Positive Ecology

This coursecovers Practices 8G, Project Planning, 9E, Easement Drafting and 11B, Baseline Documentation Report, and forms the foundation for negotiating and drafting enforceable conservation easements and their supporting baseline documentation. All three practices discussed in this course, when combined, create a seamless process ensuring that a land trust:

[1.]Gathers and considers all information relevant to a particular
conservation project

[2.]Uses this information to draft a conservation easement that
is unambiguous and enforceable, and will serve to protect the
identified conservation values

[3.]Creates a baseline documentation report that amplifies and
supports the conservation purposes and public benefit of the

conservation easement

After taking this course, you will have a strong foundation from which to negotiate and draft a conservation easement and baseline documentation report that is consistent with Land Trust Standards and Practices,
and thus reflects the best professional practices associated with the creation of these important documents. 

By implementing best practices in negotiating and drafting conservation easements, land trusts fulfill their mission: the promise they have made to their communities to identify and protect special lands with important natural resources. A land trust working with its landowner partners in conservation to uphold easements and enforce their restrictions ensures that important natural resources are preserved for future generations. Therefore, it is important to create the supporting documentation, such as baseline documentation reports, that assists;land trusts in interpreting and maintaining the easements they hold.