[highland-conservancy] Enewsletter Jan. 2007-Tax Changes Benefit land donations

[highland-conservancy at hyrule.one-point.com]

January 2007 Highland Conservancy E-Newsletter:
 
Greetings!  In this newsletter you will find a synopsis of key
accomplishments for 2006, an invitation to the Conservation Stewards
Program, and important information about new tax benefits available this
year for making a land donation or conservation easement on your land.
 
Renew your Membership:
We invite you to renew your support of the Highland Conservancy again
this year.  Your past generosity has helped the Conservancy in our
mission to facilitate the conservation of land and natural resources to
preserve the rural character of Highland Township.  We value your
generous support!  To continue your membership, mail your check for
$25.00 made payable to:  Highland Conservancy, 205 W. Livingston Road,
Highland, MI 48357 or visit our website at www.HighlandConservancy.org .
 
Accomplishments for 2006:
Highland Conservancy continues to work hard to protect the incredibly
rich and diverse land, water and natural beauty that attracted each of us
to live here.  With a small but dedicated group of volunteers we have
accomplished a great deal this past year. Some highlights for 2006:  
 
Highland Oaks Park is much closer to completion and will be a beautiful
park once finalized.  It has been a slow process but it will be well
worth the wait.
 
We led a major stewardship effort in the township park north of the
library when the Highland Conservancy teamed with local cub scouts to
clean up trash and other debris dumped in this sensitive nature area.  
 
At the annual Hi-White Parade we gave away 300 tree seedlings and
brochures with information about our efforts and goals such as protecting
natural beauty areas, establishing parks, trails, greenways and
preserving open space in Highland.
 
The Highland Conservancy is working closely with the Oakland Land
Conservancy to protect an important fen area at the headwaters of the
Shiawassee watershed and is currently reviewing other key parcels in
Highland for various levels of protection.
 
Our current president continues to attend Planning Commission meetings to
provide input and feedback with regard to conservation issues and future
development.  
 
We finalized a Tree Preservation Ordinance currently under review by the
township.  Our efforts helped initiate new strategies for a “greener”
site plan review process.  
 
Working with the Oakland County Environmental Planning Department we
created a Green Infrastructure Plan to use as an ecologically friendly
blueprint for Highland.  This greenway plan is a model for a broader
effort to protect land throughout Oakland County.
 
We obtained extensive training and completed 300 hours of voluntary
service through the Michigan Conservation Stewards Program, a pilot
program developed as a cooperative effort of the Michigan DNR Wildlife
Division, Michigan Statue University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
and the Michigan Nature Features Inventory.  THIS PROGRAM IS BEING
OFFERED AGAIN:
 
Conservation Stewardship Program:
Michigan State University is again offering this awesome program which
will run February 3 through March 26, 2007!  However, the deadline to
register is JANUARY 17th so don’t delay!  Three of us attending last year
and we loved it so much we recommend it to everyone.  “The best people in
their fields are teaching this.  Where do you get an opportunity to learn
from people like that?  How else will you get the information to the
average citizen?” urges a former 2006 participant.  You will learn how to
identify trees and plants, look at aquatic creatures under microscopes,
explore rare short and long grass prairies and habitats, and learn about
conservation from the experts.  To enroll contact:
msue.Oakland at county.msu.edu or call Carol Lenchek 248-858-0887.
 
New Tax Information for 2007:
Please consider donating a conservation easement on your land in 2007!
Family farmers, ranchers, and other moderate-income landowners can now
obtain a significant tax benefit for making the charitable donation of a
conservation easement.
On August 3, 2006 the Congress approved a tremendous expansion of the
federal conservation tax incentive for conservation easement donations.
On August 17, the President signed it into law. This is a great victory
for conservation! 
The victory is due in large part to the work of individuals from hundreds
of land trusts across the country, who made this a local issue for their
Senators and Representatives. Thank you!  The new law: 
Raises the deduction a landowner can take for donating a conservation
easement from 30% of their income in any year to 50%; 
Allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100% of their
income; and 
Extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take tax deductions for a
voluntary conservation agreement from 5 to 15 years. 
It is also important to note that this only applies to easements donated
in 2006 and 2007. The bill also includes sensible reforms that affect the
appraisal process for all donated property and tighten the rules for
easements on historic buildings. The bill language is slightly different
than what was passed last fall by the Senate.  For a full article on tax
changes, go to http://www.stevesmall.com/art/articles/060918.html or
visit the township library and check out Preserving Family Lands by
Stephen J. Small for more general conservation easement information.
Our meetings are always open to the public.  We meet the first Tuesday of
every month at 7pm at the Huron Valley Council of the Arts building, (the
old library) at 205 W. Livingston Rd. in Highland.  Please join us.
Katheryn Krupa, Editor  www.HighlandConservancy.org  248-887-4643
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.dakota-inn.com/pipermail/highland-conservancy/attachments/20070113/e4e20bdc/attachment.htm