Alliance Hosts Reception Honoring Champions of the Easement Incentive

On June 10, the Land Trust Alliance and the Conservation Tax Incentive Coalition presented awards to Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA), Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Dave Camp (R-MI), and eight other Congressional champions who helped to secure a two year extension of the easement incentive in the Farm Bill.

Senator Max Baucus (center) with Rock Ringling of Montana Land Reliance (right) & Rand Wentworth of the Land Trust Alliance (left).

A couple weeks ago myself and a buddy were up fly fishing in Humboldt County in California and we came out of the redwood forest into an opening and it was perhaps quarter acre of wild white iris, and you couldn’t get them any closer together, the whole place was just a white carpet. It was absolutely beautiful and we just sat down for half an hour to take it in. There are some great places out there and it’s going to take people like all of you working overtime to make sure that our grandchildren and their grandchildren will be able to see those places.

-Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Rand Wentworth and the Land Trust Alliance for their leadership in setting standards for conservation organizations.  At a time when ... a shadow [was cast] on all land conservation organizations, the Alliance took the bull by the horns.  Instead of waiting to see what the legislative outcome might be, they decided to proactively pursue the path of self-regulation.  The 2004 revision of the Land Trust Standards and Practices document promotes transparency, accountability and compliance with the tax laws.  I wish that other umbrella groups would work together to develop best practices for their own sectors.

-Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) 

Question at the Congressional reception celebrating the tax incentive:  What is the most important thing for making the tax incentive permanent?

Answer:  STORIES, more stories.  Every legislator in every district needs to hear success stories about how this tax incentive is making a difference to communities in the home district.
 
--Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI)

We did 40 transactions in one year—62,000 feet of shoreline.  I closed on one deal that I had been negotiating for ten years, thanks to the tax incentive.  Michigan is the 2^nd most agriculturally diverse state in the nation and its urban communities depend on successful farming.  These communities and land trusts across America need the Land Trust Alliance.

--Glen Chown, Executive Director, Grand Traverse Conservancy

This tax incentive makes a huge difference in all states.  The Land Trust Alliance has been incredibly important in conserving the farms, streams, mountains, and open spaces of Maryland.

 --Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)

Green space matters a lot to us [in Pennsylvania].  As we have seen development and farmland conversion happening as far as the eye can see…we need this tax incentive to help people conserve their land.  A constituent recently donated a 40-acre conservation easement, and these-size parcels are very important in the urban areas like Philadelphia.  The work you [the Alliance] are doing is incredibly important.

--Rep. Allyson  Schwartz (D -PA)

This [tax incentive] is really a tribute to the grassroots effort that made this [passage] possible.  My good friend Anne Garnett [Alliance communications contractor, funded by the Kellogg grant] is a force of nature and she really made this possible … Just stand back and get out of her way!

--Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)

There would be no dairy industry in Vermont without land trusts.  These farmers could not afford to be in farming without the tax breaks.  Throughout my conservation career, with 10 years in government and 10 years in nonprofits, I have never seen an organization that is more effective than the Land Trust Alliance.   

--Vaughn Collins, Director of Public Policy, Ducks Unlimited