The Montana Conservation Easement Appraiser Capacity Project Report was officially released at the MALT Dec. 3 membership meeting through a presentation by Bill Long of Solid Ground Consulting. Bill has been working with MALT staff on the report since June 2018. He conducted nearly 30 interviews with land trust professionals and conservation easement appraisers to determine the appraiser capacity situation and explore options to address any current or future appraiser capacity issues that may exist. The 29-page report discusses trends in Montana private land conservation, presents the interview results, highlights key issues within the land trust – conservation easement appraiser relationship of working together on conservation projects, a series of Bill’s observations, and a package of options to address conservation easement appraisal capacity challenges.
