Staff members from the Land Trust will be participating in a series of free public workshops to introduce various options available to landowners interested in conserving their land and water.
Congress recently passed a $1.1 trillion tax and spending bill that will make permanent an enhanced tax incentive for donations of conservation easements. Under this legislation, landowners who donate a conservation easement can claim a federal income tax deduction—an incentive that has increased the pace of land conservation by about 33% across the United States, exceeding one million acres per year.
Photo: Nigel Kent
The Finger Lakes Land Trust was among the 1,100 land trusts to support the incentive through a collaborative, multi-year campaign headed by the Land Trust Alliance, the national land conservation organization that led the campaign for permanence.
Here in New York, easement donors may also benefit from the State’s Conservation Easement Property Tax Credit, which provides reimbursement of 25% of school, town, and county taxes paid on land upon which a conservation easement was donated.
To learn more, the following workshops will be held throughout the region. All workshops are free and open to the public.
Agricultural Easements in Tompkins County
Tuesday, April 12 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm
BorgWarner Room, Tompkins County Public Library
101 E. Green St., Ithaca
Hosted by the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the Tompkins County Planning Department
Conservation Easements in Tompkins County
Wednesday, May 11 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
BorgWarner Room, Tompkins County Public Library
101 E. Green St., Ithaca
Hosted by the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the Tompkins County Planning Department
Land Conservation in the Montezuma Wildlife Complex
Monday, May 16 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Montezuma Wildlife Refuge Center
3395 Auburn Rd, Seneca Falls, NY
Hosted by the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Love Your Land? Learn about Land Protection and Technical Assistance
Monday, May 16 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Human Services Complex Room 120
323 Owego Street, Montour Falls
Hosted by the Schuyler County Planning Department
Your Land, Your Conservation Opportunities
Monday, June 6 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Glen Haven Historical Society
7325 Fair Haven Road, Homer, NY
Hosted by the Finger Lakes Land Trust, Onondaga County Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Natural Resources Conservation Service
Love Your Land? Learn about Land Protection
Wednesday, June 8th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Naples Town Hall
106 S Main St, Naples, NY
Hosted by Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association
For more information, contact the Land Trust at (607) 275-9487 or info@fllt.org.
