2022-04-06T12:42:45-07:00 2021-09-30 030354347 Grippin Donlan & Pinkham PLC 3 Baldwin Avenue South Burlington VT 05403 990 2020-10-01 030307155 Friends of Stowe Conservation Inc DBA Stowe Land Trust STOW 8022537221 PO Box 284 Stowe VT 05672 Kristen Sharpless Executive Director 2022-04-06 true Amy Stewart 999009999 David C Grippin CPA P00040840 8028462000 X 2 AAL1 IAL1 FAL1 2020 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z Amy Stewart PO Box 284 Stowe VT 05672 2176248 false X www.stowelandtrust.org X 1987 VT The Stowe Land Trust is dedicated to the conservation of scenic, recreational, and productive farm and forest lands for the benefit of the greater Stowe community. 22 22 3 41 0 403440 1048631 0 98030 130521 24677 29367 526147 1208519 0 0 183358 208937 0 66617 483987 129215 667345 338152 -141198 870367 4487048 5402281 58947 44152 4428101 5358129 The Stowe Land Trust is dedicated to the conservation of scenic, recreational, and productive farm and forest lands for the benefit of the greater Stowe community. false false 168187 StewardshipIn 2021, Stowe Land Trust spent the remaining funds from a $1,500 Oakland Foundation grant received in 2020 on a riparian tree planning at DuMont Meadow. In 2019, the Canadian Friends of Stowe Land Trust granted $20,000 to SLT to support public access and recreation improvements at Brownsville-Story Ridge Forest. Initial improvements costing $2,325 were made in 2020, and in October 2021, Stowe Land Trust paid $3,014.16 to Stowe Trails Partnership for additional improvements including replacing a bridge and constructing a new connector trail. The remaining balance of $14,660.84 will be spent on upcoming recreation projects in partnership with the State of Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Stowe Trails Partnership. Outreach and EducationOur 2021 Summer Naturalist, a VHCB AmeriCorps Member, resumed in-person programming and events this summer, with a focus on celebrating local farms and food.In 2021, Stowe Land Trust worked with Place Creative, a Burlington-based branding firm to update our organizations visual and verbal brand identity, which included an evolution of our logo, to help further our goal of engaging a broader and more diverse audience. Stowe Land Trust was awarded a $3,000 Technical Assistance grant from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board in 2021 which went directly to this project. An additional $8,448 went toward this project in 2021 from the Land Trust Alliances Excellence grant program, which awarded Stowe Land Trust $15,000 in 2017. Land Protection Projects Stowe Land Trust is currently partnering with Ken Ricketson and the Vermont Land Trust to conserve one of Stowes few remaining farms: the 217-acre Ricketson Farm. In 2021, Stowe Land Trust raised $577,965 to help cover the $2.5 million acquisition, project, and stewardship endowment costs and is continuing local fundraising efforts. Contingent upon raising all of the necessary funds, a closing is scheduled for early 2022.Stowe Land Trust continued to work on strategic planning and landowner outreach on the Shutesville Hill Wildlife Corridor initiative. There were no active land protection projects in the corridor in 2021. The Nature Conservancy released $4,940 to Stowe Land Trust from their funds received through the catalyst campaign for Stowe Land Trust staff time spent coordinating conservation efforts within the internationally important wildlife corridor.In 2020 and 2021, Stowe Land Trust raised $12,005 to help the Vermont Land Trust purchase a conservation easement on the Valcour-Hursh Farm in Morristown and to make the property affordable for the next generation of farmers. Stowe Land Trust disbursed $10,000 to Vermont Land Trust in March 2021 to close the project. The remaining $2,005 was added to Stowe Land Trusts Land Acquisition Fund for future land protection projects.GeneralStowe Land Trust received and spent a $23,800 Payroll Protection Program Loan in 2020 for payroll costs. The loan was forgiven in full in January 2021. 168187 true true false false false false true false false true true false false false false true true false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 6 0 true 3 true false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false X 22 22 false false true false true true false true true false false true true true true true true true true false X Kristen Sharpless 8022537221 6 Sunset Street Stowe VT 05672 Kristen Sharpless Executive Dir. 40.00 0.00 X 67264 0 0 Clifford Borden Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Chess Brownell Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Doren Dolan Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Catherine Drake Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Amy Stewart Treasurer 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Sam Gaines Vice Chair 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jesse Goldfine Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Kerry Sedutto Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Beth Bradford Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Tom Jackman Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jason Slocum Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Mila Lonetto Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Walter Looney Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jess Laporte Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Darsey Moon Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Thomas B Sweet Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ryan Percy Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Anna Black Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jason McLean Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Walter Frame Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Meg Kauffman Secretary 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Dave Wilkens Chairman 2.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 67264 0 false false false 0 327019 15000 6000 700612 1048631 0 53524 53524 0 0 0 1026062 949065 76997 76997 76997 36460 15000 13364 23096 10600 5300 5300 5300 971 971 971 0 1208519 76997 59795 0 0 0 0 90971 39231 33575 18165 0 90596 39069 33437 18090 0 13767 5937 5081 2749 13603 5866 5021 2716 0 0 12800 5520 4724 2556 0 0 0 7775 808 691 6276 24748 20429 415 3904 3606 1555 1331 720 5835 2516 2154 1165 0 22790 9828 8411 4551 455 196 168 91 0 0 0 0 4816 4816 10502 4529 3876 2097 Land project 10000 10000 Stewardship 7180 7180 Event 5713 4591 1122 Telephone 3836 1654 1416 766 9159 4462 3048 1649 338152 168187 103348 66617 115240 151142 554148 885772 21000 70000 0 0 0 0 0 7755 7755 2242359 26777 2220398 2215582 1568507 2072030 0 0 0 0 4487048 5402281 35147 44152 23800 58947 44152 X 1248572 1612636 3179529 3745493 4428101 5358129 4487048 5402281 870367 59661 X true X true X true false X 511953 588036 6705201 403440 1048631 9257261 0 0 511953 588036 6705201 403440 1048631 9257261 0 9257261 28807 44552 133747 69271 53524 329901 0 13475 12883 13392 823 11571 52144 9639306 0.96040 0.96000 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED X X X 33 40 1 true 46 23036 false 943555 171944 53881 1169380 721803 229838 -8086 943555 620353 83826 17624 721803 553676 57000 9677 620353 444250 74521 34905 553676 0.09400 0.04000 0.86600 false false false 2125040 2125040 85733 14862 70871 2049 1708 341 29537 10207 19330 2215582 X 1281544 59661 59661 1221883 -13364 -13364 1208519 351516 13364 13364 338152 338152 Part II, Line 5: Summarized Policy Monitoring is the regular and systematic gathering of information about a conserved property to detect changes and to ensure the property is being used in accordance with the legal restrictions placed on it. SLT monitors land that it owns in fee as well as those on which it holds legal rights through a conservation easement or other legal covenant. All SLT conserved properties are monitored at least once annually in person on the ground.Stowe Land Trust is responsible for enforcing all of its conservation easements through identification and rectification of violations. Regular communication with landowners and diligent annual monitoring can result in minimizing violations and help to resolve enforcement issues in a timely manner. Part II, Line 9: Organization Reporting of conservation easements. The Stowe Land Trust acquires easements and development rights on property through purchase and donation. Within the conservancy movement, a divergence of practice exists as to the values at which easements and development rights are appropriately recorded. The smaller, locally based conservancy organizations tend toward not capitalizing such acquisitions. The Stowe Land Trust has adopted this policy of not capitalizing as assets the acquisition of easements and development rights, but rather discloses them in the footnotes to the financial statements. Part V, Line 4: Intended uses of the endowment fund. The endowment funds are held for long-term growth with the intent to generate on-going income or reserves. The goals of the investment policy are to have sufficient cash resources to meet current spending needs and maintain a positive return on assets held for longer term goals. Part X : FIN48 Footnote The Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization that is exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and classified by the Internal Revenue Service as other than a private foundation. The Land Trust is subject to a tax on income from any unrelated business income.The Land Trust has analyzed tax positions taken on its tax returns and believes that all tax positions will be sustained upon examination and does not anticipate any adjustments that would result in a material adverse affect on the Land Trust's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Accordingly, the Land Trust has not recorded any reserves, or related accruals for interest and penalties for uncertain income tax positions at September 30, 2021. Part XII, Line 2d: Other expenses and losses per audited F/S Cost of inventory sold $0 Direct event expenses $13364 false Golf Fundraiser 51460 15000 36460 13364 51460 15000 36460 13364 13364 23096 Form 990, Part VI, Line 4: Description of Significant Changes to Organizational Documents The Stowe Land Trust passed an amendment to the Bylaws in Article IV Section 2 to remove the Town of Stowe's Planning Director as a permenant director. The Stowe Land Trust added Section 16 which states the Town Manager of Stowe shall have the right to appoint from time to time a Non-voting Representative to the Board of Directors (which may be herself or himself. The Representative shall be entitled to notice of all meetings of the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 13 of this Article and to attend and participate in all such meetings but shall not be deemed a Director for purposes of these By-Laws. Form 990, Part VI, Line 6: Explanation of Classes of Members or Shareholder Any person, family or business organization shall be entitled to membership in the corporation upon the payment of annual dues. There shall be, at a minimum, three classes of membership: (I) Individual; (II) Family, which shall consist of individuals who are related by blood or marriage and who are living in the same household and at the time of payment of dues are identified in writing to the corporation as being members of a contributor's family; (III) Business, which shall consist of a business entity, whether a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association or other entity organized for either a profit or a non-profit purpose. The corporation shall keep a record of the names and addresses of all the member of the corporation. Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b: Form 990 Review Process Form 990 is reviewed by executive director and all board members prior to filing with the IRS. Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts To ensure that the SLT operates in a manner consistent with its charitable purposes and that it does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its status as an organization exempt from federal income tax, periodic reviews of compliance with this policy and disclosure requirements shall be reviewed by the executive committee and approved by the board of directors. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15a: Compensation Review & Approval Process - CEO, Top Management The Stowe Land Trust's process for determining compensation for the executive director includes a review and approval by independent persons, comparability data, and contemporaneous substantiation of the deliberation and decision. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b: Compensation Review and Approval Process for Officers and Key Employees Stowe Land Trust's process for determining compensation for key employees includes a review and approval by independent persons and comparability data. Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available The Stowe Land Trust makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.