Georgia Conservancy Inc.

“The conservancy allows businesses, other organizations and individuals to join the conservancy as a member for an annual fee. Members receive no significant benefit so the fees are treated as contributions.”

“The form 990 is reviewed by the finance manager and president. After their review, it is presented to the board of trustees or the executive committee (which acts with the full authority of the board) for their review. Upon completion of the board review, the form 990 is filed with the internal revenue service.”

“The conservancy has the officers and board members annually disclose any potential conflicts of interest.”

“The board of trustees reviews the compensation packages and compares them to compensation packages of similar organizations in terms of size and purposes.”

“The organization provides copies of these documents upon request.”

“Form 990, part i, line 1, description of organization mission: georgia conservancy and its members have worked to protect and conserve some of our state's most precious natural places. This vital work continues to expand and evolve.”

“Form 990, part iii, line 4a continuation of thriving communities: the choice neighborhoods transformation plan will inform the sustainable redevelopment of blighted properties that combines environmental stewardship and thoughtful, community-driven development. - we reached 30 georgia communities to promote low-impact design or green infrastructure methods. - in order to increase housing diversity and sustainable development practices throughout the state, we completed 5 housing studies. - through all of our work, we supported 35 communities in 24 counties across the state. Form 990, part iii, line 4b continuation of engaged georgians: - as pandemic restrictions eased, georgia conservancy reignited its stewardship trips program's educational outings in late 2020, hosting 10 day hikes, paddle trips, and service projects around the state during fy21. With restrictions still in place on attendance, we hosted 174 people on these outings. - to increase diverse engagement in the outdoors and environmental sustainability, we launched pilot monthly hiking group for 15 refugee women. Guided hikes facilitated environmental stewardship and promoted well-being strategies for a typically underserved population. From march through june, we led 5 hikes around metro atlanta to locations such as sweet water creek, arabia mountain, and kennesaw mountain. - 21 scouts from east point boy scout troop 1906 participated 2 service projects that maintained the extensive network of trails at arabia mountain nature preserve and also planted a food forest. Form 990, part iii, line 4c continuation of healthy natural systems: carbon banking potential, and the geographies experiencing the most development pressure. Through our analysis, georgia conservancy proposed tangible, practical, localized land use policies and tools that protect and conserve the most ecologically valuable landscapes in georgia. - we formed two new alliances across the state to protect ecologically valuable landscapes from emerging development pressures in the okefenokee swamp & cumberland island. Throughout the state, we currently support a total of five coalitions that are protecting some of our state's most precious places. - thanks to our advocacy leadership, a 50-mile stretch of land along the ocmulgee river is under consideration by the national park service for additional protection. Conserving this land would connect several environmental resources to the already federally protected ocmulgee national historical park. - we adopted new techniques for incentivizing land conservation by exploring carbon sequestration with private land trusts. Throughout the year, we educated approximately 1,000 individuals and worked with 30 state and federal agencies, land trusts, local governments, and foundations to engage and educate individual landowners on the financial and ecological benefits of private land conservation. - our 2021 legislative advocacy included measures to protect georgia's land, water, and communities such as amending georgia outdoor stewardship program allocations in the state's fy21 budget, creating a carbon sequestration registry, and passage of hb 511 establishing requirements for dedicated fees that will ensure fees paid in association with solid and hazardous waste, among others, go towards their intended use. Bills that successfully addressed these priorities were signed by the governor.”

“Advocacy - the georgia conservancy continues outreach regarding proposed mining along trail ridge near the okefenokee, which threatens the ecological integrity of this internationally recognized national wildlife refuge. - during georgia's 2020 legislative session, we monitored or tracked 20 pieces of legislation. - the georgia conservancy remains part of the leadership team of the georgia outdoor stewardship coalition which led advocacy efforts for the georgia outdoor stewardship amendment which won 83% of the vote in november 2018. We were instrumental in helping to guide the rulemaking process completed by the state in 2019, and we serve as an educational resource for communities looking to apply for grants since then. Coastal georgia - our coastal program remains actively involved in the threat of mining near the okefenokee swamp, described previously under our land conservation program. Given the potential for alterations to the swamp's hydrology to impact the st. Marys river, the concern is significant for georgia's coastal communities, human and natural. - for over forty years the shore protection act (spa) has served as landmark legislation, ensuring protection of the sand-sharing system (dunes, beaches, shoals, and sandbars) in georgia from adverse impacts from human activity. In the 2019 georgia legislative session, house bill (hb) 445 amended the shore protection act to redefine and clarify the shore's jurisdictional line. The georgia conservancy continues to monitor the implementation of this change and support rigorous application of spa to preserve the coast's ecological integrity.”