Dear , A new year brings a new calendar fresh with possibilities. As you fill in your ‘09 appointments, make sure to include time for our new online trainings to help you run a more effective and efficient land trust. Topics include current issues such as The Board's Role in Tough Economic Times and Climate Change and Land Trusts, as well as key subjects from the curriculum like Determining Easement Stewardship Costs. These dynamic online sessions are a great way to learn while saving on travel costs and reducing your carbon footprint. In this issue and in all of our workshops and publications in 2009, you’ll find practical information on how land trusts can weather the recession by cutting costs, raising money and finding creative opportunities to save land. Rand Wentworth President, Land Trust Alliance

top headlines

Helping Land Trusts Weather the Recession Worried about how the economic crisis will affect your land trust? Read a preview of Story Clark's upcoming Saving Land article with suggestions on ways you can protect your land trust during challenging times, including immediate steps to address the loss of revenue through conservative management and creativity.

Survey Says: Easement Incentive Works; Conservation Boosted By 535,000 Acres A recent Alliance survey of nearly 500 land trusts shows that together, the land trusts put 535,000 more acres into conservation easements in the first two years with the new tax incentive than in the previous two years – a 36% increase! The number of easements grew by 6,000, which is nearly 2,000 more than were added in 2004-2005. More While the new tax incentive isn’t the only factor in the conserved land increase, land trusts tell us it was a big factor. Unfortunately, the incentive will expire at the end of 2009 unless Congress acts! Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) will soon introduce legislation to make the incentive permanent, so take action today and ask your Representative to be an original co-sponsor. More Back to Top

resources

For Your Library: Mineral Rights Handbook Now Available After over two years of hard work and collaboration, the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts has published an exceptional new resource: Mineral Development and Land Conservation: A Handbook for Conservation Professionals. This handbook is a critical resource for anyone involved in conservation transactions and provides expert and easy-to-use information about a broad range of issues related to land conservation and mineral and energy development. While the handbook focuses on Colorado law, it is also a valuable resource to land trusts in other states on mineral rights in general, due diligence checklists and sample easement language. And in the next issue of Saving Land, read the article on land trusts and oil and gas exploration. More

New GIS Product Helps You Create and Analyze Spatial Data Sophisticated GIS software is now available to U.S. nonprofits to create, analyze and display spatial data. Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) is offering its ArcView GIS software to help nonprofits visualize data, make better decisions and solve problems faster. For example, conservation organizations have used ArcView to analyze accessible park and recreation areas per capita, monitor habitat change and predict future land and resource use. Learn more about the uses and benefits of ESRI's ArcView software, which is available for just the administration fee of $175. (The retail value is $1,842). Back to Top

alliance member benefits

Making Sure You’re Covered: Liability Insurance An accident happened on an otherwise quiet afternoon that forever changed a family and the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Read their story about how to avoid a similar tragedy and learn why it’s so important for land trusts to have liability insurance. The Alliance offers all of our land trust members group liability insurance coverage as a benefit of membership. Don’t forget that the cost of your dues covers the cost of this insurance! Learn more about membership and other benefits.

3 Cool Things about The Learning Center Updated Land Conservation Case Law Summaries – see what case precedence affects your land trust. Ask An Expert – Judy Anderson and Brenda Lind, two noted experts in the land conservation field, are available to answer your pressing conservation questions. Join in discussions by checking out the Forums. RallyNet – Although RallyNet is closing to the public on January 31, those with access can still search the archives of Rally presentations back to 2002. These are FREE, information-packed resources to help you continue learning at your own pace. Back to Top

conservation defense

Update on Conservation Defense Insurance Since Rally in September, more than 92 land trusts, conservation partners and attorneys sent comments to the Alliance on the proposed conservation defense insurance program. In addition, the Alliance presented the Betterley Feasibility Report to eight statewide land trust gatherings around the country and has been working with a small group of land trust leaders to address the necessary details of any such program. More listening sessions will be held in the next few months. Based on the initial comments received, the Alliance has begun modifying many of the original proposals in the Betterley Feasibility Report. More

In Review: 2008 Conservation Defense Follow-up Reports Conservation easements and conserved lands across America are under attack. These attacks came from many sources in 2008: developers, utilities looking for new transmission corridors, the IRS, neighbors to conserved land, and landowners who purchase land under easement. As property values rise, incentives to disrupt or void easements are growing. With the economic downturn, we may well see a greater increase in these challenges as financially distressed landowners or neighbors seek economic relief. See updates on some of the cases we reported that were unresolved in 2008. Back to Top

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

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IN THIS ISSUE

>> Helping Land Trusts Weather the Recession >> Survey Says: Easement Incentive Works; Conservation Boosted By 535,000 Acres >> For Your Library: Mineral Rights Handbook Now Available >> New GIS Product Helps You Create and Analyze Spatial Data >> Making Sure You’re Covered: Liability Insurance >> 3 Cool Things about The Learning Center >> Update on Conservation Defense Insurance >> In Review: 2008 Conservation Defense Follow-up Reports

UPCOMING EVENTS October 11-14 | Portland, OR >>Save the Date >>Regional Conferences Midwest: March 12-14 MADISON, WI >> Northeast: April 29-30 WEST POINT, NY >> Southeast: March 25-26 AUBURN, AL >> Events Calendar >>

2008 Highlights Join us for a walk on the 2008-2009 land conservation trail. Read more >>

new curriculum book In Caring for Land Trust Properties, learn how to create policies for developing management plans and monitoring properties in your care. Buy Now >>

A Novel Approach Read about characters based on staff at the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy in Hendersonville, North Carolina, in a recent suspense novel set in the Hickory Nut Gorge. The author of In the Shadows of Chimney Rock, Rose Senehi, was inspired by the conservation work of the conservancy and other organizations in the Gorge. More >>