LAND CONSERVATION NEWS 1/14/14
Issue Number 230
“Qualified and Accredited” land trusts in Georgia: In order to qualify for the state’s land conservation
tax credit, donations must be made to a government agency or a bona fide charitable nonprofit
organization. Beginning January 1, 2014, the bona fide charitable nonprofit organization must be
qualified under the Internal Revenue Code and be accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation
Commission (Tax Reform Act of 2012). GA DNR’s Rules specify that bona fide organizations meet six
conditions including the accreditation requirement (DNR Rules, Chapter 391-1-6). At present, there are
only six nonprofit organizations that meet the current “qualified and accredited” standard:






Athens Land Trust
Central Savannah River Land Trust
Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia
Oconee River Land Trust
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy in Georgia
This list is expected to increase in the next several years. There are presently five land trusts that
operate in Georgia that are accredited but have not been “qualified” by GA DNR. There are also eight
additional land trusts that are seeking to become accredited and are in either the class of 2014 or 2015.
Thus, by early 2016, there could be as many as 19 “qualified and accredited” land trusts operating in
Georgia. Until then, large portions of Georgia will be under-served by bona fide land trusts.
Congress fails to extend enhanced incentives for land conservation: Federal incentives for land
conservation still exist but they are no longer as generous as they were under the enhanced incentives
program of the last several years. A donor can still deduct his/her donation up to 30% of Adjusted Gross
Income with a five-year carry forward. In the meantime, the Land Trust Alliance and others are
promoting the retroactive renewal of the enhanced incentives. To date, there are 166 co-sponsors of
the House legislation (H.R. 2807) and 18 co-sponsors of the Senate measure (S. 526). Only two Georgia
Congressmen have co-sponsored H.R. 2807, John Lewis and Austin Scott. Neither of our Senators are cosponsors.
State lobbying requirements: If you receive $250 or more in compensation for supporting or opposing
legislation or state agency rules, it’s time to register to lobby under the requirements of last session’s
lobbying reform legislation. The cost is $20. The reporting requirements are frequent (twice a month
during the session, once a month otherwise) and the fines for forgetting to report are still draconian
($11,275 if you’re more than 21 days late!) But it’s the law. To get a copy of the Lobbyist Registration
Application, go to: www.ethics.ga.gov
Ocmulgee National Monument boundary study: The Ocmulgee National Monument was authorized by
Congress in 1934 to include the Ocmulgee Old Fields, two areas south of Macon occupied by native
peoples over a period of some 12,000 years. The National Park Service will soon be seeking comments
on their study to examine the appropriateness of expanding the boundary of the National Monument to
incorporate additional prehistoric settlements and other important resources. Congressional legislation
will be required to change the Monument’s boundaries. The boundary study will be released shortly for
1
public comment, and a public meeting will be held at the Monument, probably in late February; for
information, go to: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/
Rally 2014: This year’s National Land Conservation Conference will be held at the Rhode Island
Convention Center in Providence, RI. Some important dates for your calendar:







February 24: Proposals for presentations are due to Pam Nicholls at pnicholls@lta.org
May 21: Registration opens; early-bird rates are $385 for Land Trust Alliance members, $490 for
partners and others.
July 21: Early registration ends; registration rates increase by $75.
September 17: Pre-Rally field trips
September 18: Field trips, seminars, regional receptions and welcoming dinner with awards
September 19: Opening plenary, concurrent workshops
September 20: Concurrent workshops and featured sessions. Rally ends at 5:00 pm.
Changes:
Deron Davis is the new Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. A native
Georgian, Deron has an extensive background in conservation, most recently as Director of
Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. He will guide the Conservancy’s
accelerated work to connect large landscapes, care for the coast, plan for the future of the
ocean, manage rare longleaf pine forests and maintain and improve the health of key river
systems. Before joining TNC, Deron worked for Georgia DNR where he served on the State
Water Plan leadership team, launched a water conservation campaign and directed an
environmental school improvement program. Deron is a graduate of UGA’s Terry College of
Business.
Jill Johnson has resigned from her position with Georgia Legacy to become the Director of
Government Affairs for Atlanta Beltline. The organization seeks to create more sustainable,
interconnected neighborhoods with greater mobility and economic opportunity. She can be
reached at 404-477-3674 or 404-441-2911 or jill.johnson@atlbeltline.org To learn more about
the Beltline, go to www.beltline.org
Sandy West celebrates her 101th birthday on January 17. Thanks to her vision and generosity,
Ossabaw Island is now a Wildlife Management Area and State Heritage Preserve.
Dates
January 23: Conservation Professional Conference Call starting at 2:00 PM and featuring
presentations on the use of smartphones to collect valuable data for conservation. Presenters
from NatureServe will include Milo Pyne, senior regional ecologist, Amanda Treher, a research
biologist and Rickie White, regional ecologist. To participate, contact Heidi Hannapel, Southeast
Program Coordinator for the Land Trust Alliance, at 919-827-0023 or hhannapel@lta.org
January 27: Deadline for registering for the Fourth Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land
Conservation, to be held February 5&6 in Reno, Nevada. For those unable to attend, electronic
copies of the handouts will be available for $50. For details, go to: www.lta.org/legal
2
February 6: First quarterly meeting of the Georgia Land Conservation Council to be held at the
usual location (GSFIC Bid Room, 270 Washington Street, Atlanta) starting at 9:30 AM. The
agenda includes a legislative update (the Georgia Legacy bill, S.B. 210, and the status of the
Federal enhanced deduction) and a Nature Conservancy loan review If you plan to attend,
please call Andrew Szwak at 404-584-1035 or andrew@gefa.ga.gov to confirm date and time.
February 6: Session 4 of webinar series on bridge financing: Successful Deals: From Soup to
Nuts. Register [ http://www.lta.org/bridge-financing-part4 ] | iCAL [
http://lta.informz.net/clk/vcal.asp?v=2167 ] | Ole Amundsen and Reggie Hall will discuss
several loans from start to finish, connecting the steps of a traditional real estate transaction to
the steps in securing and finalizing a loan, so there are no surprises in the process. This session is
available for $20.
February 24: Rally 2014 call for papers. See article on page 2, above.
March 24-25: Southeast Land Trusts Assembly to be held at the Chattanoogan Hotel and
Conference Center in Chattanooga, TN. Starts at 1:30 PM on March 24 and ends at 5:00PM on
March 25. Content includes four sets of three concurrent seminars and workshops. Sponsored
by the Land Trust Alliance – Southeast U.S. Program. Expect registration to open by the end of
January. More details later.
April 1-2: Land Trust Alliance Advocacy Day in Washington, DC. More information later.
April 11-12: Georgia Trail Summit, the first statewide trail conference to be held in 15 years, will
be held at the Civic Center in Athens. Details to come. For information, go to:
georgiatrailsummit@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/georgiatrailsummit
September 18-20: Rally 2014 in Providence, RI.
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
3