Wood River Land Trust Co

What it reported doing in 2024

Land acquisition/protection land and easement acquisitions in fy 2024-25, wrlt protected the old cutters preserve - a parcel in hailey that buffers and provides access to public lands and will be maintained as a publicly accessible open space preserve. Wrlt also completed the corral farm conservation easement, which protects 160 acres of prime farmland in camas county. Wrlt also went under contract for hailey hot springs ranch and began the fundraising for this acquisition, which closed in the subsequent fiscal year. This property will add 2,700- acres of conservation land to wrlt's holdings and protect critical wetlands and riparian habitat; migration corridors for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn; and protect habitat for sage grouse, moose, and many other species. Project development in 2024-25, wrlt continued to work with willing landowners to develop conservation projects over approximately 9,000 acres collectively, that will conserve wildlife migration corridors, riparian habitat, upland game habitat, critical sage grouse habitat, prime farmland, and areas for public recreation. These projects can take multiple years to develop and are still in progress. Community planning efforts in response to the rapid growth and change in the wood river valley, wrlt began a new community planning program. Informed by a robust community process that included community listening and visioning sessions and brought together staff from city and county planning departments throughout the valley to discuss issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries, the program works to use planning tools as another avenue to protect the natural resources on which our community relies. Bullion street conservation & community housing project in 2022, wrlt purchased a 15-acre property on bullion st, contiguous with the hailey greenway. Per the restrictions of the gift, approximately 8 acres of the site will be held for conservation purposes and incorporated into the hailey greenway (securing public access to the greenway from bullion street and protecting mature cottonwood forest and riparian habitat), and up to 7 acres that are adjacent to city services will be made available for workforce housing. This fiscal year, wrlt continued to work with architects and engineers to plan for the workforce housing project. This work is still in progress.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 27.2%; rating input score 27
• Program expense ratio: 58.3%; rating input score 58
• Fundraising efficiency: $9.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 65%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.1; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11.4%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -26% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings