by Paul L. King, Bill Dygert, Greg Kimsey

To the Editor:

As Clark County residents concerned about conservation, we are grateful that Columbia Land Trust has worked with more than 70 landowners to conserve 7,000 acres of our region’s most important lands. Columbia Land Trust acts responsibly and fulfills important community needs. It does so consistently, and has done so for years.

We would like to comment on The Columbian’s article “Private Property, Public Betrayal” published July 24. The article dealt with a situation in which Columbia Land Trust did not accept a property offered to it. When this happens, there will be people who are disappointed. However, a land trust that is well run and using its resources carefully must turn down a property that does not fit the trust’s mission. That is living up to the public’s trust, not betraying it.

Land trusts conserve land by gift or by purchase from conservation-minded landowners. With each property, the land trust accepts responsibility to protect and further the conservation of the land, forever.

A donated property is not a windfall, it is a responsibility, bringing with it a perpetual obligation to care for the land. The land’s condition must be carefully documented and monitored regularly to ensure that conservation goals are met. The land trust must take action to resolve problems that arise, and must insure the land. The land trust must be willing and able to take on these responsibilities forever, for every piece of land under its guard, and it must be confident that it will have the resources to ensure good stewardship, always.

Therefore, it is crucial that a land trust be very thoughtful about the properties it accepts. A well managed land trust carefully crafts a Mission Statement and goals identifying the locations and types of land it hopes to conserve. One of the toughest decisions a land trust can make is to turn down a land donation, because not doing so would divert trust resources from more important opportunities.

In deciding whether to accept a particular property, trusts look at the size of the parcel, its condition, the proximity to other conserved land, the management needs for the land, public access opportunities, and the burden perpetual stewardship would impose on the trust. Inevitably, a well-run land trust turns down some donations offered to it.

To ensure that its operations are efficient and above-board, Columbia Land Trust is overseen by a diverse board drawn from the local community, conducts an annual financial audit and follows nationally-recognized standards and practices.

A donor’s charitable intent is always respected. In declining a property provided through a bequest, a trust may seek other groups that might accomplish the donor’s wishes. The trust works with the donor’s family, their representatives and, if needed, the courts, to try to ensure that the landowner’s wishes are achieved. If no other group can be found, land trusts leave to the prospective donor’s representatives the decision of what to do next.

What happened in the situation described in the article in The Columbian is that Columbia Land Trust, operating as described above, made the tough decision not to accept a land donation offered to it in a bequest. When the donor’s representatives decided to sell the land, the trust accepted a cash donation of sale proceeds which it will use to preserve other lands in the region. The land trust was not involved in the sale of the land itself; it did not select the buyer, set the price, or determine how much of the sale proceeds were available for donation.

Citizens can be assured that Columbia Land Trust can be trusted, both because it adheres to the highest ethical standards, and is willing to make difficult decisions. Conservation is a critical need for our increasingly crowded community. We urge everyone to support Columbia Land Trust as an effective and honest conservator of our lands.

- Paul L. King, Bill Dygert, Greg Kimsey