Tax incentive renewed for landowners who donate conservation easements
Second incentive will help recover endangered wildlife
(SANTA ROSA, CALIF., June 25, 2008) — The Farm Bill passed last month by Congress renewed a conservation tax incentive, authored by North Bay Congressman Mike Thompson, that helps maintain family farms and ranches and protects natural lands for future generations. This incentive has been responsible for the preservation of more than one million acres across the country over the previous two years and is available to landowners who donate voluntary conservation agreements limiting their development rights to land trust organizations.
“In many cases, conservation easements not only guard against future sprawl, they also help families afford to continue farming their land and preserve it for their children,” said Ralph Benson, executive director of the Sonoma Land Trust. “By protecting their property, landowners also protect clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, historic landscapes and scenic beauty.”
Retroactive to January 1, 2008, and in effect through the end of 2009, the current incentive applies to a landowner’s federal income tax and will:
- Raise the deduction a donor can take for donating a voluntary conservation agreement from 30 percent of their income in any year to 50 percent;
- Allow farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their income; and
- Increase the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from six to 16 years.
A second Thompson provision will provide a tax benefit to landowners who agree to implement a plan to recover threatened and endangered species. To qualify, landowners must demonstrate that the threatened or endangered species lives or migrates through their property, and implement a government-approved recovery plan to reverse the decline of the listed species. Benson noted that “the Farm Bill is a very mixed bag, but the Thompson conservation provisions are good for farm families and wildlife and good for Sonoma County.”
Sonoma County landowners interested in further information about conservation easements are encouraged to contact Wendy Eliot, Sonoma Land Trust conservation director, at 707.526.6930 ext. 103 or wendy@sonomalandtrust.org.
About the Sonoma Land Trust
The Sonoma Land Trust preserves scenic, natural, agricultural and open land for future generations. Since 1976, the Sonoma Land Trust has protected nearly 20,000 acres of beautiful, productive and environmentally significant land. For more information about the Sonoma Land Trust, please visit www.sonomalandtrust.org.