Conservation Easement Seminar
Connect with colleagues in person and immerse yourself in the topic of conservation easements for a day at this WeConservePA seminar hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. There is content for newcomers and experienced folks alike.
Pricing: $45/pp early registration and $65/pp regular registration
(The fee includes morning refreshment and lunch. Regular registration begins September 13. Staff and board of WeConservePA member organizations are eligible for a 10% discount)
Agenda
9AM | Check-in and Refreshments
9:30AM – 11:30AM | Session 1. The Conservation Easement: The Fundamentals, the Model, and Supporting Tools
What is a conservation easement? What are its strengths and limits? When should you use it and when should you look at alternatives? How does it relate to the holder and present and future landowners? What are the tradeoffs between ease of administration, ease of enforcement, ease of negotiating and drafting, and conservation value delivered? What are the key issues and tools that you need to consider and use in establishing easements that will stand the test of time?
The morning session will dig into these fundamental questions and take participants on a guided tour through the Model Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants. Along the way, it will identify the various features of the model that facilitate customization to specific projects, identify text that generally should be left untouched (and why), and explore the wealth of optional and alternative material contained in the commentary and supplemental provisions. (Attendees will be provided a printed and bound model with commentary.)
11:30AM – 12:30PM | Lunch
12:30PM – 3:30PM | Session 2. From Initial Landowner Outreach Through the Transaction and Onward to Long-Term Monitoring and Enforcement of Easements: Conservation Easements in Practice
This interactive session will address a wide range of issues and practicalities in using conservation easements to accomplish conservation. The exact content will be determined by the requests of seminar registrants to address specific topics, issues, concerns, and scenarios made by those registering for the seminar. Possibilities might include but are not limited to customizing the model for circumstances of interest to the registrant, dealing with possible amendments or unusual landowner requests, how to address easement boundaries, and funding easement stewardship. As a registrant, you can make requests when registering or anytime through September. (If necessary to fit the allotted time, instructors will prioritize content requests on a first-come, first-served basis.)