2024 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference

Paul Catanzaro, Professor, UMass Amherst & State Extension Forester

Recording of the presentation
Presentation (PDF)
Managing New England Forests Threatened by Emerald Ash Borer (PDF)

The impacts of EAB have been and will continue to be significant on our northeastern ash species. At this point, EAB is firmly established throughout our region. While that reality is out of our control, the way in which we respond to EAB is something that we can control. The decisions we make about our response to EAB will determine the kinds of benefits our forests will continue to provide. Our decisions will also be the difference as to whether our ash species disappear from our landscapes forever or remain a part of our northeastern forests for generations to come, continuing to provide their unique ecological and cultural benefits. There are adaptive strategies available to address the loss of ash from our forests as well as to help ash species survive. This webinar discussed these adaptive strategies and opportunities for land trusts to use their own land and their relationships with landowners to sustain this important species in our forests.

Fran Blanchard, Vice President, Stewardship, The Trustees
Ross Moran, Executive Director, Westport Land Conservation Trust

Recording of the presentation
Presentation (PDF)
WLCT Maintenance Analysis and Projects List Mar 2024 (Excel)

Questions around how we identify, and resource stewardship needs are a common challenge. There is always an unlimited amount of stewardship work that could be done on any given day or property. And with new weather patterns, more severe storms, we are constantly responding to changing needs on our properties. 

For this session, we talked about common themes in our approach to property care including: developing standards for resource care, making data driven decisions about priorities, and creative solutions for resourcing this work.

Sponsored by:

MA 401(k) CORE Plan for small nonprofits

Stephanie Cooper, EEA Under Secretary, Executive Branch
Amy Sheldon, Vermont State Representative, Legislative Branch
Mark Wamsley, Conservation Director, Kestrel Land Trust
David Foster, Co-coordinator, Wildlands and Woodlands / Director Emeritus. Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Moderator: Liz Thompson, Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities

Recording of the presentation

Links for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities -  David Foster
WWF&C vision and website
Wildlands in New England report
From the Ground Up -- Quarterly of WWF&C

Relevant links to EEA initiatives – Stephanie Cooper
Farmland Action Plan
Resilient Lands Initiative
Healthy Soils Action Plan  
Resilient Mass  
Clean Energy & Climate Plan    

Kestrel Land Trust – Mark Wamsely
Kestrel website  
Protected Lands in the Pioneer Valley  

Vermont State Legislature – Amy Sheldon
Representative Amy Sheldon 
Act 59  An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection 
H 687.  An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use (Act 250)

During this panel discussion, scientists, conservationists, and policymakers discussed the need for an integrated approach to conservation that connects working and wild forests, farmlands, and seacoasts with the future for the benefit of all communities — urban to rural, human, and wild. Land regulation, land conservation and land development are all vital for climate, habitat and social resilience.

Sponsored by:

Barbara Charry, Director of Rivers and Lands, TNC in Massachusetts
Rich Cavanaugh, Land Protection Manager, TNC in Massachusetts

Recording of the presentation

In the face of the dual climate and biodiversity crises, The Nature Conservancy has established its 2030 Goals for people and nature, recognizing that freshwater is central to achieving a livable climate, healthy communities, and a thriving natural world.  In this talk, attendees learned how TNC’s 2030 Goals are guiding its work in Massachusetts integrating its freshwater and land protection efforts and prompting other initiatives such as the newly launched Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program.

Brendan Annett, Gabriel Martinez

Terrafirma Risk Retention Group LLC is a unique charitable risk pool for conservation organizations that helps its members uphold the promise of lasting conservation. This presentation provided a high-level overview of: • Terrafirma’s history, structure, benefits, costs, and coverage, • data and analysis from Terrafirma’s 220+ covered claims, and • selected cases and data trends relevant for MA land trusts. It will highlight stewardship tips and trends. Participants took away information that they can use to help reduce disputes, know common issues affecting conserved properties, and understand how Terrafirma can benefit their land trust’s risk management strategy. 

Sponsored by:
Land Trust Alliance

Abby Hardy-Moss and Rebecca Smalley

Presentation

Massachusetts communities are facing a host of issues that land conservation practitioners should be considering in their projects. Climate impacts, environmental justice concerns, and drinking water protection all have a relationship to land use that conservation can impact. There are publicly available GIS datasets related to all of these topics. In this workshop we demonstrated how to utilize these data in project review, prioritization, and fundraising. We included case studies, which included project details and fundraising examples.

Sponsored by:
BSC Group, Inc.
Essex County Greenbelt

Jonathan Patton, David Robinson

This workshop was for property managers interested in navigating the multiple flows of cultural resource identification and management, including applicable laws, regulations, and best management practices in Massachusetts archaeology and historic preservation. Land and water intersections were mobilized to inform on basic archaeological and historic preservation theory and method, including brief discussions of relevant federal, tribal, state, and local environmental review processes. The workshop intended to answer basic cultural resource questions: Who, What, When, Where & Why.

Jennifer Dubois, Julie Lazarus, Kelly Guarino

Presentation
Estate Planning Seminar Brochure Example
Bequest Information Form
Planned Giving Article

Planned giving is an important tool in a land trust’s toolbox. It can help land trusts conserve more land and support your organization’s financial sustainability. This workshop provided strategies, information, and tips for land trusts of all sizes to start or grow your planned giving program. Participants learned about planned giving success stories, land conservation achieved through planned gifts, and the donor's perspective and considerations. There was ample opportunity for discussion and questions. 

Sponsored by:

Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines Jr., Andrew Randazzo, and Andrew Fitch with Lisa Hayden, moderator

Recording

As we tackle the climate crisis through our conservation work, how can we make progress towards building justice and equity within the human communities we serve? This session shared examples of what we’re learning from the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts, a fledgling collaboration with a big vision, that has set out on this path. Multiple partners are collaborating in this landscape to build vital ingredients into our work implementing natural climate solutions – among them benefits to the atmosphere, inclusion of people who haven’t been at the table in the past, and the building of lasting relationships to expand work at multiple scales. Discussion focused on efforts to invite Indigenous participation and perspectives, supporting Indigenous-led land stewardship as part of our work in climate-smart forestry, and strengthening local wood markets to sustain rural livelihoods and work toward an equitable future.

Sponsored by:
Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Land Stewardship Inc.
New England Forestry Foundation
Sheriff's Meadow Foundation

Elise Leduc-Fleming, Sally Loomis, Sean Pollock

This workshop delved into how all-volunteer land trusts and land trusts with very few staff can effectively participate in, and benefit from, the TerraCorps program. From the program side, TerraCorps Chief Operating Officer Sean Pollock demystified the application process, explained the responsibilities of host sites, and shared program considerations for onboarding a smaller organization. From the land trust side, Executive Directors from two small land trusts, Elise Leduc-Fleming from the Wareham Land Trust and Sally Loomis from Hilltown Land Trust, shared their experiences hosting TerraCorps service members, highlighted the capacity building achieved by participating in the program, and listed some of the pros and cons of serving as a TerraCorps host site.

Kari Blood, Kevin Essington, Mark Wamsley

Recording
Reaching Underserved Youth With Community Partners (Blood)
Land Access for Underserved Communities (Essington)
Land Access: Bridges & Barries (Wamsley)

Land trusts want to do better at connecting underserved communities with the outdoors, but how can your land trust make these connections? The climate crisis and an increasingly diverse and urbanized populace mean that connecting people to nature and sustainability practices has never been more important. Research of successful people and nature initiatives from around the country reveal some best practices: humility, side-to-side power relationships, the power of small, and more. This workshop explored examples of how conservation groups from around the country have reached underserved and BIPOC groups through both land conservation projects and community engagement programs. Kevin Essington of City Greener Strategies shared his research of initiatives nationally, and Kestrel Land Trust presented some examples of their own work. Kestrel’s efforts include partnering with a city to restore an urban park, helping immigrant farmers find land, and leading nature programs with youth-serving non-profits. Together they led a discussion with participants about their experiences.

Sponsored by:
Kestrel Land Trust
MA 401(k) CORE Plan for small nonprofits
Tighe & Bond

Ian Bergemann, John Ribes, Colleen Andrews

Recording
Presentation

With the rising number of visitors to conservation land and increase in online trail information, land managers cite third party apps as a growing concern due to: overuse and overcrowding of popular trails; misuse that compromises resource protection (e.g., dogs and bikes where not allowed); unsafe use of trails that are unmanaged or "dangerous for the average hiker"; and conflicts with visitors relying on inaccurate app information. Third party apps have a responsibility to support the safety, preservation, and improvement of the visitor experience. Speakers discussed how AllTrails is working with conservation land managers in Massachusetts to mitigate these issues and improve relationships with on-the-ground staff through its Public Lands program.

Sponsored by:

Kathy McGrath, Laurel Plotzke Callahan, Steve Sloan

The foundation representatives discussed their organization's application, evaluation, and selection process. Each provided their perspective on what's important in the various aspects of the application or proposal. Then the panel answered questions from the audience.

Sponsored by:
SWCA Environmental Consultants

Mark Robinson, Brendan Annett

Recording

An old saying in our business is "If you aren't speaking with landowners, what are you doing?". Land trusts are the only non-profit environmental groups that know how to make a deal for land acquisition. Working with private landowners can be a delicate and patience dance, and may not bear fruit for many years. Trust and presence are key. The presenters have worked with hundreds of landowning families for many decades and grasp what works and what doesn't. We explored outreach techniques, discussed the land conservation process and general tax benefits, and the importance of follow-up. Who might introduce you? What research should you do before meeting? How do you keep the conversation going until fruition? Finally, the importance of face time, not FaceTime.

Sponsored By:
New England Forestry Foundation

Anna Wilkins, Ray Lyons

How to Merge Two Non-Profits in MA
Managing Collaboration Risks
Due Diligence Items to Be Exchanged
Land Trust Self-Assessment Sheet
Models of Land Trust Collaboration
Clerk Certificate of Votes Example 1
Clerk Certificate of Votes example 2
Motion for Town to Approve and Accept Land Transfers example
Deed for recording (from LT A to LT B) example
Transfer of Interest of CR example
Sec. of State filing for a merger example
LTA Intro to Mergers (spring 2018)
Durable Collaborations article (2013)

After a high-level overview of non-profit mergers, you heard about how one all-volunteer land trust worked through their succession plan to arrive at the decision to merge with an overlapping regional land trust. With conservation law experts to help answer questions on technical aspects and other models for shared responsibilities, our panelists gave insights and share resources that can start your organizational succession plan off on the right foot.

Colin Novick, Scott Morrison

The White Oak Land Conservation Society, a local unstaffed land trust, and The Greater Worcester Land Trust, a small staffed land trust, have partnered on the Four Town Greenway along their shared border for over 15 years to jointly build a +1000 acre greenway that neither could have done alone. With strategic planning, joint negotiations, joint acquisitions, joint fundraising, and joint management, the Four Town Greenway is not only a major wildlife habitat and recreation achievement, but is a testament to the power of small groups banding together to do big things. Scott and Colin walked participants through the creative partnerships and the shared trust that have made this work a potential model for smaller groups.

Sponsored by:

Sally Naser, Olivia Lukacic

Selling Your Conservation Restriction Property (flyer)

This session dove into conservation restriction stewardship from the standpoint of preventing issues and violations and what happens when they come up. With a history of 50 years of CRs at The Trustees of Reservations, Trustees staff provided examples and case studies for building landowner relationships, due diligence work during the drafting and CR process, and when to get Terrafirma or other experts involved.

Sponsored by:
Land Stewardship Inc.

Pam Ellis, Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines Jr., Diana Ruiz Ph.D.

This workshop provided an introduction to the legal basis and scope of aboriginal rights in what is now called Massachusetts through a presentation and discussion of treaties, statutes, executive orders, and federal and state case law. The workshop further examined the intersection of aboriginal rights and land conservation.

Sponsored by:
Buzzards Bay Coalition

Paul Catanzaro, Lina Clifford

Recording

Rather than viewing them as opposite, passive and active forest management are complimentary approaches to reach our overall forest conservation goals. There is increased interest from conservation organizations and the Healey administration in expanding the passive approach to forest management. While the greatest opportunities to increase passive forest management are on public and NGO land, family forests can play an important role since they own the majority of forests. This presentation outlined approaches to passive forest management and the important ways passive and active forest management complement one another at the property, landscape, and statewide level. We described family forest owner attitudes towards this approach based on the findings of a new regional landowner survey. Finally, strategies land trusts can use to implement passive forest management on fee land and on CRs were discussed, including the use of forever wild easements.

Sponsored by:
Kestrel Land Trust
Leo S. Walsh Foundation, in honor of Elizabeth Wroblicka

Jamie Pottern, Rita Thibodeau, David Viale

Presentation

Nearly 75,000 acres of Massachusetts farmland are projected to be converted to non-farm uses by 2040. At the same time, a massive, historic increase in federal funding for farmland protection will become available starting in 2024 and is projected to increase significantly over the next five years. This workshop provided an overview of the farm protection funding tools, timelines, and new strategies being envisioned by the MLTC Ag Conservation Working Group, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resource (MDAR), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and American Farmland Trust (AFT). We shared practical tools and guidance for the Massachusetts conservation community and examples of how land trusts, towns, and landowners can contribute towards accelerating the pace of farm protection in their communities.

Sponsored by:
Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Buzzards Bay Coalition

Jason Clermont, Cynthia Henshaw, Mike Huguenin

Recording
Presentation (combined)

Land trusts serve an increasingly important role in the ecological restoration space, both as landowner and as a pivotal entity in the community. Partnerships are a path for land trusts to elevate their role in advancing ecological restoration. However, balancing the changes to a landscape necessary to enact ecological restoration and the strategic vision of land trusts and their members are not always aligned. We presented the importance of land trusts as partners to ecological restoration, discussed the obvious and less obvious roles that land trusts may play in advancing ecological restoration efforts, how leaders and members of land trusts can become more informed about ecological restoration, and asked those in attendance to weigh in on the discussion, including how to align ecological restoration priorities and land conservation visions.

Sponsored by:
BSC Group, Inc.
Land Stewardship Inc.
Sheriff's Meadow Foundation
SWCA Environmental Consultants
Tighe & Bond