2019-08-27T11:11:48-07:00 2018-12-31 CORLISS & SOLOMON PLLC 242 CHARLOTTE ST SUITE 1 ASHEVILLE NC 288011434 990 2018-01-01 562142199 Mainspring Conservation Trust Inc MAIN 8285242711 PO Box 1148 Franklin NC 287441148 Sharon F Taylor Executive Director 8285242711 2019-08-27 true Stephen C Corliss P01333317 8282360206 2019-08-27 68.115.150.214 2019-08-27 11:11:42 PD P 51C7C65BA87B501A5A8CD716F2BCC9F42945A1A6 19C04C626763188D0587BF44A8570314E89B73C0 2018 2019-02-21 02:37:17Z Sharon F Taylor PO Box 1148 Franklin NC 287441148 2037248 false X www.mainspringconserves.org X 1999 NC Located in the heart of the Southern Blue Ridge, the mission of Mainspring Conservation Trust is to conserve the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the Upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River Valleys. 17 17 15 186 0 0 4327922 1717851 286452 235156 30146 51006 20951 16713 4665471 2020726 0 0 647199 699574 0 155998 1673015 1022933 2320214 1722507 2345257 298219 10996016 11171248 311616 270824 10684400 10900424 The mission of Mainspring Conservation Trust is to conserve the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the Upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River Valleys. We are dedicated to three core initiatives: conserve the land, restore the water, and connect the people to these valuable resources. false false 1384460 0 235156 In 2018, Mainspring worked diligently to conserve its nationally significant project area, which has incredible land and water resources overlaid with cultural heritage assets dating back thousands of years. CONSERVE: Mainspring conserved 214 acres in five transactions, including two conservation easements to conserve farm and forest land. Priority purchases include two acquisitions totaling 71 acres that conserves over 4,000 feet of critical Little Tennessee riverfront and adjacent floodplain and contains montane alluvial forest, which is a floodplain forest of the Southern Blue Ridge that is ecologically rich and diverse. Rare aquatic species which will benefit from the conservation of these properties include sicklefin red horse and eastern hellbender. The properties, which were part of the ancient Cherokee Coweeta Creek settlement, connect public lands of the United States Forest Service and NC Game Lands and will provide public parking for increased access to the Bartram Trail, a National Recreation Trail. RESTORE: As part of its restoration program, Mainspring completed one fish barrier removal which connected an entire stream tributary to the river, allowing fish access for miles both upstream and downstream. This is an important component of protecting and restoring fish populations which can have multiple benefits, including enhancement of recreational fishing, an important economic driver in Mainspring's project area. In addition, over 1,500 feet of streambank were stabilized by planting vegetation along the stream. Beyond stabilizing streambanks by limiting erosion, shrubs and trees buffer stream temperatures during warm months, provide a source of food and habitat to fish and other aquatic organisms, and soak up excess nutrients from the land. CONNECT: Mainspring co-sponsored a day-long Little Tennessee Watershed Conference, part of the twenty-fifth celebration of the first watershed conference which was the basis of both the Little Tennessee Watershed Association and the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, now merged as Mainspring. The attendees, approximately 100, heard about the findings of 30 years of aquatic biomonitoring and the impact of climate change in the Southern Blue Ridge, as well as many other topics. Mainspring engaged 2,934 people through 45 education programs, including a partnership to teach children about non-native invasive plants and their harmful effect on aquatic habitat, birds and native plants. Mainspring documented over 2,115 hours donated by its volunteers, including activities as diverse as weeding, to legal document drafting. 1384460 true true false false false false true false false true true false false true true true true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true true false false false false false false false false true 20 0 true 15 true false false false false false false true 2 false false false false false false false X 17 17 false false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true false false NC GA FL X X X Ramelle Smith 8285242711 557 E Main St Franklin NC 28744 Constance Haire Chair 3.00 X X 0 0 0 Jason Love Vice Chair 3.00 X X 0 0 0 John Gladden Secretary 3.00 X X 0 0 0 Rita Salain Treasurer 3.00 X X 0 0 0 Chris Brouwer At-large Executive Committee seat 3.00 X X 0 0 0 David Adams Board Member 3.00 X 0 0 0 Richard Clark Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Bill Gibson Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Ed Haight Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Russ Harris Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Hope Huskey Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Terrie Kelly Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Doug Landwehr Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Lisa Leatherman Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Ben Steere Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 James Stork Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 John Strawn Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Sharon Taylor Executive Director 40.00 X 79346 0 20326 79346 0 20326 false false false Penland 300 NPL Loop Franklin NC 28734 Walnut Creek Restoration 122807 1 1717851 393621 1717851 Stewardship Contracts 541990 13225 0 0 Conservation Project Administration 541990 221931 0 0 235156 51456 0 51456 11810 11810 11810 11810 2000 2450 -450 -450 0 0 -450 15000 14072 928 928 164 164 164 Miscellaneous 900099 3811 3811 0 0 3811 2020726 250777 0 52098 99678 49839 24920 24919 486867 323497 81208 82162 26327 19152 4263 2912 44444 27407 10682 6355 42258 26124 9419 6715 250 250 0 0 13600 0 13600 0 280323 259325 10292 10706 307 282 0 25 10781 4128 2530 4123 18796 12137 3488 3171 21152 16539 2626 1987 29171 22897 3101 3173 7362 3200 3119 1043 14978 11396 1854 1728 23038 18063 2298 2677 Easement and Land Purchases 44996 44996 0 0 Below Book Value Land Sales 468678 468678 0 0 Supplies/Materials/Publications 25848 19330 3616 2902 Land Disbursement Expense 26195 26195 0 0 37458 31025 5033 1400 1722507 1384460 182049 155998 73105 46913 2790455 2492415 75250 40175 7517 16092 5115 8679 7443606 59231 6850900 7384375 7336 7248 1186338 1175351 10996016 11171248 23860 32780 104195 60473 160928 154469 22633 23102 311616 270824 X 9469579 9770102 760282 1130322 454539 0 10684400 10900424 10996016 11171248 298219 -82195 X X false true X true false X 0 1939682 1600371 2673742 4327922 1717851 12259568 0 0 1939682 1600371 2673742 4327922 1717851 12259568 2088686 10170882 65457 45298 39300 47506 63266 260827 0 4146 7737 28736 8137 3811 52567 12572962 1072431 0.80890 0.79870 X 0 0 0 Pt II Ln 10 Other Income Part II, Line 10 Description: Other Revenue 2014: 4146. 2015: 7737. 2016: 28736. 2017: 8137. 2018: 3811. X X X X 59 6845.90 0 2 true 667.00 20501 true 1004711 5593 -54168 28975 7380 919781 884752 9750 136642 19170 7263 1004711 831794 30500 56314 27300 6556 884752 821043 35000 2555 20477 6327 831794 716164 78032 46880 14000 6033 821043 0.27660 0.50020 0.22320 true false 0 6652713 6652713 390420 13802 376618 72864 36781 36083 327609 8648 318961 7384375 Options and Escrow Deposits 0 Endowment held by Community Foundation of WNC 919781 Conservation Land Subject to Life Estate, Net 255070 Security Deposit 500 1175351 Fiscal Agent Funds Payable 23102 23102 X 1949166 -82195 10635 -71560 2020726 2020726 1733142 10635 10635 1722507 1722507 Pt II, Line 5 CEs are monitored by Mainspring's conservation easement monitoring staff at least annually with a report to Mainspring's files and the landowner. The handling of violations, monitoring and enforcement are covered in Mainspring's Stewardship Policy Manual. Pt II, Line 9 Conservation easements purchased are expensed at cost. Conservation easements received by donation are not recorded in the organization's books.(See Schedule O for further information.) Other The intended uses of the organization's endowment funds are to generate income for conservation easement stewardship, land acquisition and other conservation purposes consistent with the purpose and terms of each endowment fund. Pt X, Line 2 Mainspring is exempt from federal income taxes under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under the Code, income from certain activities not related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose may be subject to taxation as unrelated business income. The organization had less than $1,000 of income from unrelated business activities in the 2018 fiscal year and was, therefore, not required to file Federal Form 990-T (Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return). The organization believes that it has appropriate support for all tax positions taken, and as such, does not have any uncertain tax positions that are material to the financial statements. X 6 150323 Fair Market Value X 5 243043 Appraisal X Event Supplies 2 255 Fair Value false true false Pt I Line 30b Mainspring does not carry conservation easements as assets on it's books. Donated conservation easements are not recognized in revenue. Other Line 17 Real estate - Other - Land donations are reported on this line. Pt VI, Line 1a Per the Bylaws, the Executive Committee may exercise the powers of the Board between Board meetings, except as may be limited by the North Carolina Nonprofit Corporation Act, or may make recommendations to the Board with respect to any matters that come before it. All actions taken by the Executive Committee shall be reported to the Board of Directors at the meeting following such action. Pt VI, Line 11b The 990 is initially reviewed by the Finance Manager and the Executive Director. It is then provided to the Finance Committee for review and approval. Finally, the 990 is sent to the Board of Directors prior to filing. Pt VI, Line 12c A conflict of interest statement is handed out to the Board of Directors in attendance at the first board meeting of the new year and are asked to complete it and hand it in at that time. The statement is mailed to any board members who misses that meeting. To ensure all the completed forms are returned within one month, a designated staff member follows up with anyone who has not submitted the signed form. Staff is given a Conflict of Interest statement to complete each January, or if new to the organization at their time of hire. The Finance Manager reviews the statements. In addition, the Executive Director monitors the statements for any possible conflicts of interest. Pt VI, Line 15a In the annual budgeting process, the Board approves a budget line for aggregate salary expense. Thereafter, the Executive Director gives consideration to comparable salary information for land trust nonprofit organizations with similar budgets, as available, and local job markets. The Executive Committee sets the Executive Director salary after a performance review and a check of comparable salary information for related land trust nonprofit organizations with similar budgets. Pt VI, Line 18 Forms 1023 and 990 are available upon request. The Form 990 is also available on the organization's website. Pt VI, Line 19 Governing documents, Conflict of Interest policy and audited financial statements are available upon request. Pt XII, Line 2c The Audit Committee directly reviews the audit. Other Sch D, Ln 3&5 - Since U.S. GAAP does not provide specific guidance on the accounting treatment for conservation easements, land trust organizations in the U.S. use several different methods to account for the easements they hold. Mainspring has adopted one such method which is widely used by other land trusts. Under this method, conservation easements are not recognized as assets. Accordingly, easements received by donation are not recorded in income and easements purchased by the organization are recorded as expenses. Management believes that this method results in financial statements that most accurately reflect the organization's financial activities. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Program Event Expense 693. 677. 0. 16. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Dues/Subscriptions 3435. 1440. 1700. 295. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Miscellaneous 3288. 740. 1718. 830. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Field Equipment 2263. 2263. 0. 0. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Project Management 7100. 7100. 0. 0. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Property Tax-Lands 14857. 14857. 0. 0. Form 990, Part IX, Line 24e Staff Development 5822. 3948. 1615. 259.