Workshop Descriptions
Saturday, April 5, 2008
10:00 - 11:30 AM

Session 1a
Energize Your Board
Peter Lane, Institute for Conservation Leadership
Your land trust has critical work to do…and a well-functioning board of directors is important to its success. Does your board need to get re-energized? Are you looking for ideas to strengthen the board? At this workshop, you will use a practical tool for completing a quick assessment of your board. We’ll cover how boards develop over time and the challenges along the way; board responsibilities and strategies for strengthening the board; and board topics/challenges brought to the session by participants.

Session 1b CLE CREDITS
Conservation, Trail and Fishing Access Easements
An Introduction to the PA Models
Andy Loza, PA Land Trust Association
Pat Pregmon, Esq., Pregmon Law Offices
Learn about the robust model easements created under PALTA’s leadership. The models are widely embraced by land trusts, landowner counsel, and government. The session will review the easement structure and content that maximizes user-friendliness, enforceability, simplicity and flexibility.

Session 1c
Finding Common Ground
Conservation Easements on Community Open Space
Margot Chalfant, Delaware Nature Society
Stephanie Fortunato, Bancroft Corporation
Jonathan Jordan, Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco
Barry Stingel, Hillcrest Associates, Inc.
A multidisciplinary panel discussion for participants interested in placing/ accepting conservation easements on community held open space that will be ultimately be governed and managed by a Home Owner Association. This session will explore the true value of securing third-party oversight of Open Space owned and managed by a Home Owners Association to protect the property’s sensitive natural resources. The panel discussion will demonstrate the value of a cooperative multidisciplinary team; describe how to determine roles, responsibilities, and rights in the legal documentation; and provide an implementation plan for putting the concepts to work on the ground.

Session 1d CLE CREDITS
A Model for Success: Conservation Groups Working with Municipalities
Barbara Drew, Bedminster Land Conservancy
David Froehlich, Consultant
Terry Clemons, Bedminster Land Conservancy
Jonathan Reiss, Esq., Grim, Blehn & Thatcher
Wendy Battisti, Bedminster Land Conservancy
Land preservation deals can benefit from the dual aspect of a private non-profit and a municipality working together. One has the expertise on land preservation and non-profit status, the other is more likely to have larger coffers to provide financial incentives. When the Bedminster Land Conservancy (BLC) was incorporated in 1997, in response to the development pressures facing the rural areas of Bucks County, we recognized that municipalities didn’t have the needed expertise in land preservation. In addition, a nonpolitically-motivated group could offer stronger long-term protection efforts. BLC currently has working relationship with 3 different townships within the county and also network with other regional land trusts. Case studies will illustrate how the municipality can reinforce the enforcement actions of the conservancy and working together takes advantage of various funding sources.

Session 1e CEUs
DCNR: Helping to Shape a Sustainable Pennsylvania
Cindy Dunn, DCNR
Brenda Barrett, DCNR
Lauren Imgrund, DCNR
Chris Kocher, Wildlands Conservancy
A major goal of DCNR's action plan is to facilitate the long-term sustainability of our natural resources. One tool for this is the Conservation Landscape Initiative program, a collaborative state, local and citizen partnership working strategically in large landscapes on land conservation, locally-driven planning, and building economic connections that maximize recreational and cultural assets and improve quality of life. During this presentation you will learn how to work together to build partnerships that create a shared vision that encourages shared problem solving and decision making. We will also provide examples of successful projects and program outcomes from DCNR and Wildlands Conservancy's perspective.

Session 1f
The Mid-Atlantic Electric Transmission Corridor:
Update on the Threat
Chris Miller, Piedmont Environmental Council
Ginny Kreitler, Consultant
Since Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) designation of the Mid-Atlantic corridor in October 2007, alarmed conservation organizations have fought to overturn the designation which threatens lands in 52 PA counties. At the same time, a number of power companies have pushed forward new transmission projects to take advantage of the new expedited siting processes. Access to eminent domain powers and the sheer scale of these projects create a major and unprecedented threat; and PA’s geographic position places it at the hub of this new threat. Participants in this workshop will learn about the current status of the fight against the corridor and of its impacts on power line siting across Pennsylvania today.

Session 1g
Growing with Green Infrastructure
Karen Williamson, Heritage Conservancy
The sustainability of communities is increasingly a focus of ecological and social research in the 21st century. This session explores (1) how the concept of green infrastructure can be used to approach sustainability issues at the local level in response to a variety of social pressures and (2) discusses how land trusts are in a unique position to advance green infrastructure principles. Participants will work in small groups to analyze the characteristics of a hypothetical community and recommend how the local resources could be used to develop a green infrastructure system.

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