The Voice of Land Conservation

Tax Policy for Land Conservation

Despite support from majorities of both parties, the powerful federal tax incentive for conservation easement donations expired at the end of 2009!  We need your help making that incentive permanent and enacting other tax incentives for conservation at the state and federal level.  This section also includes information about how to use tax incentives for conservation and guidance on the evolving IRS rules for nonprofit organizations and conservation donations. Read more about Tax Policy for Land Conservation.

Land Conservation Funding

We’ve taken a big step towards rebuilding the federal commitment to land conservation with dramatic funding increases for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and Grasslands Reserve Program. Now we need your help to build support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Forest Legacy and other important state and federal programs. Read more about Land Conservation Funding.

Emerging Issues

Each October, Rally participants and our Policy Advisory Council establish policy priorities for the Land Trust Alliance, but new opportunities and challenges always emerge. Learn more about climate change, electric transmission corridors and other emerging issues facing the land conservation community. Read more about Emerging Issues.

Helping Land Trusts Lobby

It’s every land trust’s responsibility to keep elected officials informed about the good work you’re accomplishing with the funds and tax incentives they provide. This section explains the IRS guidelines on nonprofit lobbying and provides advice on how to maximize your effectiveness. Read more about Helping Land Trusts Lobby.

Conservation Easement Statutes

Conservation easement enabling statutes serve as the internal structural frame upon which thousands of easements have been granted. As the land conservation movement has matured in recent years, there has been a corresponding interest in amending enabling statutes.  This report is a resource for those in the land conservation field, including land trust staff, government agencies that hold easements, attorneys and elected officials. In certain cases, these individuals might wish to amend their state statute to plug a gap or otherwise strengthen it. In other cases, they might be playing defense, fending off a bill that would be deleterious to sound easement practices. Finally, some might simply be curious as to how their state statute compares to others. Read more about Conservation Easement Statutes.

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The Land Trust Alliance works to secure public policies on a national scale that support land trusts' efforts and their conservation goals.

As public commitment to conservation deepens, the Alliance helps hundreds of land conservation organizations working in communities all across our country develop, leverage, and coordinate their communications to build support for land conservation.

When the public understands and prioritizes the importance of private land conservation, federal, state, and local policy makers are compelled to listen and act.

Photo by Francesca Dalleo