Overview of the Process for the Design of New Programs for Implementing Land Trust Standards and Practices

You will have other opportunities to review and comment on the work of the committee as our work progresses, particularly this spring.  The program design process will move forward in three phases, as described below and shown on the timeline (Acrobat PDF; 60KB).

Identify Challenges and Guiding Principles                            December 2004 – January 2005

We want to ensure that new Land Trust Alliance programs designed to assist land trusts in implementing Land Trust Standards and Practices are responsive to the most pressing challenges to land trusts and land conservation.  Accordingly, we are asking land trusts to identify both barriers to their organization’s full implementation of Land Trust Standards and Practices and what they perceive as the biggest threats or challenges to the long-term protection of conserved land.  We are also soliciting input on the guiding principles that should inform our program design.  We believe that spending time on identifying the challenges up front will ensure that our programs are designed in a way to best meet the threats facing land conservation.

Develop and Consider Program Options                                                     March – May 2005

In this phase, the committee will develop options to discuss with the land conservation community.  The options will likely combine training, assessment tools and credentialing. (“Credentialing” is used here in its broadest sense and includes options such as adoption of voluntary standards, training certificates, certification, peer review processes, accreditation, and/or other means of providing a land trust with recognition or a “credential”.) Through meetings and surveys we will ask land trusts and land trust service providers for their thoughts and guidance on programs that would most benefit the community of land trusts. 

Develop a Business Plan                                                                               June – August 2005

Once the committee has heard back from land trusts on the options we will recommend a preliminary program design.  We will then construct a business plan and a recommendation to Land Trust Alliance’s Board of Directors.  We will keep land trusts informed about our progress along the way.

Thank you for providing your advice to this committee and for all the work you do on behalf of land conservation.

Sincerely,

David Anderson, Land Trust Alliance Board and Land Trust for Santa Barbara County (CA)
Mary Bradford-White, Barrington Hills Conservation Trust (IL)
Lois DeBacker, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (MI)
Michael Dennis, Land Trust Alliance Board and The Nature Conservancy (VA)
Vicki Elkin, Gathering Waters Conservancy (WI)
Jay Espy (co-chair), Maine Coast Heritage Trust
John Hoffnagle, Land Trust of Napa County (CA)
Steve Horn, California Coastal Conservancy
Larry Kueter (co-chair), Counsel to Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust and Isaacson, Rosenbaum, Woods & Levy, PC
Bill Long, Montana Land Reliance
Ted Mascott, Thousand Islands Land Trust (NY)
Kevin McGorty, Tall Timbers Research Station (FL)
Dale Schumacher, Rockburn Land Trust (MD)
Marc Smiley, Organizational Management (OR)
Ed Speir, Georgia Environmental Policy Institute
Peter Stein, Lyme Timber and LTC Conservation Advisory Services (NH)
Carolyn Vogel, Texas Land Trust Council
Thom Woodruff, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (MT)
Leigh Youngblood, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust (MA)

(updated 1/26/05)