Dear , The crowd erupted in cheers as 39 land trusts crossed the stage at Rally to receive their accreditation seal. This moment made history, and I’m very grateful for all of the land trusts, the funders, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and staff, who have worked so hard for the past two years to launch this program. The accredited land trusts all say that the process made them even more effective at saving land and raising money. We hope you will consider signing up now for the 2009 round. The Alliance has dedicated tools to help your land trust prepare, and we are here to support you. Rand Wentworth President, Land Trust Alliance

rally

Rally Wrap-up To welcome the more than 1,700 people brought together by Rally 2008, the National Land Conservation Conference held annually by the Land Trust Alliance, Chair Peter Hausmann said, “You in this room continue to inspire me, and cause me to be hopeful for my grandchildren’s future.” This year’s crowd of land conservationists in Pittsburgh, PA, had many learning experiences to choose from, including 33 seminars, 129 workshops, 12 field trips to conserved areas, inspirational plenary speakers, networking receptions and government partner sessions. Read our Rally wrap-up article here. View and download Rally session handouts, speeches and more on RallyNet, which is free and open to the public until January 31, 2009. RallyNet is part of our digital library on The Learning Center and available to Alliance members, partners and select individual donors all year round!

accreditation

Inaugural Accreditation Awards Announced Thirty-nine land trusts from across the country walked across the stage at Rally 2008 to accept their accreditation awards. This inaugural group of accredited land trusts range from organizations that protect the rocky shores of the Pacific to those that work on affordable housing in the urban Southeast. Some of these land trusts work in a single town with no staff, others have a national scope. Read the full release. If your land trust would like to apply for accreditation, now is the time to register for 2009. Learn more from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. Back to Top

Land Trusts and the Financial crisis

Strategies to Purchase Distressed Properties Something good could come out of the economic crisis in this country, in the form of more land saved. With real estate prices declining across the country, this would be a good time to purchase key conservation lands, if we only had the funds. Many banks have foreclosed on distressed properties and need to get those properties off their balance sheets. Some land trusts are seeking charitable gifts to take advantage of this opportunity while others are partnering with private equity funds. Join a national conference call at 3 PM (ET) on October 30 to share ideas on how land trusts can raise new capital, implement new strategies and acquire land from distressed sellers. The call will be hosted by Rand Wentworth of the Alliance and Kevin Brice of the Triangle Land Conservancy. Call 888-338-1010 Passcode: 4901. Please RSVP to tleak@lta.org.

Take Advantage of Renewed Tax Provisions, Developers Selling Land The recently-enacted financial bailout bill includes two tax provisions you should know about: An extension of the “IRA Rollover” provision, allowing donors over 70 ½ to make tax-free charitable contributions from their IRA accounts An extension of the Pension Protection Act provision that removes the limitation on charitable deductions allowed S-corporation shareholders to their basis in their stock Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that longstanding tax law, combined with a souring economy, is encouraging developers to sell underperforming real estate investments by the end of the year—a potential opportunity for land trusts to acquire land at a steep discount. More Back to Top

conservation defense

Land Trusts Explore Conservation Defense Insurance Feasibility In numerous presentations at Rally 2008 last month, land trusts from around the country enthusiastically encouraged the Alliance to continue investigating the feasibility of conservation defense insurance. Those attending the presentations had many questions about how such a program would be implemented if it ultimately proves feasible. See the answers to the most frequently asked questions at Rally and find out more about conservation defense insurance on our website, including the full feasibility report, summary of threats to conservation permanence and how insurance can help, timeline and process, and more.

Land Trust and Co-holders Determined to Uphold Conservation Permanence The Redding Land Trust (CT) and its co-holders, the Redding Planning Commission and the Redding Conservation Commission, are pursuing enforcement of some 16-year-old scenic easement violations. The Planning Commission obtained an opinion of counsel that despite the age of the violations, the violations still exist, must be corrected and have not been waived by the easement holders, and are not voided by any statute of limitations. MaryAnne Guitar, president of the land trust, said that miscommunication among the co-holders delayed identifying the violations. She credits preparing for accreditation with helping the land trust improve its practices. More

Separate Contemporaneous Letter Required by Tax Court for Valid Deduction The federal tax court in Texas recently decided a cash donation case that sends a message to all land trusts receiving any type of gifts. The case strictly applies the requirement for a contemporaneous separate substantiation letter for any deduction to be valid. More Back to Top

resources

Grants For land trusts with educational components, Target Field Trip Grants are an opportunity for students to explore outside of the classroom. Grants of up to $800 will be awarded to educators, teachers, principals, etc. planning field trips to environmental sites. Send this link to your school contacts! Deadline: November 1, 2008. See more grant and award opportunities Back to Top

eNews is edited and produced by Francesca Dalleo, Communications Specialist at the Alliance.

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IN THIS ISSUE

>> Rally Wrap-up >> Inaugural Accreditation Awards Announced >> Strategies to Purchase Distressed Properties >> Take Advantage of Renewed Tax Provisions, Developers Selling Land >> Land Trusts Explore Conservation Defense Insurance Feasibility >> Land Trust and Co-holders Determined to Uphold Conservation Permanence >> Separate Contemporaneous Letter Required by Tax Court for Valid Deduction >> Grants

Rally 2008 Photos

new curriculum book Learn about how a strong stewardship program is critical to ensuring that the land saved today is protected tomorrow in Conservation Easement Stewardship. Publications Catalog >>

Proposed Online Courses for 2009 Funding Easement Stewardship Drafting Easements for Perpetuity Preparing for Perpetuity: Building Your Board More >>

Rally raffle winners Congratulations to Sean Kenny of Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County and Robert Adams of Wissahickon Watershed Valley Association, winners of the Land Trust Alliance Rally Book Raffle. They will each receive a copy of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, Pittsburgh.