Managing Conservation Easements in Perpetuity - Environmental ...

At a minimum, a land trust
should keep a list, master file
or database of its completed
projects, with pertinent
identifying and location data.
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• Violations and resolutions
• Exercise of house site rights and other reserved rights
• Landowner relationship information
• Maps and photos
• Policies, procedures and guidelines
In planning your database, remember that information is data that you
retrieve, organize and present in a meaningful way. You store data. You
retrieve information. Data is stored so that users can obtain meaningful
information. This concept is important because you have to know
what information you need and how you need to use it to determine
what data to store in the database.
This task is more difficult than it sounds. Organizations that have
developed databases report that they all overlooked important items
or connections when they designed them. They recommend budgeting
for a few iterations and for backfilling data. They also experienced
an increase in information requests once their funders and partners
understood that they had a database that could be queried for interesting
combinations of information.
Before creating a database, a land trust should consider:
• Conversion and compatibility
• Access to training and customer support
• Users and locations
• Communication with other databases
• Queries and reports
Tips for Creating and Using a Database
One person should be in charge of managing the database.That person
should also have a well-trained and involved backup manager who can
answer questions when the lead manager is unavailable.
Training and timing are critical. Whoever enters data must be well
trained, and your land trust must have solid protocols for data entry
and a clear, understandable system. Timing is also critical. For example,
if you enter all data only at year’s end, you will not have the necessary
information for approvals, violation resolutions or any mailings
throughout the rest of the year.
Managing Conservation Easements in Perpetuity