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Land Entiry White Paper <br />4. Use an Existing Non-Praftt Corporation <br />November 30, 1999 <br />There are a host of private, nan-proft canservation and community <br />organi7atians that could serve as tne Land Entity under contract, These include national <br />and regional organizations such as: the Nature Conservancy; the Canservation Fund; the <br />Center for Natural Lands Management; and the Trust for Public Land, as well as state <br />and local organizations such as Audubon Nebraska and the Piatte River Whooping Crane <br />Critical Habitat Maintenance Trust. In addition, the Nebraska Community Foundation <br />and various local community founda#ions have some capacity to serve in this role, <br />although they lack specific land conservation and management expertise. <br />Each non-profit has slightly different expertise, caPability and orientation. <br />Depending on the type of relationship and scope of responsibilities, many of these groups <br />have expressed a willingness to assist with the implementation af the land component of <br />the Program. <br />Advantages <br />• These groups have varying levels of expertise and experience that can be useful to <br />land protection transactions and land management. <br />• These groups aze in place and could be used immediately. <br />+ Many groups have experience with diverse transactions. <br />• No federal legislation is required ta use pre-existing entities. <br />Disadvantages <br />• Al1 of these organizations have many ather projects that could command their <br />attentian. <br />• SeveraI ofthese organizations are perceived by some stakeholders as <br />nan-responsive or adversarial to local or landowner concems. <br />• Most of these organizations have experience in sorne, but nvt all of the praposed <br />activities. <br />• These organizations all have existing boards af directors that are made up of <br />different constituencies that include few of the Program participants, raising <br />questions about representatian and responsiveness to the needs of other <br />stakeholders. <br />• These organizatians may have specific aims in the Platte River region that are <br />different fram or even in competition with the Program or its members, raising <br />questians about responsiveness to Governance Committee views on Pragram <br />aims. <br />• As non-profit corporations, they have less direct accountability to the federal and <br />state parties. <br />9.?.