keeping the promise - land trust accreditationthe nature conservancy. we are pleased to be part of...

Keeping the PromiseThe Land Trust Accreditation Program | 2009 Annual Report

The mission of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission is to recognize community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever.

COMMISSIONERS

Stephen SwartzWashington, DC

Michael WhitfieldDriggs, ID

Jessica WhittakerRochester, MA

STAFF

Tammara Van RynExecutive Director

Jennifer Brady-ConnorReview Specialist

Laura DiBettaProgram Manager

Jennifer JenningsProgram Assistant

Melissa KalvestrandReview Specialist

Special thanks to former commissioners David Hartwell, Kat Imhoff, Jennifer Lorenz, Peter Stein, Henry Tepper, and Wes Ward, and former review manager Henrietta Jordan.

Lawrence R. Kueter, ChairDenver, CO

David MacDonald,Vice-ChairMount Desert, ME

Lucinda Hunt-Stowell, TreasurerSouthbury, CT

Ann Taylor Schwing, SecretarySacramento, CA

Elizabeth CraneSilver Spring, MD

Thomas R. DuffusDuluth, MN

Jean HockerAlexandria, VA

Cary LeptuckBirchrunville, PA

Kevin McGortyTallahassee, FL

Heather RichardsCulpeper, VA

Kathy TreanorGreensboro, NC

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2009 Annual Report | 1

Land Conservation is a PromiseSome of the most rewarding work of our careers has been the lands we helped conserve. Saving land though, we know, comes with extraordinary promises. Land trusts promise donors and the public that their efforts will last in perpetuity – a commitment that makes land trusts different from most nonprofits.

Accreditation is a key tool in helping land trusts keep this promise of perpetuity. Land trusts in the accreditation program, or getting ready to apply, are challenging themselves to put the systems in place in order to run their organizations well and conserve land forever. In anticipation of accreditation, land trusts across the country have completed baseline documentation reports for all of their conservation easements, stepped up their land and easement inspection efforts, and committed more money to the long-term stewardship and defense of conservation properties.

Take, for example, the land trust that completed the backlog of baselines for the 80 percent of its easements that did not have them. Or, the land trust that dedicated an additional $100,000 to safeguard its easements for the future. Another example is the land trust that recently inspected fee properties it had not visited in a long time, finding encroachment issues it needed to address. These actions to uphold the promise of perpetuity are essential for land trusts involved in accreditation.

And their work is paying off. As Clive Gray from the Greensboro Land Trust notes, since earning accreditation the land trust’s funding has increased by 25 percent. “The seal has enhanced our standing in the community, and certainly has enhanced the beauty and rural character of our town. It demonstrates our dedication to our mission and our community.”

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission has made a promise as well. At our inaugural meeting in 2006 we committed to operating a program with the core values of integrity, accountability and service. In 2009, we did a complete evaluation of our program and made significant improvements to serve the land trust community better. Most notably, the application for accreditation and Applicant Handbook were significantly revised.

Our program improvements will enable us to continue to operate a program with integrity that is a model of self-regulation in the nonprofit sector. They will also allow us to manage a significantly increased volume of applicants in the years to come. We are looking forward to working with dozens of applicants in 2010, from all-volunteer organizations to The Nature Conservancy. We are pleased to be part of the land trust community’s accreditation program, a program that is helping land trusts meet the promise of perpetuity that is so important for land conservation.

“We believed that being true to our word was more important than someone else saying we were. But times have changed quickly. Today, accreditation is the best assurance you can have that our land trust remains the best possible investment of your charitable giving.”

Grant Kier, Executive Director,Five Valleys Land Trust (MT)

Lawrence R. KueterChair

Tammara Van RynExecutive Director

Alachua Conservation Trust (FL)Aquidneck Land Trust (RI)Aspen Valley Land Trust (CO)Athens Land Trust (GA)Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust (NH)Bedminster Regional Land Conservancy (PA)Black Canyon Land Trust (CO)Boxford Trails Association/ Boxford Open Land Trust (MA)Brandywine Conservancy (PA)Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (NC)Cascade Land Conservancy (WA)Catawba Lands Conservancy (NC)Center for Natural Lands Management (CA)Central Savannah River Land Trust (GA)Central Valley Farmland Trust (CA)Chikaming Open Lands (MI)Coastal Mountains Land Trust (ME)Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CO)Colorado Open Lands (CO)Conservation Trust for North Carolina (NC)Countryside Conservancy (PA)Deschutes Land Trust (OR)Dutchess Land Conservancy (NY)Eagle Valley Land Trust (CO)Edisto Island Open Land Trust (SC)Estes Valley Land Trust (CO)Five Valleys Land Trust (MT)Forest Society of Maine (ME)Freshwater Land Trust (AL)Gallatin Valley Land Trust (MT)Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (MI)Green River Valley Land Trust (WY)Greenbelt Land Trust (OR)Greensboro Land Trust (VT)Heritage Conservancy (PA)Hudson Highlands Land Trust (NY)Jackson Hole Land Trust (WY)Jefferson Land Trust (WA)Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (WI)Lake Champlain Land Trust (VT)

*As of May 2010. Visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org for the most current list of accredited land trusts.

2 | 2009 Annual Report

Lake Forest Open Lands Association (IL)Lancaster County Conservancy (PA)Lancaster Farmland Trust (PA)Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain (MS)Land Trust for Santa Barbara County (CA)Land Trust for Tennessee (TN)Land Trust of Virginia (VA)Leelanau Conservancy (MI)Legacy Land Conservancy (MI)Maui Coastal Land Trust (HI)McKenzie River Trust (OR)Mesa Land Trust (CO)Minnesota Land Trust (MN)Monadnock Conservancy (NH)Montana Land Reliance (MT)Montezuma Land Conservancy (CO)Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia (GA)Natural Lands Trust (PA)Nevada County Land Trust (CA)North Branch Land Trust (PA)Northeast Wilderness Trust (MA)Northern California Regional Land Trust (CA)Northern Prairies Land Trust (NE)Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (VA)Oconee River Land Trust (GA)Open Space Conservancy (Land Acquisition Affiliate of Open Space Institute) (NY)Peninsula Open Space Trust (CA)Placer Land Trust (CA)Rensselaer Land Trust (NY)

Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (CO)Sacramento Valley Conservancy (CA)Salem Land Trust (CT)San Isabel Land Protection Trust (CO)Scenic Hudson, Inc. (NY)Scenic Hudson Land Trust (NY)Skagit Land Trust (WA)Sippican Lands Trust (MA)Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (NC)Stowe Land Trust (VT)Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy (FL)Tecumseh Land Trust (OH)Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation (TN)Teton Regional Land Trust (ID)The Land Conservancy of New Jersey (NJ)Thousand Islands Land Trust (NY)Tinicum Conservancy (PA)Tri-Valley Conservancy (CA)Upstate Forever (SC)Weeks Bay Foundation (AL)Westchester Land Trust (NY)Wilderness Land Trust (CO)Wildlife Heritage Foundation (CA)Willistown Conservation Trust (PA)

Accredited land trusts celebrate at Rally 2009: The National Land Conservation Conference in Portland, OR.

ACCREDITED LAND TRUSTS*


“Accreditation is a clear, unequivocal message to the public that we’re doing business in accordance with the highest professional standards of the industry. It is extremely helpful in preliminary negotiations with landowners. If they don’t bring the topic up, we do.”

Don Owen, Executive Director, Land Trust of Virginia (VA)

ACCREDITATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE

“The accreditation process was rigorous and meaningful. Through it we became more efficient in our processes and thoughtful in our policies. In fact, we feel confident that this thorough internal examination helped lead to our second most successful year ever, protecting over 3,000 acres of land in 2008.”

Glen Chown, Executive Director, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (MI)

“We wanted to have assurances that the Big Sandy conservation easement was permanent and that it would be held by a reputable land trust. Since the Freshwater Land Trust [AL] had earned accreditation through what seems to be a very thorough process, we knew they were the right organization to work with at Big Sandy. The Freshwater Land Trust holds itself to a high standard, and so do we.”

John Wigginton, Southeast Regional Manager, Westervelt Ecological Services

Forty-three land trusts from across the nation achieved accreditation in 2009. These land trust leaders come from every corner of the country and range from an all-volunteer land trust to a land trust with more than 70 staff, from land trusts with budgets ranging from less than $20,000 to almost $7,000,000 per year.

While these land trusts were in the midst of the application review process, the Commission was undertaking its own thorough review of the accreditation program. We looked at information from applicant surveys as well as data distilled from the review of more than 100 applications. An accreditation consultant helped us analyze this information.

Significant findings included the following:

Accreditation makes a difference •to applicants and the land trust community.The program has integrity.•Applicants spend significant time •compiling documents.There is redundancy in the application and review •process.Commission review time per applicant is greater than •expected and increases dramatically when applicants are not prepared.

Recommendations made by the consultant were predicated on retaining the program’s integrity while increasing efficiency for applicants and the Commission.

2009 YEAR IN REVIEW

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE

Full Commission meets in Denver, CO

Revamped eNewsletter launched

Revised Applicant Handbook published

14 land trusts accredited

3 applications for 2009 round 1 received

New policies Guidance Document released

Presented at land trust conferences throughout the spring

Free webinar

series announced

6 land trusts accredited Extensive

program evaluation process conducted throughout the summer

Implementation of the recommendations has already begun. Key recommendations were as follows:

Reduce redundancy in the application and improve •efficiency by reducing the number of accreditation indicator practices and at the same time emphasize that the indicator practices are only a sample of the entire set of Land Trust Standards and Practices.Increase efficiencies in the Commission’s internal •processes.

On January 20, 2010, we published the revised application based on the changes to the indicator practices and a revised Applicant Handbook – important steps in fully implementing the consultant’s program improvement recommendations. As part of this, we also revised many of our policies. In the revised application, the number of questions and attachments was reduced by 40 percent, significantly reducing the workload for applicants.

Applicants must still provide evidence that they are meeting each indicator practice and the accreditation program requirements but, thanks to the feedback of land trusts that have been through the program, these improvements will make it easier for future applicants to complete the actual application. The standard of compliance has not changed and each applicant will be subject to a review as comprehensive and detailed as the applicants that have come before them.

Commissioners spent the summer evaluating the accreditation program.

2009 YEAR IN REVIEW

Full Commission meets in Saratoga Springs, NY


2010 registration launched

19 land trusts accredited

Rally in Portland, OR: awards ceremony recognizes all 43 land trusts accredited in 2009; accreditation video released; 3 workshops presented; full Commission planning session held


Extensive work done on revisions to the application and Applicant Handbook

Melissa Kalvestrand joins Commission staff

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

2008 Accredited Land

Trusts (39)

2009 Accredited Land

Trusts (43)Total

Conservation easements 2,782 2,846 5,628

Fee properties 542 497 1,039

Total acres protected 517,447 1,152,675 1,670,122

States represented 18 29 31

ACCREDITED LAND TRUSTS

BY THE NUMBERS

Pre-ApplicationSubmitted

ApplicationSubmitted

ApplicationWithdrawn

Accredited

Pilots NA* 38 5 32

2008

Round 1 18 17 2 15

Round 2 21 21 2 19

Round 3 23 23 5 18

2009

Round 1 4 3 0 3

Round 2 12 10** 2 6

Round 3 16 15 Review in Process

Total 132 127 16 93

ACCREDITATION APPLICATIONS

AT A GLANCE

*The pre-application was developed after the pilot program.**Review of two applications is in process.Additional notes: (1) A total of 13 land trusts have had their applications tabled during the review process, roughly 10% of all applicants. Beginning in 2010, table is no longer a public status. (2) There has been one denial of accreditation.


TRENDS IN LAND CONSERVATION

As Sharon Burnham aptly notes in the quote below, accreditation is a journey. The program is designed to foster self-study and continuous improvement. One way the Commission does this is by noting expectations for improvement along with awarding accreditation.

The accreditation seal is awarded when a land trust demonstrates compliance with Land Trust Standards and Practices by meeting each indicator practice. Expectations for improvement are offered to foster learning and quality improvement when the Commission determines an applicant meets the basic elements of each indicator practice but needs to do additional work to fully comply with all elements. An accredited land trust’s progress toward meeting the expectations will be evaluated when it applies for renewal. The Commission also offers commendations to newly accredited land trusts, recognizing excellent policies or practices for meeting specific indicator practices.

Common areas of commendations and expectations in 2009 are reported below. As themes or frequent areas of noncompliance emerge, Guidance Documents are published to help counsel future applicants.

CommendationsSeveral areas where multiple applicants demonstrated excellence in policy or practice stood out in 2009. Samples of accredited land trusts’ work relative to these practices may be found on the Land Trust Alliance’s Learning Center.

8B. Project Selection and Criteria•11C. Easement Monitoring•11D. Landowner Relationships*•12C. Land Management•

Expectations for ImprovementThe indicator practices listed below had the highest number of expectations for improvement offered in 2009. Common themes covered by the expectations are provided in bullets.

4A. Dealing with Conflicts of Interest (33% of 2009 applicants received an expectation for this practice)

Documenting disclosures and steps taken to manage conflicts of interest, including having a record that the •conflicted party was not present when the matter was discussed and voted upon.Amending conflict of interest policies to add procedures for managing various conflicts and to include all potentially •conflicted parties noted in the required policies Guidance Document.

9G. Recordkeeping (30%)Duplicating all essential and irreplaceable documents outlined in the • Guidance Document for this practice and protecting originals from daily use and keeping them secure from fire, floods and other damage.

10A. Tax Code Requirements* and 10B. Appraisals (37%)Providing prospective land and easement donors with written notification of the tax code and appraisal requirements, •including that the land trust will require a copy of the appraisal and will not knowingly participate in projects when it has significant concerns about the tax deduction.Making sure that federal Forms 8283 state the amount received by the landowner in a bargain sale and that the forms •are otherwise complete and accurate before signing them.

11B. Baseline Documentation Report (40%)Enhancing baseline documentation reports by adding information on the qualifications/experience of the preparer and •all minimum and desired contents outlined in the Guidance Document for this practice.

“When we first started the accreditation process I was told by an associate, ‘the journey is more important than the destination.’ Every step of the way, our board and staff gained knowledge and benefitted from the research necessary to complete the application. Every minute spent on the process added to Tri-Valley Conservancy’s competence and proficiency.”

Sharon Burnham, Executive Director, Tri-Valley Conservancy (CA)


TRENDS IN LAND CONSERVATION

COMMUNICATIONS

We ventured into new areas in 2009 to communicate the importance of the accreditation program and foster successful applications.

We developed our first video on accreditation, • Keeping the Promise: Perpetuity and the Land Trust Accreditation Program. The video, available on our website and on YouTube, features land trusts that have successfully navigated the accreditation process and have emerged stronger and more effective as a result.

We • hosted seven free webinars as part of a new series for current and prospective applicants to introduce the accreditation program and to help applicants navigate and prepare for the application process.

We• revamped our eNewsletter format to make it more readable and accessible. Ten eNewsletters were sent throughout the year.

We • conducted training events at 12 conferences and meetings to 350 attendees ranging from day-long, in-depth clinics to open-forum roundtable discussions and introductory workshops.

We assisted the Land Trust Alliance in the design of the online • Pathways to Accreditation, which will be used to assist a prospective applicant in assessing its readiness for accreditation and to prepare for the accreditation application process.

Documenting the relevant features of existing structures in the easement deed or baseline. •Preparing baselines prior to closing, or if seasonal conditions prevent completion at that time, completing interim data •and a schedule for finalizing the baseline that is signed by the landowner at closing.

11C. Easement Monitoring (40%)Enhancing easement monitoring reports to include all the minimum and desired contents outlined in the • Guidance Document for this practice.Monitoring all conservation easements on an annual basis, starting from the date the easement closes.•

11I. Amendments (35%)Revising amendment policies to require compliance with any funding requirements and to include all other elements •noted in the required policies Guidance Document.Documenting the financial impact of an amendment through appraisals or other means to confirm that an •amendment will not result in private inurement or impermissible private benefit.When modifying easement boundaries or amending easements that may result in the termination/release of a •conservation easement in whole or in part: 1) complying with all the land trust’s policies, terms of the easement document, Land Trust Standards and Practices, and state and federal law; 2) seeking judicial review when required; and 3) documenting the consideration of the impact of the land trust’s action in the context of its ethical obligations to the donor, the public and the land conservation community.

ConclusionAccreditation is shifting how land trusts approach their work. Accredited land trusts and current and potential applicants are all screening projects carefully and making conscious choices about whether their actions are consistent with national quality standards. Through the accreditation process, land trusts have been required to increase the due diligence they apply to organizational governance, fiscal management and land transactions. Lands trusts are now routinely doing more investigation before accepting land transactions and have an increased focus on long-term stewardship and an ability to keep the promise of perpetuity.

*Effective March 31, 2010, this practice is no longer an indicator practice.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission would like to thank the Land Trust Alliance for its extraordinary support of the accreditation program. The Alliance provides financial as well as administrative support to the Commission.

In addition, we would like to thank the following Land Trust Alliance funders for their generous support of the accreditation program in 2009.

2009 SupportersAnonymousS.D. Bechtel, Jr. FoundationBellcomb TechnologiesThe Conservation FundDoris Duke Charitable FoundationKresge FoundationThe Lyme Timber Company, LPCharles Stewart Mott FoundationCashdan/Stein Great Grandmother Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation

Accreditation Endowment Supporters (all years)Anonymous Levin CampbellDoris Duke Charitable FoundationKresge FoundationTiffany Foundation


ACCREDITATION PROGRAM FUNDERS

Revenue

236,872 , 59%

163,250 , 41%

1,314 , 0%

Grants

Accreditation Fees

Interest

Expenses

433,690 , 88%

59,909 , 12%

Program

Management & General

2009 FINANCIALS

For a copy of our complete financials, please contact [email protected].

“Land trust accreditation is a powerful tool to strengthen land trust operations, foster public trust, and ensure the permanence of land conservation. The Kresge Foundation awarded a challenge grant to help build an endowment for the accreditation program so that the costs of the program will remain affordable for land trusts. We viewed this investment in the accreditation program as a logical complement to our historic support for land acquisition by land trusts. It also was a good fit with Kresge’s values of advancing environmental stewardship and institutional transformation.”

Lois R. DeBacker, Senior Program Director, The Kresge Foundation


Keeping the PromiseAt the start of 2010, we are approaching 100 accredited land trusts, with more than 150 engaged in the program in some way. Our systematic program evaluation conducted in 2009 has already led to big changes – and improvements – to the accreditation program in 2010.

The Land Trust Alliance announced early in 2010 that it adjusted the accreditation indicator practices, reducing the number of practices sampled from Land Trust Standards and Practices for accreditation from 37 to 26. In conjunction with this change, the Commission released revised application materials. Many of the pre-application and application questions and attachments were combined or reorganized in order to reduce redundancy while retaining the substance of the indicator practices that were removed from the list, thus maintaining the rigor of the program.

In March 2010, we released revisions to the Guidance Documents to reflect the changes to the list of indicator practices. The changes also reflect lessons learned from our most recent applicants and answer some of the most common questions we hear in our webinars and workshops. In addition, a new Guidance Document on practice 6D. Financial Review and Audit was published.

There is still more to come in 2010:

We will open registration for 2011 in June.•

We will continue to offer tools and trainings to guide current and potential future applicants through the •application process, including free webinars, workshops, and day-long workplanning clinics.

We will round out the year at Rally 2010: The National Land Conservation Conference in Hartford, Connecticut •with a ceremony acknowledging all the land trusts that earned accreditation by September 2010.

We will start the review of The Nature Conservancy late in the year.•

We are looking forward to implementing the program improvements developed in 2009 and a process that is more efficient for applicants and the Commission. But, even more important, we look forward to continuing to learn about the great work being done by land trusts across the country and seeing how accreditation is helping our community keep its promise of permanent land conservation.

LOOKING AHEAD

Vision for the Future

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission envisions a future in which land trusts have made dramatic gains in land conserved, membership, practices and overall effectiveness. The continuing increase in citizen leadership and professionalism in land trusts reflects the growth of the movement into a well-respected force serving the public interest. The growing pool of accredited land trusts reflects the broad diversity of organization sizes, missions and geography – united by strong ethical practices and by a commitment to sound transactions and the long-term stewardship of land and conservation easements. The land trust accreditation program is a model of self-regulation in the nonprofit sector. It is run by a Commission that reflects and responds to its diverse constituents and has earned the trust of land trusts, regulators, funders, and others. As a result, land conservation is widely supported by private philanthropy and government policies, and more land is permanently conserved.

112 Spring Street, Suite 204

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

518-587-3143

www.landtrustaccreditation.org

PHOTO CREDITS

Cover: San Isabel Land Protection Trust (CO)

Inside Cover: Hazel Langrall/Central Savannah River

Land Trust (GA)

Page 2: Francesca Dalleo

Page 3: (top to bottom) Ashton Cole/Land Trust

of Virginia (VA), Beth Maynor Young/Freshwater

Land Trust (AL), Grand Traverse Regional Land

Conservancy (MI)

Pages 4-5: Laura DiBetta

Page 9: Southern Appalachian Highlands

Conservancy (NC)

Back Cover: Forest Society of Maine (ME)

Edited and designed by Laura DiBetta