Press Releases and Other Alliance News

May 23, 2008
Legislative Victory for Land Conservation
The hotly debated Farm Bill, which Congress enacted yesterday with an override of the President’s veto, renews a powerful tax incentive which has helped conserve a million or more acres of farms, ranches and natural areas across the US.  The incentive had expired January 1st, but is now retroactive to the beginning of the year and will last through 2009. 

April 16, 1008
Land Trust Alliance Announces $825,000 in Capacity-Building and Conservation Grants to New York Land Trusts
On Wednesday April 16th, 2008 the Land Trust Alliance and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced $825,000 in Conservation Partnership Program Grants to 40 New York Land Trusts— an unprecedented investment that will help build stronger land trusts, accelerate the pace and quality of land conservation, and strengthen public support for community-based conservation.  More than 50 land trust representatives were on hand for the announcement, which took place in the New York State Capitol.

March 11, 2008
National Public Radio Story: "In Land Conservation, 'Forever' May Not Last"
The week of March 11, 2008, National Public Radio ran a story called "In Land Conservation, 'Forever' May Not Last" on All Things Considered. Unfortunately NPR focused on the termination of a single Wyoming easement, implying that all conservation easements are at risk.

March 6, 2008
Legislators call for more accountability in Colorado's conservation easement tax credit
Denver, CO - House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder), Rep. Bernie Buescher, (D-Grand Junction) and Rep. Kathleen Curry (D-Gunnison) will join Senator Jim Isgar (D-Hesperus) tomorrow in introducing legislation to add an extra layer of accountability for state conservation easement tax credits.

October 11, 2007
Mark Ackelson Receives National Conservation Award
Washington, DC - Mark Ackelson, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and active for years in protecting and restoring prairies, wetlands and woodlands, and in creating rail-trails, was announced today as the winner of the prestigious Kingsbury Browne Conservation Award. He is the second recipient of this honor, awarded by the Land Trust Alliance to recognize outstanding leadership, innovation and creativity in land conservation.  

October 5, 2007
Coalition for Buzzards Bay Receives National Award for Excellence in Land Conservation
Washington, DC - The Coalition for Buzzards Bay was presented with a national conservation award for its success in preserving the unique landscape, clean water, and fisheries of Buzzard’s Bay in New Bedford, MA, from the sprawl that characterizes most of the Eastern Seaboard. The coalition was selected from more than 1,700 land trusts across the country as the first recipient of the National Land Trust Excellence Award by The Land Trust Alliance.

September 25, 2007
Denver to Host Largest US Gathering of Land Conservation Leaders
Washington, DC - The Land Trust Alliance today announced that the nation's largest annual gathering of conservationists will meet this fall in Denver, October 3 - 6, to plan the future of private land conservation in America. The National Land Conservation Conference: Rally 2007 is expected to draw more than 2,100 conservation leaders, government officials and academics. The theme of the conference is "New Frontiers in Conservation."

September 13, 2007
Wendy Ninteman Hired as Alliance Western Director
The Land Trust Alliance announced the selection of Wendy Ninteman, executive director of the Five Valleys Land Trust in Missoula, Montana as its new Western Director. 

September 13, 2007
Funding Approved for Fort Frederica Project
In a plan initiated by the St. Simons Land Trust, the Georgia Land Conservation Program has approved a land conservation grant and a low-interest loan to preserve a 20-acre parcel of land adjacent to Fort Frederica that will ultimately become a part of the national monument. The $750,000 grant and $2.75 million loan will cover the total $3.5 million cost of the property. Gov. Sonny Perdue made the announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 11, in Atlanta.

July 18, 2007
Leslie Ratley-Beach Joins Alliance Staff
Leslie Ratley-Beach has joined the Alliance staff as our Easement Defense Director. Leslie’s extensive legal and program experience with conservation easements at the Vermont Land Trust will be a great asset for our community. She will help us address the tough challenges of IRS audits of easements, condemnation of easements, and potential insurance for easements.

June 21, 2007
Catherine Scott Joins Alliance as Chief Operating Officer
We are delighted to announce that we have selected Catherine Scott to serve as Chief Operating Officer of the Land Trust Alliance starting September 17. As COO, she will manage operations for the senior directors for all conservation programs, education, finance, policy, communications, information services and technology, and fundraising.

Press Release: June 19, 2007
Land Trust Alliance Announces $400,000 in Conservation Partnership Program Grants
to New York Land Trusts (PDF, 165 KB)
A major investment in land conservation was announced by the Land Trust Alliance and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who joined members of the New York State Legislature and local land trust representatives in the announcement of $400,000 in competitive matching grants to 30 different land trust organizations across New York State.

May 16, 2007
Alliance Selects Conservation Veterans for Leadership Posts
We are delighted to announce a recent staff change and a new hiring: Renee Kivikko, who has been with the Alliance since 2000, has become our new Director of Education; and Denise Schlener, a conservation veteran with over 30 years experience, has stepped into the position of National Director. These two directors will work to integrate development of the content and the delivery of the Alliance's education and regional programs

Press Release: March 20, 2007
Rep. Thompson and Rep. Camp Lead House Effort to Protect Conservation Tax Benefits for Farmers and Ranchers
Congressmen Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Dave Camp (R-MI) introduced H.R. 1576, that would make the newly expanded tax incentive for conservation easement donations permanent.

Land Trust Accreditation Commision Press Release: February 22, 2007
Twenty-two Land Conservation Organizations Selected for National Accreditation Pilot Program
For the first round of the 2007 pilot program, 22 land conservation organizations from 19 states were seleceted to represent a diversity of land trusts that will provide us with information about the application and review process.

Press Release: February 1, 2007
Senator Baucus Introduces Conservation Incentive Bill
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced legislation yesterday to ensure that a temporary tax incentive for conservation by family farmers and ranchers keeps on working.  The 2006 law, which allowed modest-income landowners to benefit from protecting important natural and historic resources on their land, was set to expire at the end of this year.  Senator Baucus’ bill would make the law permanent.  Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) cosponsored the bill.

Press Release: February 1, 2007
Governor Spitzer Announces $1 Million Investment in Land Trust Alliance’s Conservation Partnership in New York State
Governor Eliot Spitzer’s 2007-2008 Executive Budget, released yesterday, doubles the amount previously available for the New York State Conservation Partnership Program.  This pioneering program provides public funds to be used in partnership with qualified private conservation groups to save land that is important for local communities.

Press Release: November 30, 2006
Private Land Conservation in U.S. Soars
A new report released today by the Land Trust Alliance finds that the pace of private land conservation by local and state land trusts more than tripled between successive five-year periods from 2000 to 2005.  State and local land trusts have doubled their conservation acres from 6 million to 11.9 million acres in the past five years – an area twice the size of the state of New Hampshire.

Appraisal Institute Press Release: October 31, 2006
Appraisal Organizations and Land Trust Alliance Solidify Relationship, Develop Certificate Program
The three largest professional appraisal organizations in the United States and the Land Trust Alliance today announced a formal agreement to help ensure the quality of appraisals used in connection with conservation easements.

Press Release: October 13, 2006
Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award Presented at Rally 2006
The Land Trust Alliance today announced the first annual Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award, given to Darby Bradley, President of the Vermont Land Trust and a tireless champion of conservation throughout Vermont and the Nation.  The award was made at the National Land Conservation Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, before a standing-room only crowd of 1500 people, including Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen.

Press Release: October 6, 2006
Nation’s Largest Gathering of Land Conservation Leaders To Take Place October 12-15 in Nashville, TN
The nation’s largest annual gathering of land conservation leaders will meet next week in Nashville, Tennessee, ironically the nucleus of two of the fastest-developing counties in the entire US—Rutherford and Williamson. Between sampling the country music and the rolling hills beloved by Tennesseans, these conservationists will meet to debate the future of our farms and forests, historic landscapes and the natural beauty that have inspired generations of musicians and songwriters.

Press Release: August 9, 2006
Landmark Gift Advances Nationwide Land Trust Accreditation Program
Philanthropist Forrest Berkley and his wife Marcie Tyre this week announced a $1 million gift to the Land Trust Alliance, a nonprofit organization that supports private conservation through community organizations called land trusts, to help improve their professionalism and support a new system of accreditation for land trusts.

Media Alert: August 9, 2006
Maine Coast Protection Initiative Press Briefing
A briefing and public launch of this major coastal conservation initiative and the direct investment of half a million dollars in coastal conservation grants to protect the coast.

Press Release: August 4, 2006
Legislative Victory for Land Conservation
New land conservation tax benefits for family farmers and ranchers are included in just-passed pension reform legislation, now awaiting the President’s signature.  The new law will combine an adjusted tax incentive for land conservation with common sense reforms to ensure the public benefit of conservation donations. 

Press Release: June 14, 2006
LTA and State Officials Announce $450,000 in New Grants and Technical Assistance in New York State
The Land Trust Alliance joined the New York Department of Environmental, members of the New York State legislature and land trust representatives today in announcing $450,000 in grants and technical assistance to 33 land trust organizations across New York State.

May 4, 2006
New York State Enacts a First-in-the-Nation Tax Credit for Conservation Easements
For the past 6 years, the Land Trust Alliance and New York’s 80+ land trusts have been working hard to create a state tax incentive for conservation. Last week, our efforts finally paid off:  New York’s Conservation Easement Tax Credit officially became part of the State tax code.

March 22, 2006
Van Ryn Named Director of Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Alliance and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, proudly announce that Tammara Van Ryn has been selected as the founding director of the new Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

March 2, 2006
Loudoun Resident Appointed to National Land Conservation Group
The Land Trust Alliance, a national network of private land trusts working to conserve land in their communities, today announced the appointment of Round Hill resident Michael Dennis to its Board of Directors.

February 15, 2006
Land Trust Alliance Appoints Commision to Operate Independent Accreditation Program
The Land Trust Alliance today announced the appointment of a 13-member independent commission to operate a new accreditation program for land trusts. Scheduled to begin operations in early March, the new organization will be called the "Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission: An Independent Program of the Land Trust Alliance."

November 14, 2005
Kingsbury Browne Dies - Architect of the Land Trust Alliance
Kingsbury Browne, an attorney and influential conservationist who inspired the founding of the Land Trust Alliance, died Friday, Nov. 11 at age 82. Browne is known among open space advocates as a visionary leader of the modern land trust movement in the United States.

Press Release: September 29, 2005
Land Trust Alliance Approves Strong Accreditation Program: New Commission to Ensure High Standards for Land Conservation
The Land Trust Alliance’s Board of Directors voted to approve the creation of a voluntary accreditation and training program for land trusts.