How You Can Help

Unless Congress acts, the easement incentive will expire December 31, 2009!  We need your Members of Congress to support legislation making the easement incentive permanent by cosponsoring Senate bill S.469 or House bill H.R. 1576. Let them know how much this means to your land trust and land conservation in America.

You can reach any member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak with the staff person that handles natural resource issues, and make sure they know of any prior relationship your land trust has had with the office. Please check our current list of cosponsors and key members to contact.

Talking points for Members of Congress who have not yet cosponsored:

• Tell them how important this tax incentive is to land conservation in your local community and to your conservation work.

• Tell them how the tax incentive helps the local family farmers, ranchers, and moderate-income level families protect their land. If any landowners in your area have benefited from the easement incentive, share their stories!
• Urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1576, introduced by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Dave Camp (R-MI) or S. 469, introduced by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA). They can cosponsor H.R. 1576 by contacting Travis Robey in Rep. Thompson's office at 5-3311 or S. 467 by contacting Jo-Ellen Darcy of the Senate Finance Committee at 4-4515.
• Ask for the staffer’s email address and offer to send a fact sheet on the easement incentive.
  
• A phone call is best, but you can send a letter if you prefer. Click here for advice and examples.
  

Talking points for Members of Congress who have already cosponsored:

• Please call or write your Senator or Representative right away with a heartfelt thank you! See sample letter here.
• It’s even more important to thank them publicly! You can use our newsletter article template and sample press release to use to thank them for cosponsoring the bill!  Don’t forget to send them a copy.  For an example, read the press release sent by Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy thanking Congressman Schuler for co-sponsoring Bill HR 1576 Supporting Local Land Conservation.
• Offer to take the Congressperson or their staff on a site visit to see conserved land and meed landowners.  Offer to provide any information they need about conservation easements or land conservation efforts in your local area.
• Ask them to join the Land Conservation Caucus.
  

Your congressional office wants to hear from you, and there couldn't be a more important time to ask them for their help! You can also help by sharing our grassroots tax incentive fact sheet with other conservation supporters and urging them to weigh in with your Congressional delegation.

Questions? Call the Alliance at 202-638-4725, or e-mail policy@lta.org