Is it expensive?
What can my land trust expect to spend?
The cost of this technology has continued to drop in recent years, both because it has become more accessible and more people are using it. The majority of the land trusts who participated in Alliance grant programs chose to continue using the technology after the grant period ended.
We estimate that more than 200 land trusts are currently using a vendor for remote monitoring to have access to the most current satellite imagery available. There are other free sources of imagery that organizations could use to supplement their monitoring or confirm changes on the property.
As shown in the table below, a majority of smaller organizations (fewer than five staff) and about half of mid-sized organizations (five to ten staff) considered the cost to be sustainable. Anecdotally, we heard from larger organizations (more than 10 staff) that while stewardship staff were supportive, financial approval was ultimately up to the board.
For more, see the Return on Investment section, which provides a cost-benefit analysis.
Is the cost of remote monitoring sustainable for your organization?
For Mainspring Conservation Trust, a few thousand dollars per year is a pretty easy investment for us to make for the assurance and modest time savings it gives us.