Your support over the next two weeks will be critical to securing a permanent extension of the tax incentive for conservation easement donations! That incentive expired December 31st, but the Senate Farm Bill includes a permanent extension of the incentive. Call your Representatives and tell them how important these provisions are to conservation in your community and to include the conservation easement incentive and provide at least $5 billion in increased funding for conservation programs in the final Farm Bill. Find out more and how you can help.

Headlands, a real estate development company, negotiated with government regulators to develop 121 acres on the California coast. They received approval contingent on permanent protection of 29 acres of the property, and sold them to the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM). When Headlands presented Form 8283 for signature, CNLM refused, and Headlands filed suit. CNLM saw the sale as a permit requirement without donative intent. The court ruled in favor of CNLM citing a sales contract stating that neither party had relied on tax advice from the other. More

Eleven environmental organizations sued the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in January over DOE’s designation of an eight-state area where federal eminent domain can be used to fast track new high-voltage transmission lines. Led by the National Wildlife Federation and the Piedmont Environmental Council, the groups filed suit because of DOE’s failure to study potential environmental impacts. More The Alliance is assisting by hosting a central site for information and a discussion group on condemnation. Also see an article from the new Exchange on tactics to fight condemnation.

Five new Guidance Documents, to help applicants interpret specific indicator practices drawn from Land Trust Standards and Practices are now available on the website of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. What are land trusts in the Pilot Program saying about accreditation? “[W]e were able to see issues with certain aspects of our program. It also helped us accelerate some of our planned policy implementation. It also helped us realize what we were doing well, especially in terms of documentation and record keeping, for a relatively large organization.”

Land trust board members should consider signing up for BoardCafe, a newsletter “short enough to read over a cup of coffee” exclusively for nonprofit boards. If you don’t want more e-mail cluttering up your inbox, take a look at the archives with board specific info on committees, recruitment, finance, executive directors, and more.

Photo courtesy Center for Whole Communities Take part in the “Land Trust Community Engagement” survey conducted by the Alliance, the Center for Whole Communities and Mark Ackelson. So far we’ve had 264 land trusts from across the country respond. Please take a few minutes to let us know how you understand and engage in your communities by the February 29 deadline. All respondents may choose a free book or CD from the Center for Whole Communities, and are entered in a drawing for one free registration for Rally 2009!

Photo by Eve Wolf Another issue of Exchange will be reaching your mailboxes shortly with great articles and information for your organization. Highlights include a summary of the ever popular Land Trust Salaries and Benefits Survey, a preview of what land trusts will get from the LandScope America website, and the essay “The Gift” by writer Mary Sojourner, inspired by her experience teaching at Rally 2007. Mary also created a blog called "Filaments" for people in the land conservation community to express themselves. Take a look and share thoughts with colleagues and friends!

The Piedmont Environmental Council Fellowship Program is a six-week program offering students a fully immersive, hands-on experience in PEC's nationally recognized, highly successful regional movement for land conservation and land use planning. Applications are due March 28. Learn more about the fellowship and other grants, loans and awards applicable to land trusts.

The Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and NOAA are working to raise the profile of coastal conservation. As part of the effort, these groups developed a Coastal Conservation Networking website to provide information about tools and resources suited for the needs of coastal land trusts and their partners. The resource also highlights examples of conservation networking and unlikely partnerships. Visit the site and let us know what information would be most useful to you!