2011 Maine Land Conservation Conference
Workshops – Session A: Saturday, April 30th, 10:30 – 12:00
A1 Conservation Easement Basics
Conservation easements are used by most land trusts to protect land. Easements can be powerful tools to help you accomplish your land trust’s goals. They are also legal documents that can be complex to negotiate and draft! This workshop will discuss conservation easement basics from your first contact with an interested landowner to the final signing of the completed document. Relevant Land Trust Standards and Practices will be covered. Beginner
Presenter: Betsy Ham, Maine Coast Heritage Trust
A2 Local Food & Farming: How Land Trusts Can Take Part
These days everyone is talking about “local food.” This session will explore how land trusts can use the trend as a way to connect with their communities, gain support for their work and even contribute to their bottom lines. All
Presenters: Sarah Post, Aldermere Farm and Jeremy Wintersteen, Scarborough Land Conservation Trust
A3 From Protecting Trout to Combating Drought: Water Quality [and Quantity] in Maine
Here in Maine most of us assume there is ample clean water for drinking, recreation and wildlife. Yet, most of the ecosystem services that ensure water quality and availability take place on privately-owned land that may be developed, fragmented or impacted by climate change. This session will provide an overview of current water-related issues in Maine, the science behind them, and help you learn how your land trust can prioritize water-quality related land protection efforts and work with public water systems – all while raising local support for your mission. All
Presenters: Erika Bonenfant, Maine Drinking Water Program and Ethel Wilkerson, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
A4 Back-Up Protection for Land Trust Owned Preserves
A basic primer on the different ways to back up your protected lands, their similarities and differences, and how to decide what method is right in each case. The course will cover back-up easements, declarations of trust, and briefly, current-use classifications. A discussion of Third Party Easements will be included. Learn the answers to questions such as, “What are the responsibilities involved in holding a back-up easement?” “Do I really have to monitor an easement on land owned by another land trust annually?” and, “Do I have to include back-up easements when calculating my fee for participation in the Conservation Easement Defense Program?” Familiarity with conservation easements and fee land holding issues will be helpful, but all levels are welcome. Intermediate
Presenter: Karin Marchetti Ponte, Maine Coast Heritage Trust
A5 One of Two Certain Things: Taxes!
Congratulations, Land Trust XYZ, you just acquired your first fee holding. Now, what do you do when the local tax assessor cometh? There are a number of options for land trusts when it comes to property taxes. Those options, including exemption and open space, may vary from town to town. Learn about different taxation programs and how and when to apply. All
Presenter: David P. Ledew, Maine Revenue Services
A6 Fundraising and Your Board
Board members have fiduciary responsibility for approving budgets and an obligation to meet fundraising goals. Yet, board members have varying skills and comfort levels with fundraising. This workshop will address how to clearly define fundraising expectations during the board recruitment process and will discuss strategies for fuller engagement of board members in fundraising during their tenure. Beginner/Intermediate
Presenters: Scott Dickerson, Coastal Mountains Land Trust and Julie Lamy, Boothbay Region Land Trust
A7 Major Donor Programs
This workshop will help you know if and when your organization is ready to start a major donor program. It will cover the key components, how your board members can participate, and what distinguishes a cultivation visit from a visit to make the ask. We will also briefly discuss which prospect research tools are most useful, as well as how cultivation events might fit into the plan. The presenter will also offer a lunchtime session where you can practice making your ask. Intermediate/Advanced
Presenter: Pen Williamson, consultant to nonprofit organizations
A8 Planning for Effective Fundraising
The most effective fundraising programs tap a variety of revenue sources and use the talents and skills of board and staff members to best advantage. A long-range fundraising plan can help ensure that all revenue needs are receiving the attention required to avoid constantly operating in crisis mode. Participants will learn to: match revenue sources with funding needs; evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising efforts; and define roles for board members and staff. Beginner/Intermediate
Presenter: Barb Welch, land trust consultant
A9 Nonprofit Financial Management
Not everyone who volunteers to serve on a land trust board is knowledgeable about financial matters. This workshop will lay out the basics of nonprofit financial management, explain how to read and understand an organization’s financial statements and discuss what questions board members should be asking. Beginner/Intermediate
Presenter: Emily Parker, Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker
A10 Land Trust Responses to Wind Power
Wind power projects are being built or proposed in several areas around Maine. Turbines have the potential to alter landscapes and seascapes that land trusts work to protect. Some Maine land trusts and communities have embraced the change, some have taken a stand against wind projects, still others have chosen to stay neutral. Come hear a panel present a discussion designed to inform a land trust’s decision-making process and stance. Or, come to simply learn more about the issue. Intermediate/Advanced
Presenters: Jeremy N. Payne, Maine Renewable Energy Association and David Publicover, Appalachian Mountain Club
A11 Finding Local Money
Local governments can fund land conservation projects in your city or town. While such funding is still the exception rather than the rule in Maine, the list of municipalities that fund conservation grows longer each year. Even during this recession, voters are approving municipal investments by overwhelming margins, often leveraging additional private and public funds in the process. Organizations, including TPL, TNC, the Maine Association of Conservation Commissions and MCHT are working to accelerate this grassroots trend. We will hear from representatives from these organizations and learn from local land trusts and conservation commission members who have successfully obtained municipal funds for land conservation. All
Presenters: Jessica Sargent-Michaud, The Trust for Public Land; Marcel Polack, Maine Association of Conservation Commissions; Owen Grumbling, Wells Conservation Commission and University of New England Environmental Studies Department
