2017-05-11T15:05:36-07:00 2016-12-31 990 2016-01-01 043047156 BELGRADE REGIONAL CONSERVATION ALLIANCE INC BELG 2074956039 PO Box 250 Belgrade Lakes ME 049180250 Richard Greenan Treasurer 2074959045 2017-05-11 67.253.125.52 2016 2021-01-29 14:40:06Z Melvin Croft 90 Eastwood Drive Smithfield ME 04978 558692 0 X www.belgradelakes.org X 1988 ME The Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA) conserves the lands, water quality, and natural heritage of the Belgrade Lakes Watershed. 9 9 43 102 0 0 454849 394429 163862 130889 1431 28558 0 4816 620142 558692 0 0 0 0 354478 331391 0 0 4795 255882 242231 610360 573622 9782 -14930 2241593 2100673 194630 68640 2046963 2032033 The Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA) conserves the lands, water quality, and natural heritage of the Belgrade Lakes Watershed. To promote for the benefit of the general public the preservation of natural resources, to engage in and promote the scientific study of, and education regarding natural resources, and to use all property held by the corp, and the net earnings thereon, for the benefit of the general public and for charitable, educational, recreational, conservation, or scientific purposes. 0 0 169059 45254 151967 BRCA's Milfoil Program seeks to protect aquatic ecosystems & public enjoyment of the lakes in the Belgrade Lakes watershed, by preventing and mitigating the spread of invasive aquatic plants. BRCA places both paid & volunteer boat inspectors at public boat launches to check for plant fragments on boats entering & leaving lakes, and educates boaters about the threat posed by invasive aquatic plants. BRCA also organizes Invasive Plant Patrols to search for invasive plants that may have become established in at-risk areas. In 2016, BRCA employed 18 part-time workers and worked with 15 volunteers to provide 5,053 hours of coverage, & inspected 12,084 boats on 5 public boat ramps and 1 private launch. In 2010, variable milfoil was found growing in the Great Meadow Stream that runs between North Pond and Great Pond. During the summer of 2016, BRCA worked in partnership with the Belgrade Lakes Association to mitigate the variable milfoil infestation and pulled approximately 3,500 gallons of variable milfoil, while employing 6 summer staff and many volunteers. 88147 2600 87571 The primary goal of BRCA's Youth Conservation Corps is to protect the water quality of the Belgrade Lakes chain from degradation due to the impact of developed areas within the watershed. To accomplish this, the Conservation Corps employs local students to complete erosion control projects in the Belgrade Lakes Watershed, reducing the input of sediment, phosphorus, and other pollutants into the lakes. Typical projects include shoreline riprap, bare soil stabilization, buffer plantings, infiltration structures, rain gardens, and runoff diversion. Projects are completed primarily on privately-owned property around the lakes, and homeowners pay only for the cost of materials used. The cost of planning, technical assistance and labor is paid for by donations from area lake associations, municipalities, businesses and private donors. 68037 1000 4017 Lakes Trust division: BRCA's Lake Trust program is a collaborative between BRCA and the five lake associations in the Belgrade Lakes watershed that was formed to: (1) Improve and maintain water quality in our lakes; (2) Build the capacity and strengthen the branding of lake associations; (3) Create public support and increase funding for water quality restoration. Through the Lake Trust, BRCA provides technical expertise and capacity-building assistance to the lake associations and facilitates watershed-wide discussion of water quality issues. Specific services provided by the Lake Trust include: providing staff support for water quality programs, facilitating monthly collaborative meetings between BRCA and the five member lake associations, and providing direction for the Courtesy Boat Inspection Program and Youth Conservation Corps. 65404 37000 38749 Education and Outreach Program: Program goals are to establish a strong environmental education program that provides services to schools and summer camps in the Belgrade Lakes region as well as to the general public, to increase public awareness of conservation issues & to encourage members of the public to make environmentally responsible choices. 64620 102538 191583 Stewardship Program: BRCA operates an active stewardship program to monitor conservation easements and ensure that the conservation values of fee properties are adequately protected. In 2016, each fee property and conservation easement was visited at least once to monitor conditions on the property. BRCA staff and volunteers completed work projects on several trails owned by BRCA in 2016. In all, 20 volunteers contributed 300 hours to help with the stewardship program. BRCA also contracted to provide stewardship services for the US Wildlife Land Trust (WLT), a national land trust with holdings in Maine. Under this contract, BRCA staff conducted monitoring visits to seven WLT properties and easements in Maine. 38154 48110 33928 Watershed Program: The BRCA Watershed Program conducts projects to improve water quality throughout the watershed. These projects are funded through Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) grants from the 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program. The program partners with the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District (KCSWCD). Projects include watershed surveys, education and outreach on water quality, watershed based plans, & designing and implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) for gravel roads or other erosion sites. 15923 0 0 Land Trust division: BRCA's Land Trust Program develops plans and strategies for conserving land through fee purchases and conservation easements. Potential properties are evaluated using our long-term conservation plan and the Land Trust Committee negotiates purchases or donations with landowners and works to raise funds with a capital campaign. One of our major projects, the Kennebec Highlands was conducted in partnership with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, partially funded by the Land for Maine's Future (LMF) program. Our priorities are to expand high value wildlife habitat and protect water quality while expanding low-impact recreational opportunities in the watershed. The following is from BRCA's strategic plan: Responsibilities are to develop and apply criteria for selecting land or conservation easements for BRCA acquisition; select target properties for BRCA ownership or conservation easements; negotiate purchases and donations of land or easements with landowners; coordinate with Stewardship Committee to identify long-term goals and costs of ownership or easement of properties prior to acquisition decisions; document all steps of the land acquisition process in accordance with LTA Standards and Practices; and apply for grants and conduct capital campaigns to fund land and easement acquisition. Goals are to add to the conserved land area in the Belgrade Lakes region in accordance with a long range conservation plan; to protect areas that provide high-value habitat and/or are important to the water quality of the Belgrade Lakes; to expand existing conservation lands and establish wildlife and trail corridors to connect natural areas; and to expand recreational opportunities by linking existing trails and properties, creating canoe/kayak trail, etc. 184101 187648 264260 509344 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 0 1 43 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 9 9 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 X X X Richard Greenan 2074959045 137 Main St 2nd floor PO Box 250 Belgrade Lakes ME 049180250 Melvin Croft President 5.00 0 X X 0 0 0 Richard Greenan Treasurer 5 0 X X 0 0 0 Christine Cook Secretary 4 0 X X 0 0 0 Patrick Donahue Member at Large 2 0 X 0 0 0 Mark Heuberger Member at Large 1 0 X 0 0 0 Peter Kallin Member at Large 4 0 X 0 0 0 Jodie Mosher-Towle Member at Large 1 0 X 0 0 0 Margaret Shannon Member at Large 2 0 X 0 0 0 William Swan Member at Large 3 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 48722 1012 10888 210303 123504 0 394429 Milfoil Program 813312 97018 97018 0 0 Youth Conservation Corps 813312 28098 28098 0 0 Stewardship Program 813312 2416 2416 0 0 Education Program 813312 1539 1539 0 0 Lakes Division Program 813312 1000 1000 0 0 818 818 0 0 130889 28558 28558 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1012 Shared Photocopier 813312 4514 4514 0 0 Maps 813312 302 302 0 0 0 0 0 0 4816 558692 164263 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 288750 252423 35127 1200 0 0 0 0 15763 14228 1535 0 26878 23565 3221 92 0 0 0 0 1735 1735 0 0 4914 1014 3900 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60967 60512 455 0 0 0 0 0 60747 55482 1762 3503 13434 3171 10263 0 0 0 0 0 12451 12451 0 0 7171 6916 255 0 0 0 0 0 2281 1901 380 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3819 3819 0 0 7952 6801 1151 0 Stewardship Real Estate taxes 6530 6530 0 0 Program Service Cost 50829 50829 0 0 Vehicle costs 6226 6226 0 0 Professional Development 600 0 600 0 2575 1741 834 0 573622 509344 59483 4795 34221 62401 100029 21009 25000 0 11654 18934 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1460 0 1768820 7638 1724311 1761182 344918 237147 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2241593 2100673 21231 16418 0 0 0 0 0 170000 50000 0 3399 2222 194630 68640 X 48686 64219 289242 176929 1709035 1790885 2046963 2032033 2241593 2100673 -14930 0 0 0 0 0 X 1 X 1 X 1 0 X 365912 384038 382052 405173 394429 1931604 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 365912 384038 382052 405173 394429 1931604 188440 1743164 27506 46733 27309 13419 28558 143525 0 0 0 0 0 0 249680 297572 203595 214062 135705 1100614 3175743 0 0.54890 0.58470 X Schedule A, Part II, Line 10 Program Service Revenue and shared photocopier reimbursement. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 800 0 1 1200 2000 0 0 1 0 Schedule C, Part II-B, Line 1 Organized a petition for town funding. Secured town funding in Belgrade, Rome, Oakland, Smithfield, and Sidney. Supported state legislation that affects land and water conservation. X X X 14 1058 0 0 0 1 1 325.00 17000 1 344918 0 28476 0 135234 1014 237146 395472 10492 778 0 60000 1824 344918 360214 47448 27068 0 38000 1258 395472 307135 7371 45708 0 0 0 360214 282366 0 26269 0 1500 0 307135 0.87 0 0.13 0 0 0 1749725 1749725 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19095 0 7638 11457 0 0 0 0 1761182 1742 Flexible Spending Account-Medical 480 2222 Schedule D, Part II, Line 5 The Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance's (BRCA) Conservation Easement Monitoring Policy: Every parcel on which BRCA holds an easement will be monitored at least once a year. Monitoring will be done by BRCA staff or trained volunteers. The monitor will follow established procedures and will thoroughly document the result of the monitoring visit. Monitoring report forms will be kept on file at the BRCA office. Whenever a new conservation easement is acquired, the Stewardship Committee will, within six months of the easement signing, consider the monitoring requirements of the easement, establish an appropriate monitoring schedule, and appoint a monitor for the property. When a landowner exercises reserved rights requiring notification of BRCA, one or more additional monitoring visits will be made to ensure that the activities are carried out in accordance with the easement. The landowner will be informed in advance of all monitoring visits and invited to attend. Following the visit, the owner will be informed in writing of the results of the visit, whether they were present or not. The person conducting an official monitoring visit on an easement may not be the owner of the property. Whenever possible, the same person will monitor an easement from year to year. Schedule D, Part II, Line 9 BRCA Conservation Easements are valued using the zero valuation method. Schedule D, Part V, Line 4 The purpose of the BRCA Endowment Fund is to fund the long-term management of BRCA fee lands and conservation easements. The Youth Conservation Corps account provides annual operating funds to that program. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 6 BRCA is supported by our membership. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a BRCA members may attend the annual meeting where they may elect where they may elect the Board of Directors and officers of the corporation. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7b Only by-law changes. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b The 990 review process includes review by the president, the treasurer, the office manager, the executive director, and the board. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c The BRCA conflict of interest policy is semi-annually reviewed at the April and October board meetings. Also, when issues arise during monthly board meetings, where voting is needed on issues that may entail issues of conflict of interest, board members abstain. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 The process for determining the executive director's compensation includes a review and approval by the board using comparability data from outside resources. Performed annually. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 18 The BRCA financial statements and 990 are available to the public at the Guidestar website and at BRCA's office. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 BRCA makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public. The by-laws are made available to the members upon request and distributed prior to any proposed amendments. The conflict of interest policy is written in the BRCA organizational manual and available on request. The BRCA financial statements and 990 are available to the public at the Guidestar website and at BRCA's office. Form 990, Part IX, Line 11g The bulk of this expense line for programs is for contractors with a DASH (diver-assisted suction harvester) boat to remove the milfoil infestation for our Milfoil Program and road construction contractors performing erosion control projects under the federal 319 Clean Water Act grant funding. Also professional fees for plant identification, title search, consultants to advise accreditation process, facilitator for strategic planning, building kiosk roof, land acquisition consultant, snow plowing, State of Maine Conservation Corps crew, and water quality scientist.