Mianus River Gorge Inc.

“The organization has its form 990 prepared by an outside accounting firm. It is reviewed by the audit committee and the executive director. Any questions are addressed by the professional accountant, in consultation with the executive director. The final version is then reviewed by the treasurer and the chairman of the board. A complete copy is distributed electronically to all trustees before filing with the irs.”

“The directors, members, and officers of the corporation are covered under the conflict of interest policy. Any director or member having a possible conflict of interest on any matter should make disclosure of such interests to the other directors or members. In the event of a conflict of interest, the director or member should not participate in the consideration or discussion of nor vote on the matter, but such director or member shall be counted in determining the quorum for the meeting. In the discretion of the chair of the board of directors, a director or member with a conflict of interest may be required to leave that portion of a meeting that considers the matter as to which there is a conflict. The minutes of the meeting should reflect the making of the disclosure, the abstention from discussion and voting, the quorum situation, and whether the director or member was present or absent when the matter was considered. Any officer of the corporation having a possible conflict of interest on any matter before such officer for administrative or other action shall report such conflict to the executive director and the chair of the board of trustees. In the case of the executive director or the chair, such possible conflict shall be reported to the executive committee or the full board and the officer shall abstain from taking any administrative or other action on such matter.”

“Compensation for the executive director is determined by the following process: the board of trustees at their december meeting have an executive session where staff are asked to leave and the board discusses bonuses and compensation for the following year. At this time, the chairman and president recommend to the board the level of compensation for the executive director and the board either approves it or modifies it and then approves. Every other year, the chairman researches comparative salaries at other organizations to make appropriate adjustments if necessary. The approval of the executive director's compensation is documented the board meeting minutes. The last compensation review process was undertaken in 2022.”

“The organization makes its form 1023 and form 990 available for public inspection as required under section 6104 of the internal revenue code. The return is also posted on guidestar.org and other similar types of websites. In addition, the financial statements, conflict of interest policy, articles of incorporation and by-laws are also available upon written request or by calling the organization directly. The form 990 and the financial statements are also available on the organization's website.”

“In 2022, the most significant activities included the following land protection: mrg has added 194 acres to the preserve and 26 acres of conservation easements in just the last ten years, but we had not added stewardship capacity. In 2022 we were able to expand the part-time preserve steward position to full-time. Research & education: this year has been an especially productive one for our research program, as our staff and students have co-authored and contributed to six scientific papers that were published in 2022. Public programs and outreach: mianus river gorge led an array of walks, including the always-popular nighttime owl walks and several special walks to protected areas not normally open to the public. We held a community river clean-up to help keep the mianus river classified as aa-special, a clean drinking water supply for many. Other activities: in early july, staff, interns, and volunteers completed the nearly one-mile yellow trail, also known as the pond trail.”

“The organization has a committee that is responsible for the oversight of the audit of its financial statements and selection of an independent accountant. The process has not changed from the prior year.”