Land Trust Alliance

Bennet Secures Key Provisions in Farm Bill, Helps Advance Bill to Senate Floor

Kimberly Seese — 2013-05-14T04:00:00Z

May 14, 2013 | Michael F. Bennet | CO

New Land Trust Alliance Conservation Campaign Director Leverages Advocacy Expertise

Kimberly Seese — 2013-03-20T04:00:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rob Aldrich
Director of Communications
202-800-2225| raldrich@lta.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Land Trust Alliance, a national conservation organization representing 1,700 land trusts that work to save the places people love, announced Barton James as its new conservation campaign director. James, formerly the director of public policy for Ducks Unlimited, will guide the Alliance’s advocacy program to build a national grass-tops network.

"I am delighted to join the Alliance in the tremendous task of harnessing the political strength of the nation’s 1,700 land trusts by expanding the relationships that land trusts have with members of Congress,” said James. "As an avid sportsman I’ve seen firsthand the critical role land trusts play in ensuring the opportunities and places I hold dear, an important legacy I want to pass on to my sons." James has worked closely over the years with the Alliance policy team through his role at DU, an accredited land trust.

Throughout his career, James has been involved in advocacy and conservation. For nearly nine years, he served as the lead for DU’s public policy work with federal agencies and Congress on agriculture, tax issues, clean water, coastal habitat loss, the Army Corps, water supply, Great Lakes restoration and hunting issues. James served as a political appointee in the Bush Administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration. James has also served as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives and as a political consultant.

"James' commitment to conservation is an energizing force, and his relationships and access on Capitol Hill are great examples of the type of relationships we look forward to building with our member land trusts" said Mary Pope Hutson, Executive Vice President with the Land Trust Alliance. "His vast experience in political advocacy will contribute greatly to the Alliance's ability to increase the political strength of the land conservation community."

James will lead a newly-created arm of the Alliance’s public policy program constructing a national grass tops network in partnership with land trusts nationwide. The goal is to ensure that the most important lands get protected by creating the federal and state laws and resources necessary for permanent protection.

About The Land Trust Alliance

The Alliance is a national conservation organization that works in three ways to save the places people love. First, we increase the pace of conservation, so more land and natural resources are protected. Second, we improve the quality of conservation, so the most important lands are protected using the best practices in the business. And third, we ensure the permanence of conservation by creating the laws and resources needed to defend protected land over time. The Land Trust Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and has several regional offices. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Alliance. www.landtrustalliance.org

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Wyoming Lawmakers Preserve State Funding for Conservation Easements, but Opposition Grows

Kimberly Seese — 2013-02-07T05:00:00Z

February 7, 2013 | Casper Star-Tribune | WY

Conservationists Praise Renewal of Tax Program

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-15T05:00:00Z

January 15, 2013 | Daily Local News | West Chester, PA

Don’t Throw Charities Off the Fiscal Cliff

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-21T05:00:00Z

There have been heated discussions in the news about cutting the tax deductions you take for giving to charities. Assertions I’m hearing about who benefits from the charitable tax deduction are short-sighted.

No one is better off financially after making a charitable gift. While a donor may get some reduction in taxes, their gift to benefit others is vastly larger than the tax deduction. Plus, charities have a multiplier effect on donations: every dollar that the tax deduction costs the government generates more than $4 in charitable programs.

Through the charitable deduction, Americans are provided an incentive to support a wide range of charities working to solve problems in communities across the country, contributing immeasurably to the health and welfare of our country. At a time when government resources are shrinking, it makes no sense to discourage people from giving to charities when they need it the most.

Tax benefits for charitable contributions started in 1919 and has persisted through any number of major tax reforms. Hundreds of thousands of charitable enterprises of all sorts – from the Red Cross to Feeding America to Opera America – have built their business models around it, and they have asked for our help in defending it. I think defending tax benefits for charitable contributions is a good idea.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) was right when he said “Charities today face the prospect of enduring another recession that will again put downward pressure on charitable giving. This is not the time to reduce the charitable deduction and further suppress the incentive to give.”

The Land Trust Alliance represents 1,700 land conservation groups that work with willing land owners to protect our natural heritage and provide benefits of clean water and air, fresh, local food and healthy places to live and work.

We can certainly argue about the merits of various attempts to wrangle more out of the tax code for conservation (there have been lots of those). But on the current issue of capping deductions on charitable giving now in front of policymakers, I see only negative effects and little or no interest amongst policymakers in finding an appropriate way to mitigate those or create a useful alternative.

All Americans should support greater fiscal responsibility for the federal government, and we are already seeing real consequences of irresponsibility in the form of cuts in spending – including spending for conservation in a host of government programs (including LWCF, NAWCA, FRPP, WRP and NFWF). This despite the fact that real spending on conservation programs is not a driver of our fiscal problems, having only increased 2% over the last 30 years in real dollars. We can’t put ourselves above the need for a solution – but we need to speak up so that policymakers understand what is at stake.

Any limits to the charitable deduction would hurt America’s charities by directing resources away from them and the millions of people they serve. As Congress and the White House look for a way to back off the fiscal cliff, they need to find a way to keep charities in the U.S. from going over one themselves.

Rand Wentworth
President, Land Trust Alliance
202-841-0886 | rwentworth@lta.org

Public-Private Partnership Strengthens Land Stewardship

Kimberly Seese — 2012-09-25T04:00:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rob Aldrich
Director of Communications
202.800.2225 | raldrich@lta.org

Training and Other Resources Provided to Enhance Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is partnering with the Land Trust Alliance to ensure the success of the public’s investment in conservation easements under the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). This formal agreement will make the Alliance’s integrated suite of online and in-person information and training resources available to all NRCS partners through the FRPP, building their capacity and ensuring the long-term stewardship of conservation easements.

“I welcome this partnership as a way to share the collective wisdom of the private land conservation community gained over the past 30 years,” said Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth. “We offer efficient and effective delivery of authoritative information and training that is the best in the land conservation community.”

With the collaboration of the land trust community, the Alliance first created Land Trust Standards and Practices in 1989. These are the guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust which is run legally, ethically and in the public interest, and which conducts a sound program of land transactions and stewardship. It also created the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, to recognize land trusts that meet national quality standards, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent.

A key aspect of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program is the public-private partnership. The NRCS and Land Trust Alliance partnership provides training and other resources to entities applying for FRPP funding, which will foster stronger conservation partnerships on individual FRPP projects.

The Alliance will provide NRCS\FRPP partners with two services: 1) a voucher worth $250 to be used for training opportunities, and 2) access to its online Learning Center.

The online Learning Center provides authoritative, current and accurate information for and about land conservation; the Standards and Practices Curriculum; forums to ask questions of experts; a searchable library; and the Conservation Defense Clearinghouse, a collection of legal information on voluntary land conservation.

Training opportunities include on-line training through webinars, while in-person training will be delivered at the National Land Conservation Conference – Rally and regional workshops.

To request these services, NRCS/FRPP partners should complete an application form and submit that to the Alliance. The form can be found on the Alliance website or USDA website or contact Bart Zerfas at bzerfas@lta.org or 202-800-2211.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) is a voluntary easement program that protects productive agricultural land by providing funds for the purchase of conservation easements to limit conversion of farm and ranch lands to non-agricultural uses. NRCS partners with state, tribal or local governments, and non-governmental organizations to fund the acquisition of conservation easements or other interests in land from private landowners.

The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation organization that leads a national network of 1,700 land trusts – local, nonprofit organizations working to protect clean water, local food, and places to play in their communities. We increase the pace of conservation, so more land and natural resources get protected. We enhance the quality of conservation, so the most important lands get protected using best practices. And we ensure the permanence of conservation by creating the laws and resources needed to defend protected land over time.

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Cuomo Visits 'Crown Jewel'

Kimberly Seese — 2012-09-24T04:00:00Z

September 24, 2012 | timesunion.com | North Hudson, NY

Hundreds of Organizations Ask Congress to “Hold the Line” on Conservation Programs in the Farm Bill

Kimberly Seese — 2012-06-12T04:00:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Media Contacts:
American Farmland Trust: John Stierna, jstierna@farmland.org, 202-378-1241
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies: Jen Mock Schaeffer, jenmock@fishwildlife.org, 202-624-7890
Ducks Unlimited: Dan Wrinn, dwrinn@ducks.org, 202-347-1530
Environmental Defense Fund: Sara Hopper, shopper@edf.org, 202-422-1823 (cell)
Land Trust Alliance: Russ Shay, rshay@lta.org, 202-800-2230
National Association of Conservation Districts: Laura Wood or Bethany Shively, laura-wood@nacdnet.org, 202-547-6223
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Ferd Hoefner, fhoefner@sustainableagriculture.net, 202-547-5754
National Wildlife Federation: Aislinn Maestas, Maestas@nwf.org, 202-797-6624
The Nature Conservancy: Heather Layman, hlayman@tnc.org, 703-841-3929
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Katie McKalip, kmckalip@trcp.org, 406-240-9262
Trout Unlimited: Steve Moyer, smoyer@tu.org, 703-284-9406

Signatories Represent Tens of Millions of Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, more than 500 organizations, businesses and individuals signed a letter asking congressional leaders not to further cut funding to the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill. Noting that conservation programs already have been significantly cut in recent years and will bear more than their fair share of deficit reduction in the Farm Bill as currently drafted, the letter asks Congress to “hold the line” on conservation funding at the amounts provided in the bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The 523 signatories comprise large and small organizations, businesses and landowners from all across America, collectively representing tens of millions of Americans.

The letter notes that conservation programs are essential to the sustainability of agriculture and forestry in the United States and to meeting the growing demand for food and fiber at home and abroad. These programs are “high-leverage investments in rural America,” protecting natural resources by funding a variety of voluntary partnerships and cooperative conservation efforts between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private landowners.

“Since the 2008 farm bill was enacted, Conservation Title programs have already been cut significantly through the annual appropriations process, particularly in the last two agriculture appropriations bills, and these cuts have had real and unfortunate impacts on the ground. The additional significant cuts to conservation funding included in the bill advanced by the Senate Agriculture Committee, if enacted, mean that the Conservation Title is already contributing more than its fair share to budget deficit reduction. While policy improvements can help reduce the impact of these additional cuts, they will, nevertheless have a negative impact on the ground. Further cuts would jeopardize this country’s entire system of successful agricultural and forestry conservation programs. And so we urge you to hold the line on Conservation Title funding at the amounts provided in the bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26th, 2012,” states the letter.

Conservation Title programs “are both popular and highly effective,” state the groups in the letter. These programs “recognize that the health of America’s soil, water, wildlife, and other natural resources is essential to the long term productivity and economic viability of agriculture and forestry, that protecting and managing our natural resources is critical to the future of American communities, and that most of our nation’s opportunities for hunting, fishing, and observing nature depend upon privately owned habitat on working farms, ranches and forest land.”

The letter concludes, “Maintaining, strengthening, and providing sufficient funding for the Conservation
Title programs will deliver multiple benefits for every region of America. Not the least of these is helping America’s farmers, ranchers, and private forest land owners to stay on the land as stewards of America’s natural resources.”

The letter was coordinated and distributed by 11 agricultural, forestry, and conservation organizations. They are American Farmland Trust, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Ducks Unlimited, Environmental Defense Fund, Land Trust Alliance, National Association of Conservation Districts, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Trout Unlimited.

View the full text of the letter to the leaders of the Agriculture Committees, including the complete list of signers.

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Opinion: Farm Bill Aims for Simpler, More Efficient Conservation Programs

Kimberly Seese — 2012-04-26T04:00:00Z

April 26, 2012 | Grand Junction Daily Sentinel | CO

One Thing Congress Agrees On: Land Conservation

Kimberly Seese — 2012-02-17T21:30:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Russ Shay
Director of Public Policy
W: 202.800.2230 | C: 202-285-5435 | rshay@lta.org

Majorities of Republicans and Democrats – 300 Cosponsors – Urge House Passage of Conservation Tax Incentive

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressmen Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) announced today that 300 representatives have co-sponsored their bill to conserve America’s forests, agricultural lands and open spaces – more than any other tax bill. H.R. 1964 makes permanent a recently-expired tax incentive that allows modest-income landowners to receive significant tax deductions for donating conservation easements that permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their lands.

“We are thrilled that majorities of Republicans and Democrats can agree on supporting the work of local land trusts that is so important to their communities,” said Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth. “We thank U.S. Representatives Jim Gerlach and Mike Thompson for championing this cause, and look forward to working with all 300 co-sponsors to get the job done.”

"This legislation has generated tremendous bipartisan support because the conservation easement tax incentive works," said Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-6). "The tax incentive gives family farmers, ranchers and other property owners more choices and creates opportunities for partnerships between non-profit organizations, federal, state and local officials. With the support of nearly three-quarters of the House, I am hopeful that conservation easements will remain an option for all property owners."

“The enhanced conservation easement incentive is a success – last year we reached a total of 47 million acres of land saved from development, a 27% jump from 2005. But it’s not just about the numbers, it’s about helping folks plan, conserve land and protect wildlife so our kids and grandkids can enjoy these natural treasures,” said Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-1). “300 co-authors from both the Republican and Democratic sides of the aisle is a nearly unmatched statement of support. Now it’s time to pass this bill and make this conservation incentive permanent.”

Landowners can retire the development rights on their land by donating a conservation easement to a land trust in their community – keeping agricultural land in productive use, protecting important fish and wildlife habitat, and conserving our scenic and historic heritage. Since the incentive expired at the end of 2011, landowners with modest incomes now receive little tax benefit from restricting what may be their family’s most valuable asset. By allowing donors to deduct a larger portion of their income over a longer period of time, H.R. 1964 will help thousands of family farmers, ranchers, and forest owners afford to conserve their land.

View the co-sponsor list at: www.lta.org/easementincentive/cosponsors.

About The Land Trust Alliance

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Conservancy Praises Bipartisan Land Bill

Kimberly Seese — 2012-02-17T21:21:01Z

February 17, 2012 philly.com | Chadds Ford, PA

When Tax Time is a Walk in the Woods

Kimberly Seese — 2012-01-29T05:00:00Z

January 29, 2012 | theday.com | New London, CT

Conservationists Seek Permanent Tax Breaks

Kimberly Seese — 2011-12-16T05:00:00Z

December 16, 2011 | Northwest Herald | Crystal Lake, IL

Defining Our Natural Heritage

Kimberly Seese — 2011-11-15T05:00:00Z

November 15, 2011 | The Hill | Washington, D.C.

NCBA Urges Support for Conservation Easement Tax Incentive Act

prichardson — 2009-04-06T13:52:09Z

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