Land Trust Alliance

Many thanks to FOX Carolina News for interviewing Rose Jenkins Lane of Conserving Carolina and Lisa Raleigh of RiverLink Inc. about Hurricane Helene relief efforts. We are so proud of the conservation community as they rally to help their friends, neighbors and family members in the wake of flooding and destruction. Check out the interview below to learn about how conserved lands are making the region safer and more resilient to natural disasters.

If you’re craving learning and haven’t visited the Resource Center lately, browse our Learning Paths — curated land trust resources on topics including acquisition, financial management, boards, fee land stewardship and conservation easement stewardship. https://lnkd.in/gb7XpaJj

Reminder! Don't miss this new webinar that will discuss urgent tax law updates for land trusts! Over the last two years, the tax landscape for land trusts and landowners donating land or conservation easement has changed dramatically. In 2022, Congress passed the Integrity Act, which disallows deductions for certain transactions. And on October 8 of this year, the IRS released new regulations requiring land trusts to report a different category of transactions if the land trusts meet the criteria of being “material advisors.” For land trusts and landowners, each of these legal regimes has different exceptions. What does a land trust need to do to stay in compliance with the law and do their job? This webinar is offered free-of-charge for Land Trust Alliance members and their attorneys. Time for questions will be limited, so we will follow-up with a special thread on Ask an Expert to continue the conversation.

This summer, more than 43,000 Black farmers received their share of a $2.2 billion USDA settlement for years of discriminatory loan practices dating back to the early 1900s. For many, the payout comes too late as Black farmers are leaving the profession in droves. However, there’s a new network of growers who are working to change that. In 1920, the Alliance says Black farmers owned approximately 14-19 million acres of land. Today, that number is around 5.3 million acres — less than a half percent of America’s farmland.

Be assured that plans are in place to advance the Land Trust Alliance mission by working with our members to educate the new administration about the importance of land conservation and the critical roles that land trusts play in communities across the country.? The Land Trust Alliance will continue advocating for the land trust community and private land conservation in a nonpartisan manner, because Americans, regardless of party affiliation,?believe we should be engaging in more conservation, not less, and support the use of conservation easements to do so. Read "2024 election: a path forward" at https://lnkd.in/gsRZAY6g

The results are in! The 2024 Land Trust Salaries and Benefits Survey summary report was created from responses from organizations working in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We appreciate everyone who contributed. With comprehensive sections on salaries for each position, benefits, remote work, hiring and retention, demographics and more, this comprehensive report helps land trusts make decisions on compensation and helps individuals negotiate their salaries. The report is available at no cost to all Land Trust Alliance members.

Over the last two years, the tax landscape for land trusts and landowners donating land or conservation easement has changed dramatically. In 2022, Congress passed the Integrity Act, which disallows deductions for certain transactions. And on October 8 of this year, the IRS released new regulations requiring land trusts to report a different category of transactions if the land trusts meet the criteria of being “material advisors.” For land trusts and landowners, each of these legal regimes has different exceptions. What does a land trust need to do to stay in compliance with the law and do their job? The Land Trust Alliance is here to help!

The USDA has announced a historic $1.5 billion to fund 92 partner-driven conservation projects through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program, including 22 projects led by members of the Land Trust Alliance that collectively received nearly $415 million in awards.

Reminder: our four-part webinar series, "Water in the West: An Introduction for Land Trusts," kicks off next week! This course is intended as a focused introduction to this vast topic, an entry point for staff, board and volunteers, with course goals including: ??Addressing water resources in land protection, restoration and stewardship. ??Setting strategy and goals for water resource protection. ??Collaborating to create system-level strategies. We hope you will join us November 12-15 for four 90-minute sessions covering relevant history, law and policy governing water. Thanks to the generous support of The Volgenau Foundation and other anonymous foundation donors, your cost for this course is $75 as an Alliance member or $100 for non-members.

It feels like a good day to go outside. ?? ?? ?? Conservation is forever work. And since a conservationist's work is never really done, let's remember to take a little time to enjoy all we have worked so hard to protect. ??