Land Protection Videos

People rely on their parks and other public open spaces as secure, unfailing places for rest, renewal, and relief from everyday stresses. But just how permanent are they? And what are permissible and impermissible uses of the land? Join this session to learn about the different protections afforded to local parks and open spaces under Pennsylvania law and steps your community can take to strengthen these protections. We will discuss the various factors that come into play: state statutes, the PA Constitution, state deed restrictions, etc. We will also review tools, including declarations of public trust, for ensuring the permanence of these lands.

What is a conservation easement? Few people–whether or not they work in conservation–understand this tool. You will come out of this session as one of those few. You will know the its strengths and weaknesses and what it can and can’t do. You will appreciate what obligations landowner and land trust will face and complications that may arise. You will understand factors that may point to using a different conservation tool. You will be walked through the questions and issues that must be resolved in applying a conservation easement to achieve particular conservation objectives for a specific property. The Model Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants will serve as a guide during the session.

Land trusts each have their own processes for managing land and easement transactions, however in any acquisition project there are certain things that must happen, and a likely order of operations. If your organization has not developed a formal process, you can gain efficiency by adopting a standard. Join Todd Sampsell, Vice President of Conservation with Natural Lands as he provides an overview of the mechanics of land and easement acquisitions using Natural Lands’ process. This session will provide a robust introduction for new conservation staff, as well as a refresher for veteran staff and volunteers. Of course, we know that no project is ever really ‘standard’, so some time will be given to discussion of where things can go wonky.

A deep dive into the Model Grant of Conservation Easement, this webinar series provides users with an in-depth look into how the model grant of conservation easement work and how it can work for your conservation organization.

Part 1 of 2: Join Pat Pregmon and Lauren Pregmon-Tetreault of Pregmon Law Offices for this 2-part workshop breaking down the Model Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants. The goal of these workshops is to provide an understanding of how the basic Model Grant works as a tool to conserve natural and scenic resources and how the Commentary and Supplement provide a wealth of material to tailor individual grant documents to meet the needs of each user and each eased property.

Part 2 of 2: Join Pat Pregmon and Lauren Pregmon-Tetreault of Pregmon Law Offices for this 2-part workshop breaking down the Model Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants. The goal of these workshops is to provide an understanding of how the basic Model Grant works as a tool to conserve natural and scenic resources and how the Commentary and Supplement provide a wealth of material to tailor individual grant documents to meet the needs of each user and each eased property.

During this 2-part series, participants will have the opportunity to walk through (read) a sample appraisal with the guidance of certified appraisers who will highlight and explain common sections found in most appraisals. The presenters will cover the information required by—and the differences between—the Uniform Standards of Profession Appraisal Practice (USPAP), Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition (Yellowbook), and the IRS appraisal standards. Participants will learn how this information can be used to sell the project to their boards of directors, landowners, and funders. The session will also explain what land trusts should ask for in an appraisal report.

Join Michael Knoop, Director of Special Projects for Land Conservation, Community Engagement, and Strategic Planning at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for a moderated roundtable discussion on some of the hypothetical complications that can arise when working through land deals. Patricia Pregmon, Esq and Lauren Pregmon Tetreault, Esq of Pregmon law offices will join us as experts on real estate law and liability issues, while Paul Rogers, Sara Giordano, PhD and Jennifer Swogger of the Insite Group will speak to environmental issues. Come ready with your questions for the experts!