Best Practices for Complete Stewardship Documentation

Creating, managing and maintaining stewardship records is one of the most important aspects of land trust work, especially given the perpetual nature of stewardship responsibility. Land trusts need accurate and easily retrievable records to meet legal and contractual obligations, track and evaluate activities and be prepared to defend their property interests through enforcement and litigation. A well-designed and implemented system of records management is essential, as are procedures that clarify when and how stewardship-related events should be documented. Guidelines and regular review can inform decisions about how recordkeeping may change over time, and how to incorporate digital information as technology advances.

Join colleagues Connie Manes and Julia Rogers for a presentation and discussion of considerations and strategies of stewardship recordkeeping. Bring your thorny questions and learn from colleagues what strategies have helped them. Connie Manes, attorney, consultant and staff member at Kent Land Trust and the Housatonic Valley Association, will lay out what Land Trust Standards and Practices says about documenting the ongoing condition of conserved lands and the new accreditation requirements. Julia Rogers of Housatonic Valley Association will share her perspective as experienced land trust staff, and there will be time for questions and discussion. Here’s a look at what we will cover:

• Land Trust Standards and Practices addressing stewardship recordkeeping and how to maintain records needed for evidentiary purposes:

  • Baseline documentation reports and land management plans.

  • Important correspondence, photos and non-textual information.

  • Monitoring reports.

  • Documentation of suspected violations, investigations and resolutions.

  • Notices, requests and approvals to exercise permitted rights.

• When to document changes to land under conservation easement, and the options for doing so.

• Best practices in documenting annual monitoring visits, including remote monitoring

• Using land management databases to organize and store records.

This webinar is included in the 2024 All-Access pass.