy Bicking, Scenic Hudson | 914‐489‐1568 | abicking@scenichudson.org
Richard Schrader, Natural Resources Defense Council | 347‐210‐2594 | richard.schrader@gmail.com
Sean Mahar, Audubon New York | 518‐669‐1768 | smahar@audubon.org

Encouraging Proposal for Environmental Protection Fund

ALBANY, NY -- The Friends of New York's Environment, a broad partnership of more than 100 environmental, public health, agricultural, recreational and urban stakeholder groups, released the following statement
regarding Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s 2013‐14 Executive Budget:

“After several challenging budgets, the Friends of New York’s Environment is pleased that Governor Cuomo included a $153 million investment for the state’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) in his 2013‐14 Executive Budget, representing a $19 million increase over last year’s budget level. While we look forward to learning more details of how this will be achieved, this proposal is an encouraging start, and represents a down payment on the commitment the Governor made recently to strengthen the EPF. With his actions today, the Governor clearly understands the important role these programs play in environmental protection and economic prosperity, as well as disaster recovery and preparedness.

“And when it comes to the EPF, what’s good for the environment is also good for the state’s economy. According to a recent study by the Trust for Public Land, EPF programs deliver a $7 return for every $1 invested, which translates into a stronger New York.

“We recognize that our state is not fully recovered from the fiscal challenges that confronted us in the last few years. While New York’s economy is still rebuilding, we’re encouraged that the Governor has proposed new investments in the environmental programs that will help move our state forward. During the coming legislative session and in future budget years, we will continue to urge the Governor to implement policies that support the EPF and enhance funding for these programs. In the meantime, the Friends of New York’s Environment look forward to working with Governor Cuomo and the Legislature to achieve this critical investment in New York’s environment and economy this budget season.”

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Ecological Landscaping Association’s 19th Annual Conference

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-23T19:31:14Z

When: February 27 - 28 2013

Where: MassMutual Center

Host: Ecological Landscaping Association

Build ecological connections with designers, architects, builders, gardeners, arborist, and land care specialists of all kinds gather at the largest and longest running ecological landscaping education and networking event in New England. This event challenges the beginner, the seasoned expert, and everyone in between.

View more event information.

Stewards of the Bend

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-23T05:00:00Z

January 23, 2013 | Saugerties Times | NY