I can give you your Best Baseline
Baseline Documentation & Present Conditions Reports
Are My Specialty
I have authored baselines for conservation easement projects that have protected well over 20,000 acres in four states. Over the course of dozens of projects, and with input from many partners, I have developed a template and an approach to baselines that has been reviewed and praised by agency reviewers and land trust authorities.
I have worked with Land Trusts and Historic Preservation organizations for over 15 years, and I have a deep understanding of what a easement baseline is, and what it is not.
The baselines that I produce as a consultant meet all requirements of the Land Trust Alliance standards & practices and accreditation protocols. If your land trust is applying for accreditation or renewing, you will be proud to submit this baseline as demonstration of your professional approach to easement stewardship.
“The Present Conditions Reports we received from Shire Environmental were top notch, thorough, and delivered on time on a tight deadline. We look forward to using Shire Environmental for future projects.”
Useful!
Most of us have a baseline documentation report on our shelf that checked a box at the time the easement was recorded, but is not at all useful in the annual monitoring and stewardship process.
That will not be this baseline!
The baseline I provide to your organization will be imminently useful in your annual monitoring process and to reference as stewardship issues come up. The maps, photos, and text are all carefully crafted to apply to the terms of your specific conservation or preservation easement, documenting and describing the conditions on the ground that relate to the restrictions and permitted uses of the property.
“The Present Conditions Reports Ben Miles created over ten years ago are still useful guides in our annual monitoring and stewardship of large landscapes in Northern California.”
Present Conditions Reports
A particular specialty is updating past projects with a new Present Condition Report.
It is standard practice to create a new baseline as conditions change on the ground, or as modern technologies become available. These Present Conditions Reports may come decades after the conservation easement was created, and require special understanding of their role in the perpetual lifetime of a conservation easement.
I have completed Present Conditions Reports for easements donated over 20 years prior, or for projects that closed a few years ago but had a subpar Baseline at the time.
Updating a project with a new Present Conditions Report can be a benefit during Accreditation review, showing dedication to the property and use of modern tools. It can also help with succession planning and staff transitions, as important aspects of properties and projects get memorialized in a handy and clear report.
“The updated Present Conditions Report completed by Shire Environmental on one of our first conservation easements was a complex task, but it was completed professionally and thoroughly, and will be an important document guiding our stewardship of this treasured landscape for decades to come.”
Historic Preservation
Preservation Easements, or Conservation Easements that include Historic Preservation elements, are unique and may include specialized prohibitions and more prescriptive requirements. Baseline Documentation Reports for these projects must thoroughly document the resources protected, and all elements of the appearance of the historic structures.
I have completed Baselines for several iconic historic sites with one-of-a-kind historic structures and treasured cultural landscapes. These documents have proved critical in working through serious violations and achieving suitable resolutions.
Each year, I work with the Kentucky Heritage Council during annual monitoring process for Historic Preservation easements, and I have authored multiple successful nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.