MODULE #1 Baseline Documentation Report Training Module

GLOSSARYAffirmative obligations - A clause in the restrictions section of the conservationeasement that requires the landowner or the land trust to conduct management in acertain manner or to meet a certain goal.Baseline Documentation Report - The legal record of the site and condition of theresource; included in the easement or deed package. BDRs are also referred to asbaseline inventories or baselines.Conservation Easement - A legal agreement between a landowner and a qualifiedconservation organization or government agency that limits a property's uses inorder to protect the property's conservation values. It is a voluntary, writtenagreement that is registered on title to the land in Alberta in accordance with theAlberta Land Titles Act. It binds current and future owners of the land.Compliance - Being in accordance with the restrictions and property managementprinciples listed in the conservation easement agreement.Due diligence - The conduct that a land trust can reasonably be expected to exerciseto protect the public interest (i.e., the conservation value) of a property.Ecological Gifts Program - The Ecological Gifts Program is a federal income taxincentive program administered by Environment Canada that offers tax incentivesto private and corporate landowners. An Ecogift is a donation to a conservationcharity of land or an interest in land (such as a conservation agreement) that hasbeen certified as "ecologically sensitive" according to specific national andprovincial criteria.Fee Simple Interest - Ownership of all rights, title, and interest in a property.Grandfathered - An exception to a restriction that allows all those already doingsomething to continue doing it even if they would be stopped by the new restriction.Management plan - A fully researched, structured, and formally approved strategyincluding a set of actions for the long-term maintenance or enhancement ofconservation values on a property.Monitoring - The act of observing and keeping a record of the activities andconservation values associated with a conservation property.Property Management Principles - Sets of guidelines written into the conservationeasement agreement that direct property management on a conservation easementproperty (may also be called affirmative obligations).Real Property Report - A legal document that clearly illustrates the location ofsignificant visible improvements relative to property boundaries.Restrictions - Terms or conditions placed in the conservation easement agreementthat restrict certain uses of the property by current and future owners.2