OJAI VALLEY LAND CONSERVANCY Working to protect Ojai’s future - today
Open Spaces
Fall 2009 Volume 16 Number 2
OVLC Working to keep Tax Incentives for CONSERVATION EASEMENTS permanent A relatively new federal tax incentive for the donation of conservation easements has helped land trusts nationwide conserve an extra 535,000 acres of important lands in the first two years of its existence – a 36% increase over previous years. Although the tax incentive is set to expire at the end of 2009, there is an effort underway to make the incentive permanent. The intent of this tax incentive has been to make the donation of conservation easements much more financially attractive for farmers, ranchers, and other owners of important conservation lands. It has achieved success by increasing the maximum deduction a
donor can take in a year from 30% to 50% of adjusted gross income (100% for qualified farmers and ranchers), and increasing the number of years over which this deduction can be taken from 6 to 16 years. This tax incentive has benefited the Ojai Valley where the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy is currently helping landowners work towards donating conservation easements this year before the incentive expires. Over the past several years, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has successfully worked with several Ventura River landowners to create conservation easements that protect key parcels along
Sespe Fly fishers help restore Conservation Easement on the Ventura River
the Ventura River. These partnerships significantly protect as much of Ojai Valley’s watershed as possible. Unless Congress acts, this important conservation tool will expire at the end of 2009! Currently, there are two bills: the Conservation Easement Incentive Act (H.R. 1831) and the Rural Heritage Conservation Act (S. 812) – that would make the easement incentive permanent. There is bipartisan support for these landowner-friendly bills, although more support is needed. Please encourage your elected representatives to support this important legislation, and contact OVLC with comments or questions. Email us at info@ovlc.org.
Earlier this year, members of The Sespe Fly Fishers graciously donated 35 trees (15 sycamores, 15 black cottonwoods, 5 coast live oaks) and their valuable time planting trees at the Confluence Preserve. Funds were provided by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s generous contribution to The Sespe Fly Fishers who donated it to help the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s restoration efforts along the Ventura River. This particular location is private ranch land that was donated as a conservation easement by the Wallevik family in 2004. After the flood of 2005 washed several acres of this ranchland downstream, OVLC received grant funding to stabilize, restore, and protect the remaining streambank and ranchland. Planting these trees strengthens the streambank and provides valuable habitat benefits to both terrestrial and aquatic critters. Many thanks to Dennis Harper and the Sespe Fly Fishers for their generous gesture of “paying it forward” to OVLC.