Save Mount Diablo

“Smd has a "conservation easement enforcement policy" policy which outlines annual monitoring, land-owner relationships, violation protocols, and enforcement guidelines. Smd recognizes that education and relationship building, not litigation, are the best immediate and long-term methods of ensuring the integrity of conservation easements, and smd is committed to working with landowners who grant smd conservations to help them understand easements so that they continue to be good stewards of the land. However, easement violations may still occur. In these situations, prompt and effective enforcement action is needed to: protect the conservation value of subject properties; maintain public confidence in smd's mission to conserve open space; preserve smd's legal authority to enforce its easements; and maintain smd's tax-exempt status and its ability to accept future donations of conservation easements. Smd recognizes that it is better to prevent violations than remedy them. To this end, smd: monitors all properties annually; maintains good relationships with grantors; periodically reminds grantors to check their easement agreement before altering the property in any way and to notify smd if they are planning to sell their land; and meets with new owners to discuss easement terms and conservation purposes as soon as possible after purchase or transfer of conservation easement property. Should a violation be discovered, it is immediately reported to the land programs director, who will review the violation along with the related easement file to determine whether a violation has occurred, and if so, its level of severity. Responses to violations vary depending on the situation, and smd aims to be consistent and fair; smd's response to a violation will match the severity of the violation. Minor or technical infractions may simply warrant a letter from land department staff; more egregious violations may require a more immediate, formal response (which must be approved by the executive director). Save mount diablo also maintains a legal defense fund and holds terra firma conservation insurance.”

“Conservation land and easements - capitalized costs for acquisition of conservation land consist of the purchase price and related closing costs. Smd records the expenditures incurred for the acquisition of conservation land in program expenses and an offsetting item related to the acquisition of conservation land for the same amount on the statements of activities and changes in net assets. Conservation land is not depreciated. Conservation land structures and improvements - capitalized costs for acquisition and purchase of land structures and improvements consist of the purchase price and related closing costs. Land structures and improvements located on conservation land and all improvements on the conservation land are depreciated over an estimated useful life of ten to twenty years. Deed of conservation easements - a perpetual conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified organization, such as a land trust, to protect the natural or cultural resources of that land forever. The conservation easements will protect the resources that smd purchased the property to save, by having the landowner help steward the land while also allowing them to live on the land they love, when applicable. The agreements limit the landowners' rights on the property in order to protect the land's conservation values. Smd has valued the easements at $1 in the financial statements as management does not believe these deeds have any commercial value.”

“In 2017, smd created the stewardship endowment fund to financially support, in perpetuity, smd's stewardship obligations for its conserved lands and other properties under its care. Smd has adopted investment and spending policies for endowment assets, established by the finance committee and approved by the board of directors, that attempt to maintain the corpus and the purchasing power of those endowment assets over the long term. Accordingly, the primary investment goal is to provide income to support stewardship program activity, grow the principal to at least keep pace with inflation to provide income at appropriate levels to support future stewardship activities, manage risk, and generate an even, steady, pay-out stream from the stewardship endowment fund in order to deliver a consistent quality stewardship program.”

“Smd is a 501(c)(3) organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the internal revenue code and under section 23701d of the state revenue and taxation code. Smd is, however, subject to tax on business income unrelated to their exempt purpose. No provision for income taxes is reflected in the accompanying financial statements for the years ended march 31, 2024 and 2023, since smd had no taxable income from unrelated business activities. Smd believes that it has appropriate support for any tax positions taken, and as such, does not have any uncertain tax positions that are material to the financial statements or that would have an effect on its tax-exempt status. There are no unrecognized benefits or liabilities that need to be recorded.”

“Fundraising event expenses -193,927.”

“Fundraising event expenses 193,927. Reversal of prior year contribution revenue 7,119.”