In what Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth calls the single greatest legislative action in decades, Congress passed a federal tax incentive bill supporting land conservation. This legislation made permanent the tax incentive for farmers, ranchers and other individuals who place a conservation easement on their land preserving natural resources forever. It also made permanent the IRA charitable rollover. The…
Barrington Area Conservation Trust received the 2015 Education, Outreach, and Media Award for its Conservation@Home program. The award was presented by the Lake County Stormwater management Commission at a special reception held in early December. “This program’s success lies in providing landowners with feedback and guidance on ways to improve their properties to better manage…
The Conservation Foundation has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a non-profit corporation that evaluates U.S. charities for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. The four-star rating is the highest possible designated by Charity Navigator and demonstrates to the public that The Conservation Foundation is worthy of a donor’s trust. The…
Advanced placement and honors Environmental Science students at Barrington High School became “citizen scientists” by conducting water testing at five Flint Creek sites in late October, as an ongoing part of Barrington Area Conservation Trust’s Conservation@School Project. The students continued the stream monitoring work that had begun in September by performing physical, chemical and biological…
The Illinois Association of Conservation Districts conference is set for February 25-26, 2016 at the Starved Rock Lodge. Staff will learn about current trends in conservation and get to network with other agencies. You can find out more and register online here. Here’s a look at what’s planned: Keynote Speaker: Randy Heirdorn, Director (retired) of the…
Could you use some personalized assistance with a thorny land trust issue your land trust is facing? If so you’re in luck. The Land Trust Alliance is offering FREE coaching sessions by telephone for board members serving on all-volunteer land trust boards (those without staff or with one part-time staff member). Services are provided on…
PSCC’s Conservation Land Trust Handbook (link below). Most of you have contributed to this effort – thank you. PSCC is working to increase the visibility of the work of non-profit conservation land trusts in Illinois, and we think the Handbook helps to illustrate our impact. It’s a work in progress, but we hope it will…
