By now you may be familiar with "Zoom fatigue," that drain on our energy that comes with moving our lives, inside and out of work, online.

You already know the health benefits of time in nature. Here are some tips to get away from the screen when you can't be outside.

• Have some meetings over the phone rather than on screen. Not having to hold still so you can remain in the middle of a camera frame means your body can relax.
• Try planning projects, brainstorming, and writing to do lists on paper.
• Work movement into your day, with small breaks for stretching, walking around, or a mini-workout.
• See if you can carve out time during lunch and after work for screen-free entertainment, like a book or craft.

Adapted from “5 Tips to Reduce Screen Time While You’re WFH”, by Elizabeth Grace Saunders

Our hearts are with those affected by the devastating fires and storms that are happening across the country. All of us in conservation can take strength from working together. We can all learn from each other too.

While no comparison to the unfathomable fires and fierce storms, a recent Maryland case demonstrates how even everyday practices can create huge liability for land trusts. The Maryland Court of Appeals affirmed a verdict for over $1.3 million in the case of Steamfitters Local Union No. 602 v. Erie Insurance Exchange, et al., when a mulch pile caught fire from a cigarette and the fire spread along a fence to two other neighbors’ properties.

The Learning Center has a variety of examples of safety manuals, resource lists, disaster plans, and other land ownership information. Be sure to ask your liability insurance carrier for their information and pointers on risk management as well.

Sharing ideas and support will help us recover and recalibrate. I hope you can attend some of these virtual events to connect with other land trusts:

Virtual Land Trust Alliance Rally 2020, Oct. 6-8 with 60 workshops and access to recordings afterward.

Virtual 2020 Risk Summit, Oct. 19 and 20, with two full days of risk training. To help ease the impact of COVID-19 related changes this year, any land trust staff member who attends a risk management program may claim the Terrafirma risk management discount for 2021.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can e-mail us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

Land trust members of Terrafirma and the Land Trust Alliance are invited to take advantage of a complimentary registration for The 2020 Risk Summit on October 19th and 20th, 2020. It is a unique, two-day virtual event for nonprofit leaders and industry professionals who support nonprofit missions. Terrafirma member organizations are eligible for the 2021 Risk Management discount of $1 per parcel if they attend the Risk Summit or take advantage of the opportunity by watching recordings of a conference session within 30 days after the Risk Summit ends.

The conference features 30+ educational sessions, interactive networking segments and live musical performances. Recordings of all conference sessions will be available to registrants for 30 days after the Risk Summit ends. Your host is the Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC), the only national nonprofit dedicated to inspiring effective risk management practices across the nonprofit and NGO sectors.

Register here. Please note that you can only register if you have registered with the Center as an Affiliate and are a land trust member of the Land Trust Alliance.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can e-mail us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

Thanks,
Hannah

P.S. You may have noticed that you are now receiving a message directly from the Terrafirma website for Claims that are currently on hold. For better organization and ease of use, we are now housing updates on the Terrafirma website and sending update requests from the website rather than via e-mail. We hope that this will help to avoid confusion and make information on your claims and updates easier to access for anyone at your organization who needs it. Thank you for helping us as Terrafirma grows past 1,000 claims!

Financial management can be more of a challenge than usual in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring additional thought, care and planning. The Land Trust Alliance has put together a list of frequently asked questions and answers regarding use of restricted funds, when to utilize reserves, and how to maintain fiscal controls while working remotely, plus links to more resources. Check it out here.

Note that this is intended as a starting point for land trusts to be supplemented by additional financial management materials and guidance and is not legal, financial or other advice. If a land trust or individual requires legal advice or other expert assistance, they should seek the services of competent professionals.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

Thank you,
Hannah

P.S. Do you have 10 minutes for practical tips on re-opening? Melanie Lockwood-Herman, executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, discusses strengthening relationships, organizational planning and getting your team and facilities ready when re-opening offices. See the quick course here.
 

You may have heard that the U.S. Tax Court issued a series of recent opinions that directly address the specific language and necessary elements of a proceeds clause for conservation easements to qualify as charitable contributions. In response, the Land Trust Alliance updated its guidance concerning drafting provisions in conservation easements concerning extinguishment and proceeds -- Pointers for Drafting the Proceeds Clause in Conservation Easements. Your attorney may want to review your template to help avoid additional disputes with landowners. Terrafirma is seeing an uptick in claims where the landowner refuses to comply with the percentage payment in any clause.

The Alliance also has these additional helpful pointers on easement drafting to avoid disputes:

1. Pointers For Balancing Risk When Permitting Structures On Deductible Conservation Easements
2. Pointers for Balancing Risk on Conservation Easement Modification Eight Elements to Consider Following the Full Tax Court Decision
3. What you need to know from tax cases shorn of nuances
4. Pointers for Balancing IRS Audit Risk When Permitting Commercial Forestry on Tax-Deductible Conservation Easements

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

We are excited to announce a pair of new features that should make life a little easier for Terrafirma member-owners – two steps at a time.

1. There is a new quick and easy way to update claims on the Terrafirma website. After you submit a claim we ask that you send us updates every three months, up until now via e-mail. You can now just click the handy blue “Add Update” bottom at the bottom of each claim instead. This will make past updates easier to track, so you can see at a glance what you last wrote and when.
2. There is a new payment option! In addition to the ACH transfer option that we announced in November, you can pay via online bill pay. See details here: https://terrafirma.org/payments

Please remember that Terrafirma applications and payments are due February 3, 2020. Land trusts awaiting a February Accreditation decision receive an automatic extension to February 24.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

Thanks,
Hannah

Conservation Defense Coordinator
ALLIANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC
(202) 800-2248  |  

Santa isn’t the only one with a list. On the Terrafirma website you’ll find a list of the 13 eligibility requirements that must be fulfilled before your organization can join Terrafirma. These answers routinely come up when examining claims, so you want to be sure that you can give a confident yes to all 13.

If you are already a Terrafirma member and you are updating your application, you may be used to checking off "yes" to all of these without reading through carefully. This year, remember to revisit these eligibility requirements and make sure that you still satisfy all of them.

Please also remember:

• If you are awaiting your February accreditation decision, whether first time or renewing, don't hit that submit button just yet! Please fill out your application and then hit "submit" once your decision is received. There is an $11/parcel accreditation discount that we don't want you to miss.
• Check in with your bank to see how to send your payment via ACH transfer.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.