Learn Practice Element 6A5: Stewardship and Defense Funding

This guidance covers Practice Element 6A5: Build and maintain dedicated or restricted funds sufficient to cover the long term costs of stewarding and defending the land trust’s land and conservation easements.

The key to achieving lasting conservation outcomes is to ensure that sufficient funding is available for long-term stewardship. This calculator can be used by land managers to estimate the long-term stewardship costs associated with voluntary conservation projects.

A sample stewardship and legal defense fund calculation from the accredited Hill Country Conservancy.

Eventually, every land trust will face some form of legal action and it is very difficult or even impossible to know ahead of time when a land trust will be involved in a legal action (regardless of whether the land trust is initiating or responding to a legal action) so planning ahead is essential.

This is a sample landowner pledge form for contributions to the Conservation Easement Stewardship Endowment Fund and Legal Defense Fund from the accredited North Branch Land Trust.

Sample stewardship fund policy from the accredited Hill Country Land Trust, including how requested stewardship fund contributions are calculated.

This is a sample easement preparation cost estimate from the accredited Brandywine Conservancy.

Land Trust Standards and Practices, Practice 9E: Conservation Easement Drafting, includes two elements. This 20-minute module covers the first element, 9E1.

Land Trust Standards and Practices, Practice 9G: Recordkeeping, includes three elements. This module addresses the third element, 9G3.

How can your land trust ensure it has an adequate legal defense reserve to protect your preserves and conservation easements? Calculate your reserve number using the Legal Defense Reserves Calculator.