Conservation Valuation Project

Host: Keep It Colorado
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation, Climate Mitigation, Ecosystem / Habitat Conservation
Skills Needed: Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Detail-Oriented

Service Needs & Plans

Keep It Colorado is a statewide coalition of land trusts, public agencies and conservation professionals. One key area of the work is helping the conservation community advance their work with innovative tools. This project will lead the conservation community in the development of a new way to value conservation easements in the state. The goal is to equip landowners with an additional option for perpetually conserving their property with a well-crafted and supported valuation model that will work in landscapes where the current model, based on development pressures in the market, does not always afford landowners the financial incentives necessary to permanently protect their land.

The Conservation Innovation Fellow will allow Keep It Colorado to maximize grant and individual donor support to develop this critical tool. A new valuation method will enable conservation in critical areas of the state with the most biodiverse and climate resilient landscapes. The communities that support and are supported by these landscapes need thriving local agriculture and outdoor recreation economies, and those economies are supported by conservation efforts. In order to ensure there is equitable access to state conservation incentives, landowners need to have a way to value conservation easements that reflect the conservation values present on their land and protected for the public good. Establishing an alternative valuation method will give those landowners the options they need to help their communities and achieve state climate resiliency and conservation goals.

Project Description

The overarching goals of the conservation valuation project is to coordinate and facilitate community-wide meetings to establish a valuation methodology. It is imperative that conservation professionals, with their expertise from varying types and sizes of organizations, provide input and drive the results of the process. A new valuation methodology is needed to serve as an alternative option to landowners. Currently, the way a conservation easement is valued is based on the market value of the land once development rights are given up as part of the easement. This method works really well in areas where land is lost to development regularly. It does not, however, work well to capture the value of the conservation being protected, regardless of the development pressure. This challenge means that landscapes with immense ecosystem services or climate importance, like rural natural and working lands, grasslands or prime agricultural soils, have little to no value for conservation purposes. Leaving landowners with few solutions when they need financial assistance to continue stewarding the lands. The conservation community has been discussing a new valuation model for years and some work has been done to establish a concept. The new method must have stakeholder buy-in and be well-thought through to avoid any abuse or unintended land market impacts.

Once a methodology is finalized, it will be tested both “on paper” against conservation easements that have already been conveyed, and then again “on the ground” to determine the validity of the method. This testing will be run by conservation professionals from around the state but will be coordinated by the Fellow. Once the method has been tested, it will be recommended to the Division of Conservation for adoption as an additional valuation method that may be used to determine the value of perpetual easements that qualify for state tax credits.

The role of the Conservation Innovation Fellow will to be coordinate and facilitate the planning meetings and methodology development, alongside additional staff from Keep It Colorado. The Fellow will also coordinate the review of the pilot projects to validate the methodology and assist in preparing the final report for the Division of the Conservation.

These resources will allow Keep It Colorado the capacity necessary to lead this time intensive and detail-oriented project in a way that ensures community input and buy-in. The Fellow will provide the undivided attention the project needs, which has suffered from competing priorities for the coalition and conservation community over the last few years. Nimble, responsive conservation tools are needed that give landowners the incentives they need to protect critical natural and working lands that support biodiversity, sequester carbon, and sustainably feed people.

Desired Skills

The ideal Fellow will have/be:

  • Solid communication skills – both verbal and written.
  • Ability to coordinate details for meetings including scheduling, invites, agendas, and notes.
  • Desire to learn more about private land conservation and the tools used to help landowners protect conservation values.
  • Unafraid to ask questions.
  • Eager to work with groups of people with diverse viewpoints and varying perspectives on a topic. Ability to help foster a collaborative environment so these differing viewpoints can still lead to common result.
  • Strong presentation skills and strong listening skills.
  • Able to work independently and virtually but willing to reach out to the team when support is needed.
Organization & Community Highlights

Keep It Colorado is a statewide coalition that serves land trusts and open space agencies. We focus heavily on the tools, resources, and expertise necessary to advance conservation of privately owned lands. Our team is comprised of 3 full-time staff and 12 volunteer board members. Our work is nearly entirely remote, although we meet in-person a couple times per month to plan and connect as a team. At Keep It Colorado we value bold ideas, problem-solving, an inclusive approach, a strong service ethic, and balance. We are committed to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in our organization and throughout the conservation community. We take action on this commitment by working with a DEIJ consultant to create an action plan for Keep It Colorado, securing funding for our members to advance their own DEIJ work and hosting trainings for the community.

We believe in honoring each team member’s unique experiences and expertise. We encourage people to be open, honest and genuine and commit to a safe and respectful workplace.

Working with Keep It Colorado affords team members an opportunity to meet other conservation nonprofits and public agencies at the local, regional and state level. This particular project will also afford the Fellow a unique opportunity to help Colorado’s conservation community be on the forefront of conservation tools and resources. This project has gained the attention of the Colorado Dept. of Natural Resource, Climate Resiliency Office, Governor’s Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, major state and foundation funders, and the land trust community as a whole. The project has a lot of support but also a lot of varying ideas and perspectives involved. Success will mean a Fellow who can help Keep It Colorado fully engage stakeholders and ensure a collaborative end result.

Overall, our workplace culture is laid back but with high expectations for doing what is needed to get the job done. We believe your hours are yours and trust our staff to accomplish the tasks at hand and take time for themselves as well. We communicate a lot to keep everyone in the loop and that may mean texts, emails, phone calls or Zoom calls. We respect each other’s time and we support each other whenever it is needed.

Remote or On-Site Placement

Our work is 95% remote. Our staff work from home in Boulder, Denver, and Eagle Colorado. We meet 2 times per month in-person in Golden/Denver. The Fellow needs to be able to serve from home and the project will be run remotely. Joining in-person staff meetings would be ideal but not required. We are all vaccinated and follow COVID restrictions.

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