A New Land Trust Curriculum

Standards and Practices Curriculum Courses
Courses Currently Available for Delivery
Updated 3/24/08

The list below represents the Standards and Practices Curriculum courses and recommendations for shorter workshop modules derived from those courses that are currently completed and available for delivery. The workshop modules are listed with the practices and course book chapters that are most representative. Please note that the suggested times are approximate. Instructors can often adjust the materials to accommodate the time available. For courses and workshops with optional field components, travel time to and from the site is not included.

Download this list as a Word document.

Instructors and Presenters! If you are interested in delivering any of these courses or modules, please contact Mary Burke, Curriculum Manager, at mburke@lta.org or (410) 257-3893

This list will be revised periodically as new courses become available for delivery.

Course Topic	Practices Covered*	Course Hours†
Responsible Governance
Avoiding Conflicts of Interest and Running an Ethical Land Trust	1D, 4A, 4C	4.5
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Land Trust Ethics	1D, Chapter 1	1.5
Dealing with Conflicts of Interest	4A, Chapter 2	1.5
Real Estate Transactions with Land Trust Insiders	4C, Chapter 3	1.5
Land Trust Boards: Preparing for Perpetuity	2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 7E	6 - 6.5
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Roles and Responsibilities of Land Trust Board Members	2B, 3A, 3C, 3D, 7E, Chapter 1	1.5 - 2
Effectively Using Board Committees	3E, 3F, Chapter 2, committee sections	1.5
Board Development: Building a Strong Land Trust Board	3B, Chapter 2, board development sections	1.5
The Importance of Board Leadership	Chapter 3	1.5
Nonprofit Law and Recordkeeping for Land Trusts	2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 6B, 9G	6 - 8
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Complying with Federal, State, and Local Law (Volume I)	2A, 2B, 2C	3 - 4.5
Land Trust Incorporation and Bylaws	2B, Chapter 1	1.5
Obtaining and Maintaining Federal Tax Exempt Status	2C, Chapter 2	1.5
Land Trusts and the Law	2A, Chapter 3, and any relevant State laws	1.5
Recordkeeping Essentials for Land Trusts (Volume II)	2D, 6B, 9G	3 - 3.5
Records Policies and Procedure for Land Trusts	2D, Chapter 2, plus portions of Chapter 1	1.5
Land Trust Records	6B, 9G, Chapter 3, plus portions of Chapter 1	1.5 - 2
Mission, Planning and Capacity	1A, 1B, 7A	4.5
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
A Land Trust's Mission: The Key to Organizational Success	1A, Chapter 1	1.25
Strategic Planning and Evaluation for Land Trusts	1B, Chapter 2	2
Evaluating and Building Organizational Capacity	7A, Chapter 3	1.25
Strong Organizations
Determining Stewardship Costs and Raising and Managing Dedicated Funds	6F, 6G, 11A, 12A	6
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Conservation Easement Stewardship Funds	6G, 11A, Chapter 1	2
Determining Stewardship Costs for Land Trust Properties	6G, 12A, Chapter 2	2
Managing and Investing Dedicated Funds	6F, Chapter 3	2
Land Protection
Evaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects	8B, 8D, 8G, 8E	7.5
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Land Trust Project Selection and Design	8B, 8D, 8G, Chapters 1, 2, and 4	4.5
Project Selection and Criteria	8B, Chapter 1	1.5
Public Benefit of Land Transactions	8D, Chapter 2	1.5
Easement Project Planning for Land Trusts	8G, Chapter 4	1.5
Inspecting Properties for Project Selection (with field component)	8E, Chapter 3	3
Tax Benefits and Appraisals of Conservation Projects	8C, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D	7
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Ensuring Project Compliance with the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations	8C, 10A, Chapter 1	3.5
Tax Benefits of Donations of Land and Easements	Chapter 2	1.5
Appraisals of Conservation Easements	10B, 10C, 10D, Chapter 3	2
Conservation Easement Drafting and Documentation	8G, 9E, 11B	9
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Drafting Conservation Easements	8G, 9E, Chapters 1 and 2	4.5
Baseline Documentation Reports (with field component)	11B, Chapter 3	4.5
Stewardship
Caring for Land Trust Properties	8G, 12C, 12D, 12E	9
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Project Planning for Land Ownership	8G, Chapter 1	1.5
Fee Land Stewardship and Land Management Plans (with field component)	12C, Chapter 2	4
Fee Land Stewardship	Chapter 2, stewardship sections	1.5
Developing Land Management Plans	12C, Chapter 2, land management planning sections	2.5 (with field component)
Monitoring Land Trust Properties (with field component)	12D, Chapter 4	2
Land Stewardship Administration	12E, Chapter 3	1.5
Conservation Easement Stewardship	11B, 11C, 11D	7.5
Shorter Training Modules for Workshops
Building Strong Relationships with Easement Landowners	11D, Chapters 1, 2	2.5
How to Use and Supplement Baseline Documentation Reports over Time	11B, Chapters 1, 3	2
Monitoring Conservation Easements	11C, Chapters 1, 4	3 (with field component)

*The numbers in the course descriptions correspond to the practices from Land Trust Standards and Practices that will be covered in the training.

†The hours indicated in each course description are an estimate of the length of a classroom training covering these subjects. Some courses may have shorter break-out sessions. Online learning can usually be completed in slightly less time.

posted 1/4/08

Banner photo by Glen E. Everett

Standards and Practices Curriculum Courses Courses Currently Available for Delivery Updated 3/24/08

Course Topic

Practices Covered*

Course Hours†

Standards and Practices Curriculum Courses
Courses Currently Available for Delivery
Updated 3/24/08