2017 North Carolina Land Trust Council Assembly Kanuga Conference Center Hendersonville, North Carolina. Program

Transcription

1 2017 North Carolina Land Trust Council Assembly Kanuga Conference Center Hendersonville, North Carolina Program Tuesday, May 23 3pm Assembly Registration opens Cunningham Lobby Free time / Networking / Hiking at Kanuga Kanuga Lake Inn 4pm Kanuga check in for guests staying on site Kanuga Registration Desk Kanuga Lake Inn 6-6:45pm Dinner Dietz Dining Room Kanuga Lake Inn 7:30-9:30pm Conservation for All Urban Orchard Cider Hosted by CTNC s 210 Haywood Road Future Leaders of Conservation Advisory Board Asheville NC Wednesday, May 24 8am Assembly Registration opens Cunningham Lobby Kanuga Lake Inn 8-9:30am Land Trust Alliance Special Invite Stephens Dining Room Working Group on Community Conservation 8-8:45am Breakfast Dietz Dining Room 9-9:45am Land Trusts: What, Why and Who Percival Minkler Grove A Conversation for Newcomers to Land Conservation with Kieran Roe, Executive Director, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Carl Silverstein, Executive Director, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy 9-10:00am Registration and Networking Cunningham Lobby

2 10-10:15 Welcome Matt Covington, Land Protection Director, Catawba Lands Conservancy, Land Trust Council Co-Chair Margaret Newbold, Interim Executive Director, Conservation Trust for North Carolina 10:15-12pm CTNC Opening Welcome and Plenary Balthis-Rodwell Building It Happens: Planning for Staff Transitions and Organizational Success With Gary Landwirth, Giving Ideas 12-12:45pm Lunch Dietz Dining Room 1:15-2:45pm Breakout Sessions Session A: Taking Farmland Preservation to the Next Level: New Tools, Approaches and Partnerships Minkler Grove - JACKSON Speakers will discuss the latest trends and innovations in protecting farmland and maintaining agriculture on conserved farmland. Panelists will address regional farmland preservation and agriculture development planning, project financing, public and private partnerships to protect farmland and grow the local food economy and ongoing efforts to provide new farmers with access to affordable, productive farmland. Includes brief overview of Triangle Farms for Food report and status of implementing recommendations. Moderator: Edgar Miller, Director of Government Affairs; Conservation Trust for NC Panelists: Jess Laggis, Director, Blue Ridge Forever; Rachel Kipar, Environmental Programs Coordinator, Henderson County; John Mahshie, executive director of Veterans Healing Farm; Erin Crouse, Program Manager, Good Hope Farm; Chris Link, Community Farm and Food Program Associate, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, Associate Director of Conservation & Stewardship, Triangle Land Conservancy; Erika McGilley, Western North Carolina Business Lender, Natural Capital Investment Fund

3 Session B: Land Trusts and Climate Communications Minkler Grove - HUNTER CTNC s 2015 focus group research suggested that climate change is not as persuasive an argument for conservation as water quality or working farms. Yet land trusts still have an important role to play in communicating about the impacts of climate change to the land, and the potential for land conservation to help make communities more resilient to change. This session will focus on the importance of climate change communication, and share best practices for land trusts communicating with Board, staff, members, donors and the public about climate change issues related to land conservation. Moderators: Caitlin Burke, Associate Director; Mary Alice Holley, Communications Director; Conservation Trust for NC Panelists: David Salvesen, Director, Sustainable Triangle Field Site, UNC-Chapel Hill; Tom Tribble, President, Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society Session C: The Widening Lens of Fundraising: A New Landscape with A New President Minkler Grove - PERCIVAL We are entering an unknown sea in fundraising: the UK Brexit; the Italian s renouncement of their Prime Minister; the South Korean impeachment of their President; along with our own presidential election, has created a new landscape unlike any we have faced before. What can we expect from this changing environment? How do these changes affect our funders and donors? What should we plan for? What can we plan for? How do we enlarge our fundraising lens and set foot into this uncharted territory? This session will provide strategies and tools that enable land trust staff and volunteers to become stronger advocates (and natural fundraisers) for their organizations. Moderator: Michael Strader, Philanthropy Maximizer, Crouch and Associates 2:45pm Break 3:00-4:30pm Breakout Sessions

4 Session A: Land Protection & Stewardship Hot Topics #1: Energy Facilities on Conservation Lands Minkler Grove - JACKSON Energy production and transmission infrastructure on conservation easements is becoming increasingly common. Speakers and facilitated discussion will address emerging policy, impacts on conservation values and tax implications. Conservation easement language to address these impacts will be discussed in an effort to identify a better approach to addressing these issues. Moderator: Rusty Painter, Land Protection Director; Conservation Trust for NC Panelists: Edgar Miller, Government Relations Director, Conservation Trust for NC; Harry Hibbitts, Assistant Director of Stewardship, Virginia Outdoors Foundation; Matt Hutchens, Corporate Counsel at Cypress Creek Renewables, Asheville Session B: Looking Within: Land trusts examine diversity and equity in their organizations Minkler Grove - HUNTER Many land trusts recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are important elements of strong, community-supported organizations. But even organizations that recognize the importance of these concepts concede that integrating them into their organization s fabric is challenging. In this interactive session, we will hear from land trusts that have worked through DE&I assessments, and discuss the challenges, benefits and impacts they have experienced in committing to these principles. Moderator: Caitlin Burke, Associate Director; Conservation Trust for NC Panelists: Justin Robinson, CTNC Board member; Jesica Blake, Community Conservation Director, NC Coastal Land Trust; Angela Shepard, Communications Director, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; Margaret Newbold, Interim Executive Director, Conservation Trust for NC; Stephen Graddick, Interim Diversity Coordinator, Conservation Trust for NC. Session C: Working Group: Building the 100,000 Voices Communications Campaign Minkler Grove - PERCIVAL Join a working group session to review the latest developments of the Statewide Communications and Public Awareness Campaign as well as begin to develop its communications strategic plan. We ll discuss NC land trusts challenges, opportunities, and potential messages to be addressed as part of the campaign to

5 connect 100,000 voices to conservation over the next year. Moderators: Alesia DiCosola, Marketing Director, Catawba Lands Conservancy; Mary Alice Holley, Communications Director, Conservation Trust for NC 4:45-5:30pm Special guest: Walter Clark Rocking Chair Porch at Kanuga Lake Inn Director of the Division of Land and Water Stewardship Executive Director of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources 5:30-6:00pm Free time / Networking 6-6:45pm Dinner Dietz Dining Room 7-8:00pm 2017 North Carolina Conservation Heroes Awards Balthis-Rodwell Masters of Ceremonies: Rebekah Robinson, Assistant Director for Programs, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy; Matt Covington, Land Protection Director, Catawba Lands Conservancy -- Land Trust Council co-chairs, Keynote Address: Wendy Jackson, Executive Vice President, Land Trust Alliance 8:00-10:30pm Social Hours The Pavilion on Kanuga Lake Hosted by Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Thursday, May 25 8am Registration Table opens Cunningham Lobby 8-8:45am Breakfast Dietz Dining Room 8-8:45am Land Trust Council Business Meeting Stephens Dining Room (with separate breakfast)

6 9:30-11am Breakout Sessions Session A: Policy Roundtable: State and Federal Legislative Priorities and Advocacy Minkler Grove JACKSON Speakers will provide the latest updates on state and federal policy and legislative issues impacting conservation funding and tax incentives, including assessments of the Trump Administration's impact on conservation funding and the IRS's recent concerns about syndicated conservation easements. Moderator: Edgar Miller, Director of Government Affairs, Conservation Trust for NC Panelists: Wendy Jackson, Executive Vice President, Land Trust Alliance; Will Morgan, Attorney, Manning, Fulton and Skinner- Land for Tomorrow; Jay Leutze, Board President, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Blue Ridge Forever Session B: Land Protection & Stewardship Hot Topics #2: Current National Issues & Take-Aways Minkler Grove HUNTER This session will address a variety of issues facing land protection and stewardship staff. Kevin Brice will discuss one of the recent revisions to LTA s Standards & Practices specifically addressing a recent IRS ruling on syndicated transactions. Kalen Kingsbury will provide a first-hand accounting of issues being addressed by the national Conservation Easement Defense Advisory Council as well as options land trusts are exploring to address the threat of sale or conversion of public conservation lands to private or non-conservation uses. Expert insight will also be provided on lessons learned from Terrafirma and how to improve easement language and stewardship to enhance enforceability of easements. Moderator: Rusty Painter, Land Protection Director; Conservation Trust for NC Panelists: Kevin Brice, Director, Land Trust Alliance - Southeast Program; Kalen Kingsbury, Associate Director and General Counsel, Piedmont Land Conservancy; Carl Silverstein, Executive Director, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; Hanni Muerdter, Stewardship & Conservation Planning Director, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy

7 Session C: Fundraising Successes and other experiences Minkler Grove - PERCIVAL Fundraisers are brave, bold, builders of success and proud learners from failure. Bring your fundraising stories and materials and share your campaigns, techniques, and strategies that have been successful, OR complete duds! We will cover a wide range of experiences and revenue streams building appeals, integrating planned giving, how a host committee structure can make a difference, how to build sponsorships and special events that make a significant net profit, (insert your story here). Moderator: Bridget McMinn, Development Director, Conservation Trust for NC 10:15am 11:15-12pm Break Land Trust Council Committee Meetings Government Affairs Minkler Grove - JACKSON Fundraising and Development Minkler Grove - HUNTER Public Relations and Communications Minkler Grove PERCIVAL Land Protection Rocking Chair Porch at Kanuga Lake Inn 12-12:45pm Lunch Dietz Dining Room Box lunches provided 1pm Assembly Ends