Policy Events at Rally 2008

Join us in Pittsburgh September 18-21 for a wide range of policy training opportunities including a seminar on how to lobby, workshops on a wide range of policy issues and sessions where you can provide your input on IRS enforcement and Land Trust Alliance policy priorities.

Click here for information on Rally registration and lodging.

Highlights

• Advocating for Success: How Do I Get There From Here?
• Land Trust Alliance Federal Policy Update 2008
• Working with the IRS
• Land Trust Alliance's 2009 Public Policy Review

Thursday, September 18

Leadership on Climate Change: A Land Trust Response

SEM-14 -- Thursday 9:00am - 4:30pm -- All Levels -- $125/$155

Virginia Farley, Robert Perschel, Andrew Pitz, Lisa Vernegaard

This engaging and inspiring seminar will offer an update on climate change science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other sources as the basis for dialogue on issues related to land conservation such as carbon sequestration, shifting habitats, rising seal level, severe weather events, and community sustainability and stability.

Introduction to Real Estate and Tax Law Affecting Conservation Transactions

SEM-15 -- Thursday 9:00am - 4:30pm -- Basic -- $125/$155

Paul Macdonald, Thomas Masland, Stefan Dagel, Stephen Swartz

This seminar will give participants an intense introduction into basic real estate and tax concepts, legal elements of real estate transactions and related tax aspects. It will outline the acquisition process from property identification through title searches and related due diligence to document drafting, closing and post-closing gift substantiation.

Friday, September 19

Advocating for Success: How Do I Get There From Here?

SEM-28 -- Friday 8:30am - 4:00pm -- Basic -- $125/$155
Reeves Brown, Bettina Ring

Everyone advocates for something. Are you effective in your efforts and is it time well spent? This highly interactive seminar will aid in understanding the political and cultural climate that provides opportunities and challenges for the cause of land protection and addresses the "how" and "why" advocacy can be incorporated into your overloaded schedule. The session will also address cultivating and maintaining effective relationships with both policymakers and the media. You will leave armed with a personalized organizational action plan and the necessary skills for advocacy and organizational messaging conducive to conservation initiatives at the local, state and national level. Case studies from across the country will help shed light on real life examples about what works, what doesn't and why.

Climate Change: Why We Need to Save the Sky to Save the Places We Care About

SEM-31 -- Friday 9:00am - 4:30pm -- All Levels -- $125/$155

Kevin Coyle, Douglas Inkley, Jennifer Jones, John Kostyack, Larry Schweiger

Participants will learn how global warming is affecting the land and water and will cover the solutions and adaptations/mitigations to these impacts. This session will include significant information on funding sources available to deal with adaptation in Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act – an unprecedented $205 billion over the next 20-years for protecting natural resources from climate change.

Saturday, September 20

Ground Zero:  Scrutiny Of Conservation Easements In Colorado

A23 -- Saturday 10:00am - 12:00 pm -- All

Martha Cochran, Jill Ozarski, Daniel Pike, Chris West

Three related but distinct issues are currently underway in Colorado:  the reform of the State’s conservation easement income tax credit; investigation of questionable easement transactions and their promoters; and IRS audits of conservation easements.  This session will exam the background of each issue, how they relate to each other, and the consequences of scrutiny by the land trust industry, the press, State government, and the IRS.   The session will include an overview of events as well as a panel question-answer period.

A Lobbying Primer For Land Trusts

A24 -- Saturday 10:00am - 12:00 pm -- All

William Abberger, Ernest Cook

Many land trust believe that they can’t or shouldn’t lobby.  Experts from The Trust for Public Land’s Conservation Finance program will explain the do’s and don’ts  for land trust lobbying, including participation in local land conservation ballot measures.  The workshop will cover the basics -- understanding and complying with federal, state, and local lobbying, campaign finance and election regulations -- as well as why land trusts should lobby.

Navigating The New 990

B11 -- Saturday 1:30pm - 3:30pm -- Intermediate

Joseph Weaver

Proper recordkeeping and maintenance of tax-exempt status are important aspects of Land Trust Standards & Practices. The IRS has dramatically revised form 990 and the required attachments (an increase from the present 2 to potentially 16).  This session will assist both organizations who prepare their own 990 and those who wish to assemble the required data to minimize the cost of a paid preparer. 

Case Law Roundup

B17 -- Saturday 1:30pm - 3:30pm -- All

Robert Levin

This workshop is a comprehensive overview of recent court cases related to land conservation.  Learn about the the results of Alliance-sponsored research of reported case law, as well as of threatened or current lawsuits (with an emphasis on new cases since Rally 2007). Themes and lessons for the land conservation community at-large will be identified.  This session is legally focused, but accessible to non-lawyers.

Doing The Right Thing?

B18-- Saturday 1:30pm - 3:30pm -- Advanced

Andrew Dana, Karin Gross, Jessica Jay, Daniel Pike, Stephen J. Small, Mark Weston

This workshop examines how and whether easement holders are doing the right thing  vis-a-vis Land Trust Standards and Practices, the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, the Internal Revenue Service, and recent case-law regarding conservation transactions.  Panelists will respond to hypothetical scenarios based on real-life situations, and will offer opinions and guidance based on their experience with and knowledge of Standards and Practices, the IRS (including audits), the Code, Treasury Regulations, and recent case-law.  The discussion will strive to challenge panelists to address issues involving IRS audits, valid conservation purposes, donative intent, easement termination and amendment, sufficient easement holder commitment and resources, and determination and substantiation of appraised easement values.

Federal Policy Update 2008

B23 -- Saturday 1:30pm - 3:30pm -- All

Russ Shay

The Land Trust Alliance’s director of public policy will discuss the current status of legislation affecting federal tax incentives and reforms, the 2008 Farm Bill, the IRS’s new activity in the conservation easement arena, and answer your questions about these and other federal issues and about what lies ahead. Session moved from D24.

Government Partner Sessions

Saturday 3:45pm – 5:30pm

• How To Access The Farm Bill Programs -- Room 407 -- Arlen Lancaster, Chief, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Department Of Defense: Sustaining the Land and the Mission -- Room 301 -- Dave Duma, Principal Deputy, U.S. Department of Defense
• Coastal Community Resilience: Facing Climate Change -- Room 317 -- Margaret Davidson-NOAA Coastal Services Center, Dave Gordon-USFWS, Paul Cough-EPA
• Wetlands Protection -- Room 304 -- North America Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA)
• Open Space Conservation With The Forest Service -- Room 315 -- Gail Kimbell, Chief, U.S. Forest Service

Working with the IRS

Saturday 4:45pm – 5:30pm -- Rooms 319-321

The Land Trust Alliance has invited three representatives of the Internal Revenue Service and a representative of Colorado’s conservation community to share their perspectives and take your questions on recent IRS scrutiny of conservation easements and appraisals.  Attorney Stephen J. Small, Esq., P.C. will moderate this interactive session.  We won’t be able to cover every question and the IRS can’t comment on individual cases, but we encourage you to submit questions in advance by emailing  rshay@lta.org.

Sunday, September 21

Lessons learned From IRS Easement Audits In Colorado

C24 -- Sunday 8:30am - 10:00am -- All

Rob Bleiberg, Jill Ozarski, Daniel Pike, Mark Weston

The IRS has conducted a reported 300 audits of conservation easements in Colorado, in many cases making a determination the easements had zero value and denying the corresponding taxpayer deduction.  Many of these audit cases are currently under appeal.  This session will look at a case study, examine the IRS approach to easement valuation, and discuss the issues raised on appeal.

Winning Land Conservation Ballot Measures

D07 -- Sunday 10:30am - Noon -- Advanced

William Abberger, Andrew Du Moulin, Dee Frankfourth

The workshop will describe how communities throughout the nation have successfully designed and won voter approval for new sources of funding for land conservation. Topics to be covered include national trends in land conservation funding, ballot measure basics, key factors in measure design, and critical steps for passing an open space ballot measure. Case studies will be used to highlight key points. The workshop will highlight the role of land trusts in local ballot measures.

Using Targeted Public Education Outreach to Advance Policy Goals

D23 -- Sunday 10:30am - Noon -- Intermediate

Eleanor Morris

Do you ever wonder why the public thinks and acts how it does? Or how you could create a groundswell of support for conservation in the U.S. or even in your community? This session will look at a techniques used by the Partners In Fire Education (PIFE) which examined these questions for how Americans understand the role of fire and how to create support for fire in ecological prone landscapes.These same techniques, based on public opinion research, can be used to create a sense of urgency about land and water conservation and move people to take action to protect these crucial natural resources.

Land Trust Alliance's 2009 Public Policy Review

D24 -- Sunday 10:30am - Noon -- All

Russ Shay

This session is an open meeting of the Alliance's Policy Advisory Council, allowing all Land Trust Alliance Members to provide their input on what public policy issues the Alliance should work on in 2009. We will be circulating a memo on our policy options in early September. Only you can tell us what policy issues will help your conservation work the most. Participation is open to all Land Trust Alliance Members. Session moved from B23.

Creating State-Level Funding For Land Conservation

E07 -- Sunday 1:30pm - 3:00pm -- All

Andy Tuck

With state-level funding for land acquisition, local governments and land trusts can dramatically leverage their ability to preserve land. Unfortunately, very few states currently have an adequate stream of dedicated funding for conservation. Land trusts can change that. Learn best practices from key states; which funding mechanisms work best and why; how to create new state-level funding in your state; and lessons learned from recent case studies from around the country.

Imminent Threats To Conserved Land: NIET Corridor and Norfolk Southern's Proposed Rail Line

E09 -- Sunday 1:30pm - 3:00pm -- All

Chris Miller

Learn about two impending threats to land conservation: federal siting provisions for interstate transmission lines and recent trends toward new freight and passenger rail lines, using specific examples from Virginia, Pennsylvania and other parts of the country.

State Tax Credits: Signficant New Developments

E16 -- Sunday 1:30pm - 3:00pm -- All

Tina Burghardt, Michael Strugar

State Conservation Easement Tax Credits are a powerful incentive for promoting land conservation.  Eight years ago, Colorado adopted legislation that first made the credits transferable.  Virginia soon followed suit, and beginning in 2008, New Mexico too has transferable credits.  Numerous other states are currently running similar legislation, which may be in place by the time of Rally.  In this session we will provide an overview of recent developments in this rapidly evolving area, including approaches to curb potential abuses.

What's Happening With Property Rights Measures And Why Should We Care?

E20 -- Sunday 1:30pm - 3:00pm -- All

Len Barson, Glenn Sugameli

Participants will hear from two national experts about the scope of property rights and anti-growth control measures in the West and elsewhere around the country.  Presentations will focus on the history of the regulatory takings movement in the U.S., the content of measures which have been placed on the ballot and the issues for land trusts raised by such measures, with examples from the 2006, 2007 and 2008 elections.