The Greenlands Reserve

What it reported doing in 2024

One of our missions is to protect conservation easements in perpetuity. In pursuit of this mission we hold and monitor 33,437 acres of land protected under conservation easements. We currently hold 241 conservation easements. We monitor these easements annually. Monitoring includes on-site inspections, review of Google Earth overhead imagery and other spatial data, and contact with current property owners to assure that land under easements is in compliance with the conservation easement deeds and conservation purposes are not diminished. We conduct ongoing reviews of changing ecological and social conditions which may impact the quality of our easement lands. We also keep in contact with current conservation easement property owners, particularly related to questions they may have regarding acceptable activities under the conservation easement deeds. We review all activities to make certain they comply with conservation deeds and enhance (or do not diminish) conservation purposes set forward in the deeds. We organized and sponsored monthly public forums to educate and collaborate on forest health issues. Participants include state and county officials, U.S. Forest Service personnel, Colorado State Forest Service personnel, the public at large, academics, timber industry representatives, and other stakeholders. We participated in other public events. We participated as non-profit members of the Colorado Bark Beetle Cooperative. We created and maintain a website to educate on forest health and wildfire issues. We publish a monthly electronic newsletter to educate about 500 interested parties on forest health issues. We have created a Facebook page. We have expanded our volunteer forest monitoring of the Straight Creek Watershed to now include all of Summit County. We have over 200 monitoring plots throughout Summit County. This year we also monitored over 150 temporary plots designated by the U.S. Forest Service. We work in partnership with the Forest Service, state and local governments, and local non-profits. Partners and stakeholders include the Town of Dillon, Summit County government, the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado State Forest Service, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District (a non-profit), and several watershed groups. We have expanded our forest restoration monitoring work in Straight Creek to monitor for long-term impacts of climate and localized variations in soil types on regeneration patterns. The purpose of our ongoing forest projects is to reduce wildfire danger, foster a more diverse forest, protect watersheds, and study forest conservation methods. We created and maintain two websites: www.greenlandsreserve.org and www.foresthealthtaskforce.org to inform and educate on conservation and forest health issues. In 2024, the organization's total program expenses were $16,929, which includes $8,911 in additional officer-paid expenses that directly supported our mission. These unreimbursed officer expenses made a positive impact across key initiatives: $6,779 for conservation easement monitoring, $1,553 for forest health projects, $337 for public forums, and $242 for program-related technology. Per IRS rules, these officer-paid expenses are not reported as contribution revenue or expense on Form 990.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 74.6%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -48%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 18,918.41; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -4.4% per year; rating input score 0; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 0% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings