| August 16 , 2006 |
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Dear Friend,Tomorrow, August 17, President Bush is scheduled to sign the pensions bill containing an expanded tax incentive for donations of conservation easements and reasonable reforms affecting easements on historic structures and appraisals. LTA will attend the 2pm signing at the White House. This would not have happened without hundreds of land trusts taking the time to make their members of Congress aware of the importance of land conservation to the communities they represent. Thank you! As it stands now, the new incentive is in place for only two years. This presents a tremendous conservation opportunity. But also a challenge. We have the opportunity to reach out to thousands of landowners who would not have been able to donate a conservation easement before this change. Our challenge is to demonstrate that we can use this new tool responsibly and strategically, so that Congress will have no question that it should be permanent. Below are some resources you can use to help us spread the word about what this means for the future of land conservation!
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Conservation Tax Incentive ResourcesWith Congress having passed and the President set to sign the pensions bill tomorrow, our attention turns to getting the word out. Outreach Needed: We need your help getting the land trust community to understand what these changes mean, so please use the resources listed below to guide you as you contact your members, community, and local media to share the great news!
Let's Get Ready to Rally!We hope you'll be joining us at the National Land Conservation Conference: Rally 2006 being held Oct. 12-15 in Nashville, TN. In addition to everything else you'll be learning, we’ll have plenty of discussions and information about the new conservation tax incentive. We’re honored to have renowned environmental author Bill McKibben as a plenary speaker this year. Read a feature article by him, A Deeper Shade of Green, in the August issue of National Geographic. Other reasons to attend:
Newsweek Honors Easement Donor
Sandwiched between Brad Pitt and Pierre Omidyar (eBay founder and philanthropist) in Newsweek's list of “15 People Who Make America Great,” Randy Rusk is recognized for donating a conservation easement to The Trust for Public Land to save 1,500 acres on his ranch in Colorado's Wet Mountain Valley. $1 Million Donation Makes History
We are thrilled to announce that philanthropist Forrest Berkley and his wife Marcie Tyre are donating $1 million to LTA, the largest individual gift in our history. $500,000 of the gift is dedicated to start an endowment for the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. A match requirement is in place for the second $500,000 to inspire others to invest in the program. Thanks to Forrest, Marcie, and all of our individual donors who help make our work possible! Resource Spotlight: Checklist for AccountabilityUse this checklist from Independent Sector’s website to ensure your organization is taking the right steps to strengthen transparency and accountability. This resource and many more are listed on the Nonprofit FAQ page of the Idealist.org website. Based on questions and answers about nonprofits exchanged on the Internet since 1994, the Nonprofit FAQ covers topics such as organization, management, regulation, resources and development. Bookmark it for help with all your nonprofit questions!
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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. |
