| From left: HHLT's Executive Director Andy Chmar, Dir. of Land Preservation Katrina Shindledecker, board member Ru Rauch, Land Trust Accreditation Commissioner Cindy Hunt-Stowell, and HHLT Dir. of Outreach & Development MJ Martin | HHLT board member David Mordecai interviewed on CNBC in August. |
HHLT e-Newsletter archive
- HHLT Accreditation - 29 Sep 2008
- David Mordecai - 1 Aug 2008
- Family Fest - 21 Jun 2008
- Tax Incentive Renewal - 2 Jan 2008
Hudson Highlands Land Trust Earns National Recognition
Accreditation Awarded by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
September 29, 2008 -- The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, announced on September 19th that Hudson Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) has been awarded accredited status.
"Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever," said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. "The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization and the systems and policies it uses to protect land."
"Hudson Highlands Land Trust's accredited status demonstrates our commitment to permanent land conservation," says Andy Chmar, HHLT Executive Director. "Our land trust is a stronger organization today having gone through the rigorous accreditation program."
Hudson Highlands Land Trust protects the natural resources, rural character and scenic beauty of the Hudson Highlands through land conservation, public advocacy, community outreach, and the promotion of sound long-term planning. Founded in 1989, HHLT holds 57 conservation easements and owns two properties.
Land is America's most important and valuable resource. Conserving our land helps ensure clean air and drinking water, food security, scenic landscapes and views, recreational places, and habitat for the diversity of life on earth. Across the country, local citizens and communities have come together to form land trusts to save the places they love. Community leaders in land trusts across the country have worked with willing landowners to save over 37 million acres of farms, forests, parks and places people care about. Strong, well-managed land trusts provide local communities with effective champions and caretakers of their critical land resources, and safeguard the land through the generations.
HHLT is one of 38 land trusts that were awarded accreditation at a special ceremony at Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Pittsburgh, PA in September. Rally, hosted by The Land Trust Alliance, is the largest gathering of land conservationists in the country. Accredited land trusts are able to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.
"We are proud to display the accreditation seal and to be one of the five land trusts in New York State to receive this distinction in the first year it is offered," commented Chmar.
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance established in 2006, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. More information is available on the Commission's website, landtrustaccreditation.org.
HHLT CAP DEBUTS ON CNBC
August 1, 2008 -- HHLT Board Member David Mordecai took time out from his vacation in Maine to appear on CNBC to discuss the emerging national financial crisis in August. No questioning David's loyalties -- he sported a Hudson Highlands Land Trust baseball cap for the interview!
4th Annual Family Festival -- Summer FUN at its best . . .
June 21, 2008 -- If you missed this year's HHLT Family Festival, you missed quite a party -- the weather, music, and food all conspired to make it a summer afternoon to remember. More than 400 residents and visitors of all ages joined us at beautiful Philipstown Park to enjoy the music of Stacey Labriola, Peter Rundquist & Art Hemberger, as well as Poughkeepsie bluegrass band NO BRAKES, have a terrific BBQ dinner, and enjoy the outdoors. An incredible 164 campers stayed to Sleep Over Under the Stars too! View our slideshow for a closer look.
TAX INCENTIVE FOR LOCAL LAND CONSERVATION RENEWED
Congressman John Hall Supports Making This Incentive Permanent
January, 2, 2008 -- Private landowners in the Hudson Highlands are the beneficiaries of a newly passed federal tax incentive for conservation. The incentive, which had expired at the end of 2007, helped the Hudson Highlands Land Trust work with willing landowners in our community to conserve over 300 additional acres of natural areas in 2006 and 2007.
Thanks in part to the leadership of Congressman John Hall, landowners now have until December 31, 2009 to take advantage of these benefits. But the new law is temporary. Unless renewed, 2010 easements will revert to a much lower level of tax benefits.
"This law will help landowners and land trusts protect important lands across America," said HHLT Executive Director Andy Chmar. "Locally, it extends a valuable incentive to residents in the Hudson Highlands who want to preserve their land, when it qualifies for a conservation easement donation through the conservation values and public benefit secured through the donation."
The incentive makes it more economically feasible for many landowners of modest means to conserve their land and keep it from being fully developed. Voluntary conservation agreements, also known as conservation easements, can also protect working farms, making it easier for families to leave their land to the next generation.
The incentive, which applies to a landowner's federal income tax, will:
- Raise the deduction a donor can take for donating a voluntary conservation agreement from 30% of their income in any year to 50%;
- Allow farmers to deduct up to 100% of their income; and
- Increase the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from 6 to 16 years.
The Hudson Highlands Land Trust thanked Congressman Hall for his leadership in renewing the conservation tax incentive. He is credited with helping to enact this extension by cosponsoring legislation to make the incentive permanent, and working with the House leadership to secure its passage.
"This incentive is a win-win opportunity for family farmers, ranchers, sportsmen and conservationists in our community and across the nation," said Representative Hall. "Without this measure, landowners across the Hudson Highlands would not be stepping forward right now to conserve their land. I am proud of my role in this victory and I remain committed to making this incentive permanent."
According to the Land Trust Alliance, a national organization that provides a voice for land trusts in Washington, DC, more than 200 Members of Congress have cosponsored legislation to permanently extend the incentive. The legislation is supported by American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Ducks Unlimited, The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and many conservation organizations.
The Hudson Highlands Land Trust seeks to protect the special character of the Highlands through land conservation, advocacy, and the promotion of sound long-term planning. HHLT works with landowners and groups of neighbors who are interested in preserving their property for future generations, provides information about our area's wonderful natural resources, draws attention to the high costs of shortsighted development, and helps organize events such as the popular Take-a-Hike! Program, Choices for Sustainable Living Expo, and Family Festival & Campout.
Property owners who would like to know more about their conservation options, and possible federal and state tax benefits in preserving their land, should contact HHLT by visiting www.hhlt.org, calling 845-424-3358, or emailing info@hhlt.org.