Dear , We’ve had great news over the last few weeks that even in this tough economy our elected officials still support land conservation. Our friends in the House and Senate have introduced bills to make the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations permanent. The House bill (H.R.1831) had an impressive 93 original cosponsors. Among the 500 tax bills introduced so far this year, only two had more! Our goal is 218 cosponsors and we’re already up to 104, so please learn more about how you can help make the tax incentive permanent. In addition, on April 3 the New York state legislature renewed a major investment in land trusts, including $1.575 million in the budget for the New York State Conservation Partnership Program. Rand Wentworth President, Land Trust Alliance

POLICY NEWS

Help Recruit Cosponsors for S. 812 and H.R. 1831 Unless extended, the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations will expire December 31, 2009! We need your help recruiting cosponsors for new legislation to make it permanent: In the Senate, Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act, S. 812. In the House, Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) introduced the Conservation Easement Incentive Act, H.R. 1831. Please, use these tools to spread the word: About the Easement Incentive – Learn more and see if your Rep. has cosponsored How You Can Help – New fact sheets, letters of support and talking points Grassroots Toolkit – New templates for landowners and the media

New York Land Trusts Help Secure Major Investment in State Budget Conservationists from across New York are celebrating the recent passage of the 2009-2010 state budget, which includes $222 million for the Environmental Protection Fund. New York’s land conservation community played a critical role in advocating for environmental funding and vital land trust programs. Even in a recession, what New York’s land trusts do matters a great deal to their communities. Included in the 2009-2010 budget is $1.575 million for Land Trust Alliance’s Conservation Partnership Program, $23 million for Farmland Protection Program, and $60 million for state open space acquisitions. More Back to Top

CONSERVATION DEFENSE

Land Trusts Support Conservation Defense Insurance Thank you to the hundreds of land trust volunteers, board and staff members and attorneys who commented on the drafts of the proposed conservation defense insurance program. Land trusts have further opportunity for comment until May 15, 2009. Hector Prud'homme, president of the Cornwall Conservation Trust in Cornwall, Connecticut, says that the program “seems to be very well designed and carefully thought through. It certainly will be of help to many land trusts large and small. We think the coverage is good and the costs fair and we like built-in flexibility. We strongly support the program and look forward to any further refinements.” More

You Name It and Win a Free Webinar! Since the proposed conservation defense insurance program is going to be collectively owned by the conservation community, and many land trusts have commented that they want a different name for it, we’re looking for your feedback. What would you name the proposed conservation defense insurance program? Tell the Alliance what you would name it by May 15, 2009 by writing to Leslie Ratley-Beach, Conservation Defense Director, at lrbeach@lta.org. If you are the first to make a suggestion that is chosen, you’ll win a free 90-minute workshop of your choice from our suite of online trainings.

Michigan Land Trust Defeats Effort to Terminate Easement When a Michigan land trust sought to uphold a conservation easement and stop logging that significantly violated an approved forest management plan, the landowners filed a complaint against the land trust alleging misrepresentation, tortious interference with business relations, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress and mental anguish. The landowners also sought to dismiss the land trust’s suit to stop the logging and claimed that the land trust overstepped its authority in enforcing its conservation easement and that therefore the easement should be terminated entirely. More Back to Top

ALL THINGS ALLIANCE

Know a Land Conservation Shining Star? Nominate Them! Every day thousands of people dedicate their time and energy to the precious work of conserving land in their communities. Now’s your chance to recognize and thank your land trust leaders and community for their hard work and dedication, by simply nominating them for an Alliance award. These include: Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award National Land Trust Excellence Award National Conservation Service Award These peer-nominated awards offer an opportunity to highlight the incredible and innovative land conservation successes across the nation. Plus, you won’t want to miss the winners announced at Rally this year, so book now for Portland and share in the celebration!

Find Quick Expert Answers to Your Conservation Questions There is no question too big or small for our land conservation experts. From building a strong board to managing your finances and beyond, our experts Judy Anderson and Brenda Lind are available with insights to keep your organization on solid ground. Find Judy and Brenda in the online Discussion Forums at the Alliance’s The Learning Center and get answers to your most pressing land conservation questions. Need help logging in or reaching the Forums? Our brief Quick Start Guide will give you all the information you need to get started. The Land Trust Alliance Discussion Forums. It’s a natural resource.

PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES

2009 Yale Conservation Finance Camp: Financing Conservation During a Time of Crisis Building from the success of the 2007 and 2008 sessions, the Center for Business and the Environment is hosting its third week-long course on conservation finance from June 22-26, 2009 on Yale’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut. A special focus for this year is on ways to keep financing land conservation in these difficult economic times. The course provides a framework for analyzing and packaging a wide range of cutting-edge sources of private and public conservation finance, including new types of philanthropic funds, public capital and private investment. More

Job Posting Opportunity for Alliance Member Groups There are a growing number of places to look for environmental job opportunities; some are listed on our Resources for Job Seekers page. Grassroots Jobsource of The Orion Grassroots Network attracts lots of traffic from creatively thinking jobseekers. Job and internship listings normally cost $25 each for 60 days, but for their 10-year anniversary if you are an Alliance member group, you can receive a coupon code to post listings for free until April 30. E-mail grassroots@orionsociety.org. More Back to Top

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

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IN THIS ISSUE

>> Help Recruit Cosponsors for S. 812 and H.R. 1831 >> New York Land Trusts Help Secure Major Investment in State Budget >> Land Trusts Support Conservation Defense Insurance >> You Name It and Win a Free Webinar! >> Michigan Land Trust Defeats Effort to Terminate Easement >> Know a Land Conservation Shining Star? Nominate Them! >> Find Quick Expert Answers to Your Conservation Questions >> Financing Conservation During a Time of Crisis >> Job Posting Opportunity for Alliance Member Groups

UPCOMING EVENTS Rally 2009 | October 11-14 | Portland, OR >>Save the Date Online Trainings Drafting Easements for Perpetuity: May 6-27. MORE >> Drafting Baseline Document Reports: June 3. MORE>> Demystifying the Farm Bill: July 8. MORE >> Climate Change and Land Trusts: August 26. MORE >> Regional Conferences Northeast: April 29-30 WEST POINT, NY>> EVENTS CALENDAR >>

NEED HELP MONITORING? Take a look at either of our Curriculum books, Caring for Land Trust Properties and Conservation Easement Stewardship. More >>