Support the Conservation Easement Incentive

Saving Land: Something We Can All Agree On

Dear Editor:

The Frontera Land Alliance had a recent workshop that discussed the tax incentives that landowners may benefit from if they place their land under a conservation agreement. When December 31^st comes, those incentives might be gone if congress does not take action.

Unless Congress acts in the next few weeks, we will be left without something that benefits everyone in our community. Despite remarkable bipartisan support, we may lose an important tax incentive that helps protect clean water, natural areas and working family farms and ranches.  The incentive enhances the federal tax benefits for landowners of modest means who donate conservation easements.  These agreements help conserve natural resources important to west Texas while keeping land in productive private ownership.

The enhanced incentive has proven effective, helping land trusts across the country increase the pace of conservation by a third – to over a million acres per year. The Frontera Land Alliance joins America’s 1,700 land trusts and their five million supporters in calling on Congress to make this important conservation tool permanent this year.

We encourage our local Representative and Senators to find a way to extend the conservation easement incentive as part of any year-end tax deal. Thanks to thoughtful landowners and responsible action in Congress, we'll be able to conserve even more natural and working land in west Texas for years to come

Janae’ Reneaud Field

Executive Director 

To take action, visit the Land Trust Alliance now.