The letter below was sent by Washtenaw Land Trust volunteer President,
Theresa Schenk, to our legislators.

Back to Protecting Private Conservation

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March 3, 2005

Dear _______,

On behalf of the volunteer Board of the oldest land trust in the State of Michigan, I am writing to communicate our opposition to certain recommendations in the Joint Committee on Taxation's recent report entitled "Options to Improve Tax Compliance and Reform Tax Expenditures," and to ask that you do your utmost to see that they do not become policy.

If adopted, the recommendations regarding land conservation would severely reduce private donations of land or conservation easements to permanently protect land, and thus deny communities the benefits of these donations.

The changes in tax law would unfairly withhold tax deductions for a charitable contribution from a land or conservation easement donor- deductions that are enjoyed by donors making donations to non-profits for the public good in numerous other circumstances.

The Washtenaw Land Trust was founded 33 years ago in your district. Our mission, then and now, is to protect working farms and natural areas through voluntary donations of land and land rights, and today our organization protects land on 36 properties covering 1,700 acres in Washtenaw, Jackson, and Ingham counties.

We support reforms to prevent the abuse of deductions for conservation easements. However, limiting the tax deductions is an inappropriate approach to curbing such abuse, and, if enacted, it would have the unintended -- and undesired -- effect of dampening overall donation and private land preservation.

It is essential that all land trusts and conservancies operate at the highest professional standards. WLT endorses the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) Standards and Practices, and we would be glad to provide a copy of these standards to you.

We would like you to better understand how such donations have made a difference to our community. You will find enclosed a list of the parcels we protect. We would be happy to take you on a tour of our community and the critical lands preserved through donations of easements and development rights. We will introduce you to farm families and conservation landowners. We will answer any questions you might have about easements, land trusts, the ethics and practices of land conservation - and why we volunteer and donate to these efforts.

Thank you for your interest and for this opportunity to communicate with you on this vitally important topic in your district and for your constituents. Please work toward the defeat of these recommendations and the harm they will do to working farms and ecologically functioning natural landscapes in our communities.

Sincerely,

Theresa Schenk
President

Enclosures:
      Background
      Washtenaw Land Trust "At A Glance," listing our protected lands
      Fact Sheet

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Back to Protecting Private Conservation

Washtenaw Land Trust
info@washtenawlandtrust.org
734-302-LAND(5263)