Dear Friend,

To make the new conservation tax incentive permanent, we need to give Congress some great stories showing how the incentive is already working. Please send us an example of how the incentive made the difference in convincing a landowner to donate an easement. You can fill out our tax incentive success stories form or give Francesca Dalleo a call at 202-638-4725. Your story will help show members of Congress why the incentive is important for people in their home district, and it will give reporters specific examples to feature in their articles.

Rand Wentworth President, Land Trust Alliance

Land Trusts and Renewable Energy

©iStockphoto.com/WSS

A hot topic these days is renewable energy, with land conservationists increasingly becoming involved in the debate. Learn about how wind and solar power as well as the rush to grow corn for ethanol are affecting land trusts around the country, in an article from the new Exchange, “Where Saving the Land and Saving the Planet Intersect.”

Do you have experience with clean energy? Share your stories by April 15th to be considered for publication in a new book by Congressman Jay Inslee. More

Conservation Finance Camp at Yale

This camp, held from June 25-29, will cover basic and cutting edge philanthropic, private investment, and public finance techniques for land and easement conservation acquisition. Sponsored by the Center for Business and the Environment; Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; and the Land Trust Alliance. More

Database Software Reviews

Ever wondered how to track your volunteers, donors, partners, and other constituents? Then you should check out these great new articles on databases from Idealware:

• A Few Good Low-Cost Constituent Databases recommends a set of free and low-cost databases.
• An Introduction to Integrating Constituent Data: Three Basic Approaches walks you through the pros and cons of data sharing options.

An upcoming issue of Exchange will explore which databases land trusts are using and how they compare to each other.

Land Trust Success Stories

GIS Decision-Support System Focuses Conservation Efforts
The New River Land Trust’s implementation of a newly developed GIS Decision-Support System has enabled them to gain a whole landscape perspective, and to be highly strategic in their approach to protecting the natural beauty and cultural heritage of southwest Virginia. More

Patience Key to Using Nevada Act to Protect Land
Thanks to a unique piece of federal legislation, and despite pressure from a growing population, 300 acres in western Nevada will now be preserved by a conservation easement brought about by the American Land Conservancy. More

We’re Moving!

Living Lands Project Grant Recipients

In the December eNews Brief, we announced a grant opportunity with the Living Lands project, which works with land trusts to conserve biodiversity. Seven recipients from across the country were awarded more than $59,000. Learn more about the land trusts and their projects.

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Land Trust Alliance
1331 H St NW, Suite 400 Washington DC 20005
phone: (202) 638-4725, fax: (202) 638-4730
www.lta.org | eNews@lta.org

The Land Trust Alliance promotes voluntary land conservation and strengthens the land trust movement by providing the leadership, information, skills and resources land trusts need to conserve land for the benefit of communities and natural systems.