2025-04-08T12:10:40-07:00 2024-12-31 990 2024-01-01 046116074 NEWTON CONSERVATORS INC NEWT 6175271796 PO Box 590011 Newton MA 02459 Katherine Howard Treasurer 6175271796 2025-04-08 1 2024 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Katherine A Howard 84 Fenwick Rd Waban MA 02468 88400 0 X www.newtonconservators.org X 1961 MA Environmental advocacy for Newton's open spaces; promote acquisition and use of open spaces; maintain and improve open spaces; education of the public on environmental matters, serve as land trust. 23 23 0 60 0 0 79442 48703 0 0 20043 34658 -1607 -2830 97878 80531 11102 3275 0 0 0 0 0 0 1901 20529 20053 31631 23328 66247 57203 654133 731488 53940 54333 600193 677155 Promote and preserve open space in Newton MA; function as local land trust (holding Conservation Easements for 8 city-owned parks and 1 private property); conduct educational walks and webinars for the public use of open spaces; improve open spaces through trail restoration and invasive plant management; publish trail guides and educational newsletter. 0 0 6991 3275 0 Conduct nature walk series and webinars; publish map guides and almanacs; provide grants to school-based and other environmental education programs/activities; advise local parks groups and agencies; conduct trail and habitat restoration on various city and state owned public parks. 4382 0 Maintain, monitor, and promote use of own park property; monitor conservation easement properties (8 city-owned parks; 1 private). 4811 0 Publish educational newsletter; conduct programs/conferences. 0 0 0 16184 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 23 23 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 MA X X Katherine Howard 6175271796 84 Fenwick Rd Waban MA 02468 David Backer Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Peter Barrer Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Barbara Bates Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Alicia Bowman Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Dan Brody Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Bonnie Carter Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Samantha Corbin Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Kim Devore Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Margaret Doris Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Henry Finch Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Maurice Gilmore Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Daniel Green Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Ken Mallory Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Jon Regosin Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Larry Smith Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Beth Wilkinson Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Ted Kuklinski Director 2 0 X 0 0 0 Chris Hepburn Past President 6 0 X X 0 0 0 William Hagar Past President 6 0 X X 0 0 0 Alice Ingerson President 10 0 X X 0 0 0 Nyssa Patten Vice President 6 0 X 0 0 0 Michael Clarke Secretary 6 0 X 0 0 0 Katherine Howard Treasurer 6 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2700 0 0 46003 0 48703 0 34658 34658 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4000 2700 7869 -3869 0 -3869 864 0 864 864 0 0 175 175 0 0 175 80531 35697 0 -3869 0 0 3275 3275 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1170 1058 0 112 1789 0 1789 8047 5510 2537 0 659 659 0 0 0 0 0 0 4382 4382 0 0 4006 1300 2706 23328 16184 5243 1901 15165 14308 1945 1725 10902 0 10902 10902 572606 650645 53515 53908 654133 731488 425 425 53515 53908 53940 54333 X 388056 459697 212137 217458 600193 677155 654133 731488 57203 19759 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 275029 103829 48860 79442 48703 555863 1576 1825 1964 6024 5039 16428 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 276605 105654 50824 85466 53742 572291 10878 16430 16140 21511 12415 77374 0 0 0 0 0 0 10878 16430 16140 21511 12415 77374 494917 7619 17565 20602 20043 34657 100486 0 0 0 0 0 0 7619 17565 20602 20043 34657 100486 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284224 123219 71426 105509 88399 672777 0.73563 0.76394 0.14936 0.12193 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED X X X 9 87 0 0 0 1 1 160 0 1 0 1 X 600193 48703 54417 3275 14439 8444 677155 492255 79442 61733 11102 17749 4386 600193 541802 48860 -56331 19334 16585 6157 492255 418816 135654 45596 7000 43046 8218 541802 372975 273392 36243 13947 240393 9454 418816 0.68 0.03 0.29 0 0 10902 0 10902 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10902 the 2 escrows for CR monitoring, offset by an equal liabilty on X Line 21 and described in XIII 53908 53908 Schedule D, Part II, Line 5 Newton Conservators Policy for Conservation Restriction Monitoring is as follows: 1. Conservation Restrictions (CRs) are monitored by a team of Newton Conservators Directors with assistance from other Conservators members. Monitoring is done on each property at least once per year, usually in the fall. 2. Owners of the properties, including the responsible city agencies, are contacted and invited to accompany the monitors on their site visit. 3. Reports are prepared by the monitoring team and submitted on a form that was voted on and approved by the Board of Newton Conservators, which includes maps, notes, and photos. The form includes all areas that need to be examined for compliance for each CR and includes room for recommendations. All such forms are signed by the monitoring team and kept both in paper and electronic form. 4. The completed forms are reviewed and edited by a designated board member and copies are sent to the property owner and city agencies along with a list of any problems noted and recommendations for needed work. 5. If any problems are found with the properties are found during the monitoring visit, follow up with the owner takes place. If need be, the properties are reinspected. 6. If CR violations continue, the Newton Conservators may resort to legal means to bring a property into compliance with its CR. Schedule D, Part II, Line 9 Newton Conservators holds 9 Conservation Restrictions, 8 of which (85.9 acres) are on city-owned property and did not take any tax deduction. The largest city property is a 75-acre golf course; the others are open spaces acquired by the city with Community Preservation Act funds, which required the city to grant a conservation restriction to an outside organization. The 9th CR is on a 1.58 acre private property. The CRs themselves do not appear on our financial statements. In addition to the CRs, we also received in prior years 2 gifts of land (0.8 acres in total) for conservation purposes - these properties appear on our Balance Sheet with a value of $1 each, For all the CR properties and owned land, Newton Conservators conducts annual monitoring and produces reports, per our CR Monitoring policy. In 2021 the City of Newton used Community Preservation Act funds to provide Newton Conservators with a $30K grant to establish a CR Monitoring investment account that will pay for monitoring and legal defense costs in perpetuity for 3 of the CRs on properties acquired with CPA funds. The $30K is on our Balance Sheet as a segregated investment asset account and as a temporary restricted asset account. Schedule D, Part IV, Line 2b For 2 city-owned properties on which Newton Conservators holds the CR, there are city-funded escrow accounts at a local bank to provide for our costs of monitoring and enforcing the CR in perpetuity. The escrow accounts appear on the Balance Sheet on Part X Line 15 (Other Assets) - they are the only items on that line. They are offset by an equal amount of liability - shown on Part X Line 21. Schedule D, Part V, Line 4 The endowment funds are used to maintain our owned parks (which are open to the public), cover necessary expenses for CR monitoring (for properties without escrows or monitoring funds) and to provide for potential acquisition of open spaces for public benefit. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 6 Members of Newton Conservators are those of the general public who have paid for a membership (dues range from $35 to $250 annually). Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a The members must elect annually the Officers and Directors of the Board at the Annual Meeting. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7b The members must approve any proposed change to the Bylaws, which would also be done at an Annual Meeting. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b The Newton Conservators Treasurer prepares the 990. It is reviewed with our Executive, Finance, and Audit Committees, and any corrections are incorporated. It is then emails to the whole Board of Directors. Any further changes are updated and communicated. After at least a week of review time by the Board, the Treasurer then files the report. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c The Executive Committee reviews the Conflict of Interest forms submitted for any issues, and follows up with any non-responders. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 Newton Conservators Bylaws, Financial Statements, Treasurer's Reports, Audit Committee Reports, and Conflict of Interest and other policies are available to the public on our website - in the "About Us - Board of Directors" & "About Us - Annual Reports" pages.