LAND CONSERVATION NEWS 3/5/10

Issue Number 143

 

Registration for 2010 Southeast Land Conservation Conference ends March 10: There is still time – but not much - to sign up for the southeast’s premier land conservation conference to be held in Greenville, South Carolina on March 17-19. A limited number of rooms are also being held at the Westin-Poinsett until March 8. Participants from Georgia are expected to include Carol Hassell, Abby Jordan, Robert Keller, Russ Marane, Alan Merril, John Pershing, Buzz Williams and Hans Neuhauser.  To register, go to: http://www.landtrustalliance.org/learning/training/rc/se/southeast

To reserve a room, call 864-421-9700.

 

In the General Assembly…

 

Tax credit transfer bill pulled: On March 3, Representative Stephens pulled his HB 1202 from consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee. Ostensibly, the withdrawal was motivated by the bill’s potential impacts on the State’s revenues in a time of fiscal crisis.

 

Hearing set on bridge loan bill: A hearing on Senator Tolleson’s bill (SB 402) to amend the GA Land Conservation Act so as to facilitate bridge loans to non-government organizations is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10 starting at 2:00 PM. For background on the bill, see Land Conservation News 2/17/10, 3/11/09 and 5/27/09 archived at www.GaLandCC.com

 

Authorizing municipalities to grant conservation easements: Representative Stephens has introduced a bill (HB1109) to authorize municipalities to grant or sell conservation easements. Preliminary analysis suggests that municipalities already have this authority as fee-simple owners of land.

 

Georgia Land Conservation Program issues annual report: Copies of the annual report (actually, it covers 18 months from July 2008 through December 2009) were released yesterday at the GA Land Conservation Council’s meeting in Atlanta.  The report covers conservation tools (competitive grants, low interest loans and conservation tax credits), outreach (presentations, indirect marketing and mapping), project highlights and a map of Program approved projects (2005-2009). The annual report is available at: www.glcp.ga.gov

 

GA Land Conservation Council approves more funds for due diligence associated with conservation easement donations to the state: The Council approved the addition of $150,000 to the $105,000 already available to help pay the associated costs of easement donations to either GA DNR or the Georgia Forestry Commission. The funds, limited to a maximum of $30,000 per transaction, would be used for such items as title insurance and closing costs. To be eligible, the project must score 55 points or higher. The extra funds come from voluntary contributions to the state’s income tax check-off for land conservation.

 

Tax credit program summary report presented: Kristina Sorensen of GA DNR presented the Council with a summary of the tax credit program for 2006-2009 and some early observations on 2010. Among the highlights:

 

  • 193 applications received between 2006 and 2009; 35 received in Jan-Feb 2010
  • 149 applications were certified as qualifying for the tax credit, totaling 56,396 acres
  • Most certifications were with land trusts or non-profits (139 out of the 149)
  • Most donors were individuals (84); corporations donated fewer (64)
  • Most donations were in the 100 to 200 acre range; some were smaller, some larger
  • The distribution of the approved tax credits is state-wide although southwest Georgia and north Georgia (Atlanta north) appear to be hot spots. The data do not suggest a rural large-tract bias.
  • In 2010, there has been an increase in pre-certifications associated with failed subdivisions. Of the 12 applications received, 7 have been approved and 5 denied.
  • Three denied applications have been appealed; so far, all of DNR’s denials  have been upheld by the Administrative Law Judge. Issues included a poorly-drafted conservation easement and not meeting the Program’s conservation purposes.

 

What do southern woodland owners think about conservation easements? The American Forest Foundation has released a report, “Southern Woodland Owners & Conservation Agreements – What they think and what to say – A guide for land trusts and resource professionals.” The report is based on their 2009 study, the goal of which was to identify the best methods and appropriate language for communicating with woodland owners about conservation easements. Among their suggestions:

 

  • Use “woodland legacy agreement – a voluntary family conservation option for working lands” rather than “working forest conservation easement”
  • Use “woodlands” rather than “forests”
  • Use the landowners’ words: “Your land means a lot to you – its your home, a place you love, and maybe a source of income too. You want to make sure your children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy it, too.”
  • Let the landowner know that while you are a conservationist who cares about people and the land, you are not a “granola-head environmentalist.” Show that you are for forest management and financial benefit for the landowner.
  • Drop the word “perpetuity” in favor of “legacy.”

 

To get a copy of the report, contact Brigitte Johnson at the American Forest Foundation, bjohnson@forestfoundation.org or call 202-463-5163

 

Southeast Cave Conservancy issues revised cave visitation policy: The board of SCCi has released revised cave visitation policies for all caves effective immediately. The changes are intended to help reduce the potential introduction of foreign substances including the fungus associated with White Nose Syndrome which can be harmful or fatal to bats. For a copy of the policy, go to: www.scci.org

 

Changes

 

Jimmy Bramlett is now in charge of the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program for the NRCS in Athens.

 

Chris Deming, Senior Project Manager for The Trust for Public Land in Atlanta, will be moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he will continue work on land deals in the southern states for TPL.

 

Mark Dickerson is the acting Executive Director for the Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia until a permanent replacement can be found. Among Mark’s credentials: he is a retired Administrative Law Judge for GA DNR. He can be reached at mark@mctga.org

 

 

Land Conservation News is a periodic communication produced by the Georgia Land Conservation Center for land trust leaders and others who care about the future of open space in Georgia. To subscribe or to contribute news items, please contact Hans Neuhauser at the Georgia Land Conservation Center: 706-546-7507 or hans@galandcc.com