Interested Donee Registry

Background

To develop the Land Conservation Plan (Volumes I & II), the watershed lands were divided into 47 Planning Units. The Stewardship Council began by focusing on developing a basic understanding of the watershed lands, their existing conditions, resources, and Beneficial Public Values (Volume I of the Land Conservation Plan). Following this, the Council developed a set of "recommended concepts" to guide the preservation and enhancement of the Beneficial Public Values for each Planning Unit (Volume II of the Land Conservation Plan). The remaining steps required to meet the goals of the Land Conservation Commitment (as described in the Settlement Agreement and Stipulation), namely the implementation of the LCP, will begin in early 2008 and are expected to continue over the next six to seven years as the Council completes the land disposition process.

Interested Donee Registry

Public entities and non-profit organizations interested in partnering with the Council to implement the Land Conservation Plan are invited to register their interest via the Stewardship Council's website. The Council will engage in additional outreach efforts to assure that all interested entities have been made aware of this opportunity. This information will form the basis of a ‘potential donee database’. This registry is informational only and does not confer any commitment between the Stewardship Council and any interested party for any parcel(s) of land.

The Stewardship Council will be developing an explicit set of criteria that will be used to evaluate the organizational and financial capacity of potential donees. The selection of fee title and conservation easement donees will occur during the development of the Disposition Packages.

The Stewardship Council is developing a disposition process that will allow for stakeholder engagement on a range of topics and issues. As part of this process, the Stewardship Council will host workshops and facilitated meetings to gain stakeholder input. As the Council has done over the past three years, a high priority will be placed on getting input from local communities and interested individuals across the watershed lands, and building a disposition process that is fair, equitable, and responsive to community input. At the same time, the Council will ensure the disposition process meets the core values of the Stewardship Council as well as all regulatory and legal requirements.

How To Participate

The first step in participating in the registry is to create a login and password. You will be asked to create a login, password, provide your contact information and your tax ID number. Please note that the registry is created from the same software the Stewardship Council uses for our youth grantmaking programs, but that this process is neither an application nor a grant program. This registry is informational only.

FAQ Interested Donee Registry

1. Who is allowed to register as an Interested Donee?
   The Stewardship Council may consider, as per the Settlement Agreement and Stipulation, the donation of fee simple and conservation easements to public entities, and 501©3 non-profit organizations. The Stewardship Council created the Interested Donee Registry as a means for entities and organizations to notify the Council of their interest in owning and/or managing a parcel(s) subject to the implementation of the Land Conservation Plan. Individuals are not eligible to register, nor are for-profit entities. Participation in the registry is informational only and does not confer any commitment between the Stewardship Council and any interested party.
2. What if my organization already submitted correspondence to the Council about an interest in owning or managing watershed land?
   The Council has logged and retained all formal correspondence to date. However, all interested organizations are asked to formally notify the Council via the registry, as to organizational capacity and interest in particular watersheds and or planning units. There have been no decisions to date about any parcel(s) of land and future ownership and/or management.
3. How long will the registry be active?
   The disposition process for the watershed lands will begin in late 2007 and continue over a number of years. At this point, the registry does not have a closing date and will be active subject to the disposition process and at the discretion of the Council.
4. What should an organization do after completing the registration process?
   Once an organization has notified the Council of its interest in ownership and/or management, it need take no further action. The Council will contact entities with further instructions. In the interim, we encourage entities to stay informed about the work of the Council via the website and public meetings.
5. If an entity has multiple offices (e.g. field offices, regional offices) should each office register?
   Yes. Each field office or branch of an organization interested should register.
6. Who decides which organizations may become future owners and or managers of the land?
   The Stewardship Council Board of Directors will adopt "disposition packages" that identify future landowners and managers, and include conservation easements and other legal documents as well as monitoring and stewardship plans. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) must then approve the real estate transactions themselves.
7. Has any of the land already been given away?
   No. The Stewardship Council has not yet begun the disposition process. The process will begin in late 2007 and continue for the next six to seven years.