Land Trust Best Practices Presented at National Conference

October 11, 2022

At the Land Trust Alliance’s annual national conference in New Orleans, SMW firm members Sarah Sigman and Tamara Galanter shared their expertise with land trusts and others in the conservation community. Sarah presented on best practices for preparing the baseline reports that document the condition of the conservation property at the time the landowner enters into the conservation easement and what to do when previously prepared baseline documents contain omissions, errors, or conflicts. Tamara presented on the importance of documenting the stewardship of conservation easements, including during monitoring, when interpreting or amending conservation easements, and when violations occur. Tamara also spoke on how land trusts can best address challenging issues arising from old conservation easements that don’t follow current practices.