Frequently Asked Questions 1. Can the general public access this database to learn about the locations of conserved lands?
No, not at this site. This website is intended to provide a tool for tracking the existence of conservation easements and fee-owned properties in a centrally-located database system to help assure the continued monitoring and management of conserved lands even during hardships or dissolution of a conservation organization. The management and use of conserved lands varies greatly with some properties guaranteeing public access, some providing limited access and many other conservation properties remaining privately-owned. The public should contact a conservation organization directly for this information. Contacting your local land trust (www.mltn.org) or searching the Land for Maine’s Future website (www.state.me.us/spo/lmf/) are good starting points.
2. Can registered participants view another organization’s list of conserved lands?
No, an organization’s information is available for viewing only by the organization’s designated administrator and its board members who may receive a read-only password from their administrator. Participating organizations may wish to contact one another to discuss the possibility of sharing information
(go to www.mltn.org) . Since each organization’s information is collected in the same format within the Registry and is exportable by authorized users, sharing is easily facilitated.
3. How will Maine Coast Heritage Trust use this data?
MCHT will use the data contained in the Maine Conserved Lands Registry to fulfill its purpose of providing extra assurance to organizations, land owners and donors that the conserved lands will remain protected even in the rare event of a holder dissolution. The Registry provides a central location to manage the data and monitor the existence of the growing list of conserved lands from which holdings could be identified and transferred to another appropriate conservation entity should the current holder organization disband.
MCHT reserves the right to use statistical information garnered from the data in its efforts to advance land conservation throughout the state.
MCHT would not use the data for any other reason without the express permission of the registered participant(s).
4. Why should a conservation organization participate if they already have their own database system for tracking conserved lands?
Extra Protection
Each organization that registers its conserved lands data will be providing extra
assurance to board members, land owners and donors that the information pertaining
to their conservation holdings will not be lost or forgotten. Participation in
the Maine Conserved Lands Registry sends the signal that your organization is committed
to the long-term conservation and care of all its conservation assets.
On-line Access
Another reason to register your conservation holdings is to provide your board members with on-line access to your data. With a read-only password, board members can browse the data and print reports. This can be particularly valuable to orient and refresh board members knowledge of your organization’s holdings.
5. If our organization already has a database, can we send MCHT an export from our database for inclusion in the Maine Conserved Lands Registry?
Please contact MCHT to discuss the feasibility of the approach at (207) 729-7366 or email clregistry@mcht.org.
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