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About CLCC
The mission of the CT Land Conservation Council is to advocate for land preservation, stewardship and funding, and ensure the long term strength and viability of the land conservation community.
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Upcoming
Events
(See details under Other State News & Events)
February 22
Conservation Options Seminar
Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall
Old Lyme, CT
February 28
Model Ag Easement
Training & Seminar
deKoven House
Middletown, CT
March 15
30th Annual
CT Land Conservation Conference
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
Click here!
April 23
CT Land Conservation Day
Legislative Office Buiding
Hartford, CT
Sign-up to showcase your conservation project! Contact [email protected]
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Executive Director
Amy B. Paterson, Esq.
Steering Committee
Tim Abbott
Litchfield Hills Greenprint
Alicia Sullivan
Trust for Public Land
David Bingham
Salem Land Trust
Hunter Brawley
Brawley Consulting Group
Sandy Breslin
Audubon Connecticut
Margot Burns
Lower CT River Council of Governments
Kevin Case
Land Trust Alliance
Stephanie Clark
Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust
Jim Gooch
Connecticut Farmland Trust
Ginny Gwynn
Greenwich Land Trust
Eric Hammerling
Connecticut Forest & Park Association
Mary-Michelle Hirschoff
The Garden Club of New Haven
Elaine LaBella
Housatonic Valley Association
Connie Manes
Kent Land Trust
Tom ODell
CT Association of Conservation & Inland Wetland Commissions
David Sutherland
The Nature Conservancy
Humphrey Tyler
Lyme Land Conservation Trust
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Executive Director's Message
Reminder! Please act TODAY to help protect state open space!
Dear Friends --
As we reported the other day, the Environment Committee has raised a bill which will help move the state forward in providing better protections for State Parks, Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, Farmland and other state-owned open space -- your public lands -- valuable for conservation and agricultural purposes.
The Environment Committee is holding a public hearing on Raised Bill 70, An Act Concerning the Preservation of Lands Under the Control of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Department of Agriculture, THIS WEDNESDAY at 11:30am, in Room 2B of the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Ave., Hartford.
If you have contacted your legislator and submitted your testimony to the Environment Committee voicing your support for this Bill, THANK YOU!
If you have not, there is still time! You may submit testimony electronically via email to [email protected], no later than 8:00 a.m. on February 19. Please cc your state representatives to let them know that this issue is important to you.
Protecting Conservation Lands In Perpetuity
To Learn More
If you need assistance in preparing your testimony or have any other questions, please contact me.
This bill has been two years in the making, please voice your support today!
With continued appreciation for all you do in support of conservation in Connecticut -
Amy
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30th Annual CT Land Conservation Conference
Plenary Session Guest Speakers Announced!
Saturday, March 15, 2014 -- 8:30am - 4:45pm, followed by post-event reception -- Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Register before March 1 and save!
To register on-line, click here.
To download a mail-in registration, click here.
To view course descriptions, click here.
Visit our Conference Webpage to stay up-to-date on the latest Conference news, including new additions to our growing list of sponsors!
See you on March 15th!
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Other State News & Events
TPL Collecting CT Land Trust Data for Conservation Easement Database Project
From the Trust for Public Land (TPL)
The National Conservation Easement Database is collecting data on easements and fee lands in the state of Connecticut for a planned 2014 update. Our goal is to ensure that data for conservation lands in the state of Connecticut is brought up to speed with that of other states. All local and regional land trusts are encouraged to participate. By coordinating our efforts, we can ensure that land trusts and conservation organizations have access to data that accurately reflects the state of conservation lands in Connecticut.
Participating land trusts also gain the opportunity to:
- Raise their public profile and attain national recognition for conservation efforts
- Demonstrate that their lands are well-documented
- Demonstrate their impact on land conservation in the state of Connecticut
- Personally verify that data related to their lands is accurate
- Demonstrate their commitment to transparency and their willingness to work with other conservation groups to achieve common goals
- Attract new or prospective donors to their cause
- Ensure that private donor information is kept secure when necessary
Please help us to ensure that the strong tradition of land conservation here in Connecticut continues by responding to any data requests. For more information, contact Carl Hoffman with TPL at [email protected] or visit the NCED website.
Old Lyme Agencies Sponsor Land Conservation Seminar - Feb. 22
"Preserving the Legacy of Your Land"
The Old Lyme Open Space Commission and Old Lyme Land Trust will co-sponsor a land conservation seminar and discussion to help property owners understand their options and plan for the preservation of their land. The seminar will be presented by CLCC Executive Director Amy B. Paterson who will speak about how to work with land conservation organizations to consider one's personal conservation goals.. Conservation options for property owners will be described, including easements, sale or donation of land, and protecting land in the event of resale.
The event is free and will be held on Saturday, February 22, 10:00am - noon, at the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT 06371. For further information please contact Diana Atwood Johnson, Chairwoman, Old Lyme Open Space Commission at [email protected], 860-434-9383 or Christina Clayton, President, Old Lyme Land Trust at [email protected], 860-434-6294.
Model Ag Easement Training - February 28th
Join American Farmland Trust (AFT) and its partners - Connecticut Land Conservation Council and Connecticut Farmland Trust -- for a half-day seminar and training on drafting agricultural easements, offered as part of AFT's Model Agricultural Easement project. This project - funded through an Agricultural Viability Grant provided by the CT Department of Agriculture - created model agricultural easement terms and conditions that will help improve the agricultural viability of land permanently protected by land trusts and municipalities.
A key focus of this training will be on the ways agricultural easements may differ from more typical open space conservation easements. The training will be led by attorney, Linda Francois, Esq.
Who should attend? Those involved in writing or monitoring agricultural easements, including private attorneys, municipal attorneys and land use planners, commission members, land trust board members and staff, etc.
When: February 28, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: deKoven House Community Center, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, CT 06457 (at the intersection of Washington Street and deKoven Drive near Rt. 15 and Rt. 9)
Cost: $20/per person, including lunch featuring CT grown foods
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 Federal Policy & Funding News Briefs Senator Murphy Hosts Conservation Roundtables On January 11, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy was joined in Simsbury by 20+ members of the conservation community, including CLCC Executive Director Amy B. Paterson and Steering Committee Chairman Tim Abbott and member Kevin Case, at a roundtable discussion on conservation issues in Congress. During the hour long discussion, Senator Murphy provided us with updates on the status of the Conservation Easement Incentive, funding programs including the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Forest Legacy Program and Farm Bill conservation programs, and issues with IRS audits of conservation easement transactions.
A second roundtable was convened for the 3rd District earlier this month in New Haven. Senator Murphy plans to continue this series of meetings in each congressional district to check in with the state's leaders in land conservation. We will continue to publicize future events.
Farm Services Agency Offers Updates on Farm Bill
On February 7, President Obama signed the new Farm Bill into law. The 2014 Farm Bill contains reworked and consolidated conservation programs, along with many other changes. To see what's in the bill for land trusts, click here. The USDA Connecticut Farm Services Agency (FSA) is offering a free online news service to stay up-to-date on Farm Bill and other programs designed to assist farmers. From more information and to begin using GovDelivery, you may subscribe online or contact the Connecticut FSA office for subscription assistance. (Note: Learn more about FSA programs from Executive Director Bryan Hurlburt at the 2014 Conference in a Session B workshop on Land Trust Funding Options. Click here for workshop descriptions) Appropriations Package Provides Level Conservation Funding
From the Land Trust Alliance Last month, Congress passed its final appropriations package for the current year, providing level funding for the conservation programs that land trusts use most. See the Alliance's Conservation Funding Table for a specific breakdown of LWCF, Forest Legacy, NAWCA and Section 6 grants. At first glance, this does not seem a victory because funding for most programs has not grown. However, these numbers are at a significantly higher level than zero, which is what the House originally proposed last summer for all land conservation. Conservation Easement Incentive Update
From the Land Trust Alliance The tax incentive expired at the end of December. Conservation easements remain deductible, but will be subject to the same caps as other non-cash contributions -- 30% of AGI with a five-year carry forward. Members of Congress are still seeking to advance this important piece of legislation for conservation. In the last month 8 new legislators have signed on as co-sponsors of H.R. 2807. All of Connecticut's Representative are listed as co-sponsors. For further updates on the Easement Incentive from the Alliance, please click here. Sign-on Letter to Support Tax Incentives for Charitable Giving From Independent Sector Last July, nearly 1,250 charitable organizations signed-on to a letter in the fight to protect charitable giving incentives. Independent Sector is once again asking for your assistance in their work to preserve the IRA charitable rollover, and specifically legislation (S.1772) that has been introduced to expand the provision and make it permanent. For more information and to sign-on to the letter, please click here or contact [email protected]. Draft Strategic Growth Policy for the National Wildlife Refuge System Now Available for Public Comment From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) The USFWS has announced the release of the draft Strategic Growth Policy for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Information on the draft policy has been published in the Federal Register, and can be found here. The comment period is open through March 3, 2014. For more information and to view the draft Policy, please visit the USFWS website. Reminder from NRCS: Next Batching Date for Conservation Programs is February 21 NRCS State Conservationist Lisa Coverdale is reminding potential applicants for the Environmental Quality and Incentive Program, Agricultural Management Assistance Program, and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, that their proposals are due this Friday, February 21, 2014. Visit the NRCS webpage for more information. |
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Tax News - It is Form 990 season again
From the Land Trust Alliance
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Resources: Article on Enforcement of CEs
From Leslie Ratley-Beach, Land Trust Alliance - Conservation Defense Network
All too often, holders of perpetual conservation easements must contend with violations caused by landowners and third parties. Enforcing Perpetual Conservation Easements Against Third-Party Violators, 32 UCLA J. Envtl. L. & Pol'y 80, Jessica Jay (2014), explores all avenues available for pursuing third-party violators in the context of holders' responsibilities for perpetual conservation easements, identifies the tools available for conservation easement drafting, stewardship, management, and enforcement of third-party violations and distills lessons learned and practical guidance from litigated and non-litigated cases of third-party violations.
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Conservation Job Opportunities
Greenwich Land Trust - Summer Program Supervisor
Temporary 10-week summer position with the Greenwich Land Trust (GLT). The GYCP@GLT program will run from July to August 2014. This program will provide 6-8 young adults (16+) with a first paid "real job" that will allow them to develop work skills, deepen their understanding of conservation issues, contribute to their community, and learn about careers in environmental-related fields.The Summer Program Supervisor will work with GLT Stewardship Staff in developing a detailed program plan and preparing work projects for youth participants. During the core six weeks of the program, they will direct work projects, contribute related educational content, and coordinate any outside experts.
Please email resumes and cover letters to Steve Conaway, Stewardship and Outreach Manager at:[email protected]. Application deadline: April 11th, 2014. For full job description please click here.
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