FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Three Valley Conservation
513-524 2150 | http://www.3vct.org
OXFORD, OH -- The Three Valley Conservation Trust (TVCT) and the US Department of Agriculture announced approval of an unprecedented federal partnership to help sixteen farms along several of its major streams. A Federal Cooperative Agreement between the Trust and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide dollar for dollar pass-throughs of money to assist landowners in preserving their family lands. This agreement will make available up to $5.2 Million in Federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) matching funds to forever protect sixteen farms during the next year.
The funds will enable the Three Valley Conservation Trust (TVCT) to help communities to protect sensitive stream corridors and drinking water wellfields along tributaries of the Great Miami River in three Ohio counties. In addition, these same funds allow Three Valley to implement its strategic conservation plan to preserve high conservation priority farms where landowners have made commitments to conserve their lands through contracts with the Trust. These properties are located on Four Mile, Seven Mile, Twin, Little Twin, Paddys Run and Dry Fork creeks. TVCT’s Cooperative Agreement is one the largest in the Nation.
According to Matt Harbage – FRPP Program Manager in Ohio, “The purpose of FRPP is to provide funding to assist in purchasing easements on land to stop non-agricultural use of that land. One Land Trust that preserves property using many different sources of funding while maintaining an unmatched closing efficiency in this State is the Three Valley Conservation Trust whose Executive Director is Larry Frimerman. Protecting these irreplaceable farm lands is essential to securing agricultural production in this region for years to come and Three Valley Conservation Trust has done an outstanding job prioritizing farms to be enrolled and going after sources of funds on a variety of properties from farmland, grassland and forestland.”
When completed over the next eighteen months, these easement agreements will preserve 2400 additional acres with prime soils, more than eight miles of stream corridor, 550 acres of forest habitat, and critical drinking water supplies for future generations. The NRCS agreement will help the Trust honor its landowner commitments for projects such as the TVCTs Seven Mile/Four Mile Creek Protection Project, undertaken with assistance from the Duke Energy Foundation. This partnership effort will help landowners to protect sensitive streams and open spaces. As a result, the project will protect water quality for an aquifer that supplies drinking water for two million Ohioans and hundreds of industries from Dayton to Cincinnati.
In addition the project contributes to keeping farmland available for locally grown food, another essential component to sustainability for the Region. This set of stream corridor projects also serve as connecting wildlife routes for waterfowl and migratory birds.
“Three Valley will make it possible to save the family farm,” commented one landowner. "Without them, we may well have had to sell to the highest bidder. The newly amended federal cooperative agreement between TVCT and NRCS granted requests for eight additional properties in a supplemental funding application round to bring TVCT’s contract for 2011 to sixteen properties. One of these special farms would protect the largest Great Blue Heron Rookery in this part of Southwest Ohio. However, five of these properties also will receive Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program funding also just recently approved.
The catch? The Trust must partner with state, local and private parties to raise sufficient matching funds to access these federal dollars. TVCT has used this federal matching money to generate nearly $2 million in state and local land and drinking water protection funds. In one case, TVCT has reached out to the Miami Conservancy District, who will provide partial funding for an easement project along Little Twin Creek. The Trust is also partnering with Ohio EPA and the Fernald Trustees on a large pair of pilot easement projects to further underwrite these family lands to be protected. “Do we still need matching funds? “Yes- these help immensely with timing and priority setting. So, we are grateful to accept donations to match these grants”, noted Executive Director Larry Frimerman. In addition, landowners donate a portion of the value of their development rights. The donated value alone exceeds $3 million for these properties. These landowners, in turn, invest in their businesses and pump more funds back into the local economy.
TVCT must forever annually visit each site to assure that the terms of the agreement are followed, and must defend the easement contract with its core. These figures are astounding, and certainly significant achievement for a small nonprofit land conservation trust with two paid staff persons. “It would be nice if the Trust was permitted to retain a portion of these funds for administrative costs, but this is not permitted- instead, the Trust relies on donations from landowners and the general public alike.
The Three Valley Conservation Trust partners with people and communities to conserve the natural environment and cultural heritage of our service area for future generations. The organization works with willing landowners and governments to find ways to help these families and entities to forever conserve their green space, streams and working farms. Conservation easements also leave these farms on the tax rolls. Private ownership means that management costs are borne by farmers and other landowners. All approved farms must create and implement a federal Conservation Plan to use best management practices on their farms.
That formula has been a successful one for TVCT and southwestern Ohio- the organization has already protected 12,435 acres on 99 properties, with another eight properties totaling 1055 acres pending completion outside of the NRCS contract.
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa V. Hancock
215-513-0100 | lhancock@mclt.org
LIMERICK, PA -- Standing against the idyllic backdrop of the Hawthorne Farm in Limerick Township today, local conservation leaders celebrated the preservation of the farm and recognized Representative Jim Gerlach for his leadership on legislation that helps family farmers conserve their lands for future generations.
Don Hawthorne donated a conservation easement on 28 acres of his farm to Montgomery County Lands Trust in order to preserve an active Christmas tree farm, fruit orchard, and blueberry patch prized by the local community. Mr. Hawthorne was able to protect his property thanks to a 2006 tax incentive that has helped thousands of farmers, ranchers and other landowners of modest means to conserve their land. That incentive is scheduled to expire at the end of 2011. Congressmen Jim Gerlach (R-PA) introduced H.R. 1964 last month to make this important tax incentive permanent.To date, this bipartisan bill has 260 co-sponsors representing 48 states. A companion bill (S.339) that has been introduced in the Senate has 14 co-sponsors.
"Knowing that farming will likely continue on this land long after I am gone gives me peace of mind. It really would be wonderful if the federal tax incentive would be made permanent so other farmers who choose to preserve their land can benefit," said landowner Don Hawthorne.
Voluntary conservation agreements, also known as conservation easements, are a popular tool for protecting natural areas, working farms, and ranches and can make it easier for families to leave their land to the next generation. A landowner who grants a conservation easement continues to own and manage his or her land, but restricts its use to protect the property’s significant natural, agricultural, scenic and open space resources, or “conservation values.”
“Without a doubt, the conservation easement tax credit is a tremendously practical option for many landowners and an effective tool for preserving farmland and natural resources that contribute immensely to the quality of life in our communities. Many of my colleagues in Congress seem to understand. That's why at a time when Congress seldom reaches a consensus, this legislation has received overwhelming bipartisan support from 270 members of the U.S. House of Representatives said Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th district). And that's why I am extremely honored to work side-by-side with Montgomery County Lands Trust, Natural Lands Trust, the Brandywine Conservancy and other organizations to permanently extend the conservation easement tax incentive for family farmers, moderate-income property owners and others.”
The enhanced tax incentive applies to a landowner’s federal income tax. It:
“We at Montgomery County Lands Trust believe conservation has broad benefits when we work with our generous partners,” said Dulcie F. Flaharty, Executive Director of Montgomery County Lands Trust. “The preservation of the Hawthorne farm and other landscapes dear to our local communities was made possible due to personal generosity, complemented by the conservation tax incentive. Congressman Gerlach’s leadership on the land conservation caucus has helped produce an outcome that will deepen the impact of the work done by the Trust. Thank you, Congressman for making possible the realization of conservation dreams that were previously out-of-reach for many land owners.”
“Congressman Gerlach deserves significant credit for taking the lead in introducing this legislation to permanently extend the enhanced tax incentive for donating conservation easements,” said Sherri Evans-Stanton, Director of the Brandywine Conservancy’s Environmental Management Center. More than 83,000 acres of critical farmland, natural, cultural and recreational resources have been permanently protected within Gerlach’s congressional district. Many landowners were able to utilize this important conservation tool. When landowners donate conservation easements to preserve their land, they are voluntarily giving up value in what for many is their greatest asset. This bill has the positive effect of returning some of that value to the landowner, and by doing so, encourages more land and natural resource preservation.”
The economic benefits of preserving open space are clearly documented in this region. A recent study commissioned by the GreenSpace Alliance and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission found that open space in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties adds $16.3 billion to the region’s home values, saves more than $130 million in water treatment and flood control costs, and, through recreation at area parks and trails, avoids $1.3 billion in health related costs.
“Preserving open space contributes to our quality of life in countless ways,” noted Molly Morrison, President of Natural Lands Trust. “However, preserved lands are more than just pretty places, they are productive assets that make substantial contributions to our economy. Congressman Gerlach and his colleagues understand that encouraging donations of conservation easements isn’t just good for our environment, it is good for our economy, as well.”
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Russ Shay
Public Policy Director
202-638-4725, ext. 305 | rshay@lta.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Congressmen Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), with a remarkable 251 original co-sponsors, introduced the Conservation Easement Incentive Act. This bill is critical for the protection of millions of acres of the nation’s agricultural lands and natural areas that support the economies, health and cultural fabric of communities throughout the U.S. It makes permanent an incentive due to expire at the end of this year 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.
“The conservation easement tax credit is a tremendously practical way to provide tax relief to property owners while helping preserve natural resources and open spaces that enhance the quality of life in our communities,” Congressman Gerlach said. “As co-chair of the House Land Conservation Caucus, I will continue working with the Land Trust Alliance and other groups to ensure that the conservation easement tax credit continues to be an option available to family farmers, moderate-income property owners and others.”
“Tax incentives can be a powerful tool to help green our economy and protect our natural resources,” said Congressman Thompson. “Conservation easements have been particularly effective, encouraging landowners to conserve millions of acres of farm lands and scenic open spaces. By making this important conservation tool permanent, this bill would help preserve even more land for future generations.”
When donating a conservation easement, landowners maintain ownership and management of their land and can pass the land on to their heirs, but forego their rights to develop the land in the future. Congressmen Gerlach and Thompson expect their bill will make it possible for more families to afford to conserve their land. A survey shows that this incentive boosts the land saved by conservation easements by a third – to over one million acres per year.
The 251 Representatives from 47 states who have signed on as original co-sponsors include the Chairman, Ranking Democrat, and majorities of both parties on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax measures. A broad coalition of sportsmen, outdoors enthusiasts, farmers, ranchers and national conservation groups are working together to make this incentive permanent in the 112th Congress.
Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth praised the work of Congressmen Gerlach and Thompson. “In this era of partisanship and discord, it is encouraging to see these two leaders step up and fight to enact this bill.” He added: “Their efforts to make this important conservation tool permanent are welcomed by the nation’s 1,700 land trusts, their two million supporters, and the countless local communities seeking to protect the clean air and water, scenic landscapes, recreational places, and wildlife habitat that are central to their lives.”
The enhanced tax incentive allows working family farmers, ranchers and forest owners, to deduct up to 100% of their income for as many as 16 years in order to deduct the full value of their generous gift. First passed in 2006 and extended twice, this incentive is set to expire on December 31, 2011. The Conservation Easement Incentive Act will make this valuable conservation tool permanent.
See the list of 251 original co-sponsors here: www.lta.org/easementincentive/cosponsors.
The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works on behalf of the nation’s 1,700 land trusts to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. The Alliance works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies and training land trusts in best practices, and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats.
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