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Introduction

Ecosystems and watersheds cover public and private lands and, excluding Alaska, there are about 1.5 billion acres of privately held land in America.(1) Preserving privately owned natural lands, agricultural lands, and water rights is important because these properties, when added to existing preserves and water rights, can make an enormous difference to air and water quality, to a state’s capacity to manage growth, and to local economies.

The preservation tax credit is a simple idea. Citizens and corporations who donate land for conservation purposes get an income tax break. The bill featured in this policy issues package insures that donations fulfill specific conservation purposes and places priority on lands that harbor threatened habitats or endangered species. This approach helps prevent habitat fragmentation and is cost effective.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management

In this policy issues package, we give you the resources and tools you need to make the Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit work in your state, including a sample bill, talking points, press clips, a fact pack, links, and other background information. We also have other resources and tools to help build your state’s policy and planning capacity to curb sprawl and preserve natural resources. Visit our Conservation Funding, Suburban Sprawl, Community Revitalization, and Green Infrastructure (Coming Soon) policy issue packages for details.

We may have other useful materials on this subject, which are not posted on our web site. Please feel free to contact us at info@serconline.org or call our office in Madison, Wisconsin, at (608) 252-9800.

If you’ve used this site and found it helpful, or if you have suggestions about how it could be made more helpful, please let us know. Please feel free to use the sample bill text included here in your state. If you do, please notify us.

Sources:
(1) Salkin, Patricia E., Justina R. Cintrón, and Jacalyn Fleming. “Conservation of Private Lands: Opportunities and Challenges for States.” Prepared for: Private Lands, Public Benefits: A Policy Summit on Working Lands Conservation, 16 March 2001. Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association, 2001, p. 2.

This package was last updated on September 19, 2004.