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Conservation Fellowship Program
In the summer of 2008, the Colorado Conservation Trust (CCT) will have four new fellowship positions available with select land trusts and local government open space programs located throughout Colorado. We are now accepting applications.
Around 300 people attended CCT's 1st annual BBQ for conservation. A huge rainstorm failed to dampen the spirits of the large crowd at the Cable Center as Governor Bill Ritter gave a rousing speech on conservation and natural resource issues facing Colorado. CCT was able to raise over $100,000 through ticket sales, generous donations and bids from a silent auction.
(Clockwise: CCT Chairman Michael Dowling greets a table before dinner; Governor Bill Ritter gives the evening's keynote speech; Sweet Sunny South plays an acoustic set after dinner; Board member Jim Lochhead checks out the Silent Auction)
A special thank you to:
Ken & Rebecca Gart, Jim Kelley & Aime Knox, Eric & Sara Resnick, The Dowling Foundation, Gary-Williams Energy, Cody Smith and Brownstein Hyatt Faber Schreck.
CCT Focuses on the Big Picture
Colorado a Leader in Conservation Easements
Colorado is a national leader in the use of conservation easements to preserve open spaces and working agricultural lands. More than 75 percent of Colorado lands protected to date used conservation easements, while Colorado land trusts rank second nationally in the use of this important conservation tool.
A major factor in Colorado 's success is our innovative transferable state tax credit for conservation easement donations. A recent report by the Conservation Resource Center found that conservation land donations tripled in Colorado after the transferable tax credit program was established in 2000. Changes that the Colorado Conservation Trust helped to author last legislative session increased the cap on conservation easement donations from $260,000 to $375,000, as well as changed the credit formula to encourage protection of larger conservation parcels. When combined with recent federal tax incentives for easement donations, we expect that 2007 will see a record number of acres protected statewide through conservation easements.
CCT has long advocated that tax credit transactions be focused on lands that provide a substantial public benefit. We are currently working with the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts and State House Majority Leader Alice Madden to enact legislation requiring that the state: 1) report on the benefits of the conservation easement tax credit program, 2) increase the State's capacity to enforce the program, and 3) ensure that all conservation easements meet a strict public benefits test.
We can also be thankful for a recent federal appeals court ruling on the Glass vs. Commissioner case. The Internal Revenue Service sought to deny a federal tax deduction for a conservation easement in Michigan using a novel and highly restrictive interpretation of the federal tax code. The IRS, however, sought to narrow this definition and also claimed that the conservation purposes of the easement were negated because the land protected was too small. Had the IRS's position been adopted, it would have overturned a clear and understandable body of law regarding the use of conservation easements to protect natural landscapes. It also would have posed significant obstacles to achieving our goal of preserving 2 million acres of Colorado 's special lands over the next decade.
Colorado Conservation at a Crossroads
CCT is proud to present a comprehensive report on conservation in Colorado. Click on the links below to access the report.
(Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to access the report. Click here for a free download.)
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