CONSERVATION EDUCATION -SPEAKERS BUREAU:
The Land Trust has conducted workshops, lectures and seminars for the Sierra Club, The Harrison County Environmental Organization, Trout Unlimited, the Brooks Bird Club, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the Pine Cabin Run Ecological Laboratory, the Indian Creek Conservancy, Preservation Alliance, the Appalachian Restoration Campaign, and the West Virginia Rivers Coalition.
In the Fall of 2002 The West Virginia Land Trust hosted:
PROTECTING WEST VIRGINIA FAMILY LANDS
A Seminar on Conservation Easements -
An Important Tax-Saving & Land-Saving Tool
at Lewisburg, WVParticipants were led by:
Joyce McConnell, Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at WVU’s College of Law, and John Barrett, managing attorney for the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment for a 3 hour introductory workshop for estate planners, CPAs, lawyers, realtors, appraisers, and others.About the Seminar
"What should I do with my land?" If you own land that you would like to keep in the family, learning about conservation easements can help you to answer this critical question. As you know, land often becomes so valuable that it must be sold to pay estate taxes. A conservation easement can reduce future estate taxes-taxes that may force children to sell the old family farm, forest, or treasured urban green space.
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently protects land while allowing it to remain in private ownership. Working with the land trust, the landowner identifies specific ways in which the property will be used while preserving the conservation values. Donating a conservation easement may qualify as a charitable contribution, possibly entitling the landowner to not only reduced estate taxes, but also to an income tax deduction and lower property taxes.
In addition to being a tax-saving tool, the conservation easement is a land-saving tool. Conservation easements have helped thousands of families keep millions of acres of land as open space.Participants accrued Continuing Professional Education Credits
3 CLE credits for Lawyers
3 CPE credits for Accountants
3 CE credits for Realtors*
3 CE credits for Appraisers*
* Pending Approval
The Land Trust plans to make such seminars part of an ongoing series of educational programs for the professionals who in years to come will help facilitate private land protection through conservation easements.in 1998 at Charleston...
In June of 1998, the Land Trust held a high-profile statewide professional development seminar, featuring the nationally prominent tax attorney, Stephen Small. Sixty CPAs, lawyers, appraisers, and realtors were trained in the tax benefits of land protection. The seminar was simulcast live to Morgantown and Shepherdstown. Media coverage of the event was excellent and brought many inquiries from land owners. The seminar was cosponsored by the Charleston Area Society of CPA’s and Huntington National Bank.~ Contact the West Virginia Land Trust if you have suggestions for workshop topics, questions or would like to help facilitate private land protection through conservation easements.
info@wvlandtrust.org
LIBRARY:
The Land Trust has acquired a comprehensive collection of books on conservation easements and land protection. The collection is located at the West Virginia University Law Library, and the Land Trust office in Morgantown. Using the collection, a law student intern authored an article in the West Virginia Law Review on conservation easements. The Land Trust continues to add to this library.NETWORKING/ASSISTANCE TO LAND PRESERVATION GROUPS:
The Land Trust won Dupont Greenways funding to start the Greenspace Coalition, an energetic community organization advocating alternative transportation and public park enhancement in Morgantown. To date the Land Trust has provided information and technical assistance to the Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle, Charleston Renaissance, the Cheat Lake Environment and Recreation Association, Downstream Alliance, the Indian Creek Conservancy, the Lost Cacapon Land Trust, the Greenbrier Land Conservation Trust, the West Virginia Scenic Trails Association, and 45 private land owners.
The Land Trust has met with United States Department of Agriculture and Federal Emergency Management Agency staff to discuss protecting land with easements. Partnerships have also been discussed with the Wild Lands Trust and the Valley Conservancy. WVLT has met with groups in Monroe, Monongalia, Putnam, Greenbrier and Jefferson Counties.STATEWIDE CONSERVATION INVENTORY:
WVLT has conducted a statewide poll asking what special places in West Virginia's citizens would like to see preserved. This project was funded by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Program. The Land Trust held 14 public meetings across the state in 1997. The Trust also obtained information on special places in need of protection, from state and federal agencies. The Trust also supported a West Virginia poll on land preservation done by TPL and the Nature Conservancy.
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The West Virginia Land Trust P.O. Box 11823 Charleston WV 25339-1823 Phone: 304-346-7788 |
© 2000 West Virginia Land Trust