| November 15, 2006 |
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Dear Friend,The political landscape in America changed dramatically last week. Fortunately the Land Trust Alliance has always worked well with both sides of the aisle, and we will call on the new Congress to support policies that help land trusts. Where there has been a change in leadership, please visit your new representative to ensure that they understand the importance of private land conservation. What was not reported in the national media was the big victory for land conservation – voters in 23 states approved 99 conservation ballot measures totaling $5.73 billion, setting a new record! More good news is on the way, look for the release of National Land Trust Census at the end of this month.
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Record Conservation Funding Approved by Voters
On November 7, voters across the country set a new record by approving conservation ballot measures totaling $5.73 billion, according to The Trust for Public Land. This year, voters approved 99 of the 128 funding measures on the ballot to protect land for parks and open space. Read the press release and visit LandVote. Get Ready to Use Land Trust Census Locally!The results of the 2005 National Land Trust Census will be released publicly on Nov. 30, and will show a dramatic increase in the acres conserved over the past 5 years. LTA member land trusts will get early access to our census outreach toolkit on Nov. 28, containing a press release template, state-by-state fact sheets, sample letter to Congress, charts and more. Learn more about using Census 2005 to promote your group’s work. Thanks again to all land trusts that participated. New IRS Appraisal GuidelinesThe IRS has recently released guidance on appraisers and appraisals, giving direction on the new laws for appraiser certification and outlining the penalties on gross valuations of land. The IRS will accept appraisals done before August 17, 2006 if they meet the IRS rules in place before the new law passed. Find out what else you need to know about the new guidelines! Tax Planning and IRA Rollover InformationOur new tax planning fact sheet, created specifically for tax and financial planners and their clients, explains the tax implications of the new conservation incentive, the new estate tax benefits, and the new IRA rollover provision. The IRA provision allows individuals over 70 1/2 to make charitable donations up to $100,000 from an IRA without having to count the donation as taxable income. Specific IRS guidelines are not yet available for the IRA provision, but we'll post them as soon as they are released. More Information Land Trust Success Story
The Trustees of Reservations, the nation’s oldest regional land trust, are based in Massachusetts but have never had a Boston presence…until now! They recently announced a permanent affiliation with the Boston Natural Areas Network. Learn about how this partnership will help conserve the city’s character and diminishing natural landscapes. Voices of Inspiration at RallyCan you guess which speakers said these quotes at the National Land Conservation Conference: Rally 2006?
Find out the answers and get a sneak peek at the full Rally story, “What You Do is Invaluable,” coming out in the Winter issue of Exchange.
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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. |
