Mission

The Trust for Land Restoration’s mission is to heal the last worst places by restoring, conserving and protecting environmentally significant lands degraded by mining or other human activities.

Values

• TLR’s restoration and conservation activities will endeavor to evaluate, restore and maintain intact natural processes at environmentally significant sites.
• TLR will develop environmental liability management techniques and practices necessary to allow TLR to accomplish its goals and objectives.
• TLR’s actions and expertise will not be used to absolve or lessen any mandated clean up obligation.
• TLR’s practices are intended to offer alternative legal scenarios that ultimately will expedite the clean up, restoration and conservation protection of sites hampered by environmental liability issues.
• TLR’s seeks collaborative, non-confrontational, win-win-win solutions for land trusts, property owners, industry and government partners.
• TLR will only engage in activities that respect private property rights.
• TLR will always practice the highest standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism.

Goals and Objectives 2002-2005

1) ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Develop an organizational structure that allows TLR to manage legal and liability issues sufficient to undertake demonstration projects.

• Develop a Board of Directors with broad, related expertise in law, restoration, government, industry, land trust, real estate, and fundraising;
• Develop and adopt internal policies, procedures, standards and practices consistent with Land Trust Alliance recommended Standards and Practices;
• Create an operating plan, work plan and budget that identifies staff needs, tasks and costs;
• Complete a marketing plan and funding analysis that identifies a variety of potential sources and resources sufficient to sustain operating and project specific financial needs;
• Create a resource directory of important contacts and begin building relationships with key people in the government, industry and land trust communities;
• Update legal procedures and protocols, as projects are undertaken and new information surfaces.

2) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS: Complete two projects to demonstrate proof of concept, one project being a TLR initiated acquisition and restoration, the second being a cooperative project in which TLR consults with a lead land trust or local government. 

• Establish project criteria consistent with Land Trust Alliance recommended Standards and Practices;
• Work with land trusts and local governments to identify potential projects;
• Conduct environmental, restoration, regulatory, legal, tax, partnership, take-out strategy and funding feasibility analysis for 2 to 3 potential acquisitions and 2 to 3 potential cooperative consulting projects;
• Select demonstration projects;
• Create project plans and budgets;
• Secure funding;
• Develop and execute real estate and liability agreements;
• Undertake restoration where called for;
• Transfer ownership of acquisitions to another land trust, government entity, or citizen group in a manner that assures long-term conservation protection and stewardship;
• Monitor completed easement acquisitions consistent with Land Trust Alliance recommended Standards and Practices;
• Continually evaluate project results and modify legal analysis, policies, procedures, and protocols as necessary.

3) CONSULTING: Establish within the land conservation community the Trust for Land Restoration as a primary resource for environmental liability management expertise.

• Make presentations to key audiences, including land trust organizations, government agencies, the legal community and restoration groups;
• Continue to develop and maintain www.restorationtrust.org as a web site that describes the organization and its mission; reviews demonstration project results; makes legal analysis, policies and practices available electronically; and allows for on-line donations;
• Publish in appropriate journals, including legal journals and other venues of key audiences;
• Develop project “before-and-after” visual materials.

4) LEGISLATIVE SOLUTIONS:  Although the Trust for Land Restoration is not a lobbying organization, the success of our efforts to restore mined lands, and the ability of other land trusts to conserve lands encumbered by environmental liability concerns is directly related to laws, regulations, and the legislative process.  Therefore, TLR will continually track existing and proposed laws, and offer its expertise to other organizations that do lobby

• Direct General Counsel to track proposed legislation and changes to applicable laws and regulations;
• Develop relationships with the Western Governors Association, the Mineral Policy Center and the Land Trust Alliance to offer expertise on legislative issues of importance to TLR and the greater land trust community related to environmental liability management. 

5) FUNDRAISING: Raise funds sufficient to meet operations and project expenses.

• Identify prospective donors and potential funding sources and mechanisms;
• Develop targeted presentations that emphasize successes and unique approach to problem solving.

Restoration Defined

Site specific activities of the Trust for Land Restoration will:

• Attempt to mitigate the site’s harmful environmental effects;
• Evaluate and restore, or begin to restore, natural elements; set the stage so that native communities and habitat can reappear;
• Select environmentally significant sites, using Natural Heritage data and evaluation, where available;
• Remove, or at least control invasive species;
• Seek conservation protection for all projects TLR undertakes;
• Restore habitat, not necessarily landform;
• Respect cultural values.

Vision of Success in 2003

• Trust for Land Restoration is recognized as the leader in facilitating mining companies, regulators and people in the environmental community to cooperate to achieve restoration and conservation of environmentally significant sites.
• Restored sites blend into surrounding landscape.
• Trust for Land Restoration holds its 4th annual conference on a restored and protected site.

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