The
Land Trust Standards and Practices 2004 Revision
is Complete!
Background to the 2004 Revisions of Land Trust Standards and Practices |
 150KB
|
 164KB |
Quick Reference
Guide:
How Revised Standards and Practices Compare
to the Previous Edition |
37KB |
37KB |
Thanks
to the work of hundreds of land conservationists who attended
listening sessions, read multiple drafts and provided comments,
this revision captures the best thinking of land trusts
from throughout the country. This has been a remarkable
public process, engaging land
trusts from coast to coast in a dialogue about best practices
and how to uphold the public’s trust in land conservation.
The
2004 revisions are a result of 14 months of drafting, listening,
analysis and discussion. An Advisory
Team of land trust leaders hosted 50 listening sessions
or small meetings to gather suggestions, circulated two
drafts of the revisions to the land trust community for
comment, collected comments via web surveys and in writing,
and considered over 1,500 separate comments. (Learn
more about the revision process.) The final draft is
truly reflective of the diversity and wisdom of the nation’s
land trust community.
The
revised Land Trust Standards and Practices:
-
reflect
the lessons learned in conservation over the fifteen years
since they were first created and recent changes in nonprofit
law
-
emphasize
that a strong land trust movement depends on the credibility
and effectiveness of all its members and that sustainable
land conservation organizations require systems and processes
to help ensure that their work will withstand the test
of time
- place additional
focus on areas where there has been recent public scrutiny
of nonprofit practices, including managing conflicts of
interest, conducting transactions with “insiders,” and taking
greater responsibility for seeing that tax code requirements
are met
Like
previous versions, this edition contains a sample
resolution for boards of land trusts to use when adopting Land Trust
Standards and Practices (adoption is a requirement of Land Trust Alliance Membership).
The
new adoption resolution calls for organizations to adopt Land
Trust Standards and Practices as guidelines for their
organization’s operations and to commit to making continual
progress toward implementation of the standards and practices.
Land
Trust Standards and Practices
are a critical tool in meeting the challenges facing land
conservation. We are pleased to have been part of the process
to create the revisions and hope that they will help guide
land trusts in securing lasting land conservation.
Sincerely,
The
2004 Land Trust Standards and Practices Revisions Advisory
Team
- Lise
Aangeenbrug, Colorado Conservation Trust
- Judy
Anderson, Columbia Land Conservancy (NY)
- Kevin
Brice, Triangle Land Conservancy (formerly with Land Trust
Alliance)
- Allen
Decker, The Coalition for Buzzards Bay (MA) (formerly
with Lowcountry Open Land Trust, SC)
- Mike
Dennis, The Nature Conservancy (VA) and Land Trust Alliance Board of Directors
- Darla
Guenzler, Bay Area Open Space Council (CA)
- Larry
Kueter, Esq., Isaacson, Rosenbaum, Woods & Levy, PC
(CO)
- Kris Larson,
Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts
- Wendy Ninteman,
Five Valleys Land Trust (MT)
- Susan Dorsey
Otis, Yampa Valley Land Trust (CO)
- Leslie Ratley-Beach,
Vermont Land Trust
- Bettina Ring,
The Wilderness Land Trust (CA) (formerly with Colorado
Coalition of Land Trusts)
- Will Shafroth,
Colorado Conservation Trust and Chairman of Land Trust Alliance’s Board
of Directors
Project
Advisors
- Sylvia
Bates, S. K. Bates Conservation Consulting, LLC.
- Rand
Wentworth, Land Trust Alliance
Project
Managers
- Tammara
Van Ryn, Land Trust Alliance
- Rob
Aldrich, Land Trust Alliance
- Jennifer
Brady-Connor, Land Trust Alliance
posted
10/19/04
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