White Paper: Options for Managing the Land Protection Component of the PRRIP

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Land Entity White Paper November 30, 1999 4. Use an Existing Non Profit Corporation There are a host of private, non - profit conservation and community organizations that could serve as the Land Entity under contract. These include national and regional organizations such as: the Nature Conservancy; the Conservation Fund; the Center for Natural Lands Management; and the Trust for Public Land, as well as state and local organizations such as Audubon Nebraska and the Platte River Whooping Crane Critical Habitat Maintenance Trust. In addition, the Nebraska Community Foundation and various local community foundations have some capacity to serve in this role, although they lack specific land conservation and management expertise. Each non - profit has slightly different expertise, capability and orientation. Depending on the type of relationship and scope of responsibilities, many of these groups have expressed a willingness to assist with the implementation of the land component of the Program. Advantages • These groups have varying levels of expertise and experience that can be useful to land protection transactions and land management. • These groups are in place and could be used immediately. • Many groups have experience with diverse transactions. • No federal legislation is required to use pre- existing entities. Disadvantages • All of these organizations have many other projects that could command their attention. • Several of these organizations are perceived by some stakeholders as non - responsive or adversarial to local or landowner concerns. • Most of these organizations have experience in some, but not all of the proposed activities. • These organizations all have existing boards of directors that are made up of different constituencies that include few of the Program participants, raising questions about representation and responsiveness to the needs of other stakeholders. • These organizations may have specific aims in the Platte River region that are different from or even in competition with the Program or its members, raising questions about responsiveness to Governance Committee views on Program aims. • As non - profit corporations, they have less direct accountability to the federal and state parties. 9.9.