Press RoomPress ReleaseFor Immediate Release
June 20, 2005
For more information contact:
George Cooper, (202) 508-3421 TRCP Joins Leading Outdoor Recreation and Conservation Groups in Urging Preservation of Vital Conservation Tax Incentive ToolsMore than two dozen leading national hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation and conservation groups today delivered a letter to Congress expressing their strong support for conservation tax incentives and highlighting the vital role easements play in providing Americans outdoor recreational opportunities. The letter, sent to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Max Baucus (D-MT), arrives on Capitol Hill as this committee begins a review of federal tax law for charitable giving and possible changes to tax incentives for conservation easements. “Easements ensure that millions of acres of wildlife habitat across the country remain healthy and intact, benefiting deer, waterfowl, fish and other game animals,” the letter said. “Easements also improve water quality, providing Americans with clean and beautiful watersheds for fishing, boating, hiking and other outdoor activities.” The letter was signed by 27 organizations including the Outdoor Industry Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Ducks Unlimited, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the Izaak Walton League of America, the Land Trust Alliance, and the Trust for Public Land. In the letter, the groups said they are eager to work with the Finance Committee and that they support legislation containing targeted reforms to end tax abuses while preserving the core incentives that have encouraged private property owners to use conservation easements. In the last 25 years, more than 34 million of acres of natural areas, fish and wildlife habitat, and rural landscape have been protected from development thanks to voluntary conservation tax incentives. That’s an area roughly the size of Arkansas. “Many state and local economies are dependent upon open space and wildlife habitat which can generate millions of dollars in recreation and tourism,” the letter said. “Often these valuable resources occur on private property and conservation easements frequently are the only way to conserve these lands, ensuring their long-term viability.” A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement that permanently limits certain types of uses or prevents development from taking place on a piece of property, while protecting the property’s ecological or open-space values. Easements allow individual owners to continue to own the land and to sell it or pass it on to their heirs. *** Other contacts:
Gregg Patterson, Ducks Unlimited: 901-758-3937
Richard Hoppe, Izaak Walton League of America: 301-548-0150
Karen Foerstel, The Nature Conservancy: 703-841-3932
Rachel Brittin, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies: 202-624-7744
Mike Mueller, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: 406-523-4500
Tim Zink, Trout Unlimited: 703-284-9427
Jim Wyerman, Land Trust Alliance: 202-638-4725 x310
Tom Sadler, Trust for Public Land: 202-543-7552 |