Norfolk Land Trust Receives Grants

By Susannah Wood
The Norfolk Land Trust has been awarded a grant from the Land Trust Alliance and the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, which will enable it to complete baseline documentation on certain local conservation easements held by the trust.
The $5,250 grant will fund the completion of baseline documentation on four conservation restrictions (as easements are officially known in Connecticut). Baseline documentation is important because it records the condition of the property, such as a general description, acreage, buildings, and trails, so that the organization holding the restriction can monitor for any problems or violations. Maps and photographs will be included. Baseline documentation makes good stewardship more likely and also lays the protective groundwork for any future legal defense of a conservation restriction. Both the Land Trust Alliance and the Connecticut Land Conservation Council were established to provide guidelines for good practices to land conservation groups and to be reservoirs of information and experience.
The Norfolk Land Trust has also been accepted into the Nonprofit Learning Program (NLP) funded by the Northwest Corner Fund, which helps nonprofit organizations hone their operations and strengthen the skills of their boards.
The NLP was started in 2005 to help organizations in this area do their work more effectively. Board and staff interactions, outreach to the community, recruitment of good board members, fund raising, and strategic planning for the future affect both the longevity and impact of any organization, but often get swept aside by day to day obligations. This course gives nonprofits a chance to pay serious attention to issues of governance and management.
Four participants from each nonprofit pledge to attend each of four sessions and to take what they have learned back to their boards. Simone Joyaux, an author and consultant who has worked with nonprofits for over 20 years, leads board members and staff through a rigorous examination of their method of doing business. The course includes classroom work, a $2000 grant for implementation, a targeted consultation with Joyaux focusing on the particular needs of each organization, and an annual seminar for former participants. Any nonprofit group with 501c3 tax status can apply.
Thirty-five nonprofits and 140 board members have participated thus far and include the Kent Children’s Center, Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, Tri-Arts Playhouse, Habitat for Humanity of Northwestern CT, and the North East Community Center. Joyaux has also worked as a consultant for a number of land trusts in Rhode Island and Connecticut. For further information on the program contact the Northwest Corner Fund at the Berkshire Taconic Foundation at 413-528-8039.