The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PALTA) is now soliciting nominations to honor Pennsylvania municipalities and counties that have demonstrated leadership and success in the conservation of our special places and landscapes. Submit your nomination by February 4, 2012.

The 10th Annual Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference will be held May 3-5, 2012 at the Inn at Pocono Manor in Monroe County. Download registation materials today. (Learn More)

Bills related to environmental funding and programs signed into law or adopted during 2011.

Share what's on your mind...ConserveLand Blog offers an eclectic collection of voices on a variety of conservation issues with the opportunity for robust discussion.

As a service to land trusts and landowners, the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association has established Conserved Real Estate for Sale, a web resource dedicated to marketing conserved properties. The Association created a flyer that land trusts and farmland preservation boards can share with landowners and real estate agents regarding this resource. 

PALTA recently asked staff at the department to identify a few of the more common issues facing land trusts and municipalities in applying for acquisition grant dollars. So here they are:

Strategic and innovative mapping tools are making it easier for land trusts to protect its lands in perpetuity.

Check out new conserved property listings or post a property for sale.

A generation ago, most children spent time in their yards and neighborhoods.Today many children face distractions and have little exposure to the outside world. 

Check out the latest issue of the ConserveLand newsletter which includes guidance on DCNR acquisition grants, strategic and innovative mapping tools illustrating the success of land trusts, as well as a variety of new resources available through the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association.

Thank you to everyone that provided comments during the development of the 6th edition of the Model Grant of Conservation Easement and Commentary. Your reviews and suggestions have ensured that the model continues as the gold standard for easements.

A municipality may express an intent to acquire specific land for streets, trails, parks and other public uses by establishing an official map that “reserves” this land. If a landowner seeks to build on or subdivide reserved land, the municipality has up to a year to acquire the land from the owner before the owner may freely build or subdivide.

The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association partnered with state agencies in developing this handbook to guide counties, local municipalities and planners in use of the official map. 

Act 44 of 2011, signed into law by Governor Corbett on July 7, amends the Agricultural Area Security Law to repeal the provision allowing for the extinguishment of agricultural conservation easements after 25 years.

HB 442, the private transfer fee prohibition bill, was signed into law by Governor Corbett on June 24 and becomes Act 8 of 2011. In this new law, conservation easement-related private transfer fees are protected.

Schrimsher v. Commissioner of Tax Revenue upholds IRS disallowance of façade easement tax deduction because the “Preservation and Conservation Easement Agreement” between the taxpayer and the donee did not satisfy the Internal Revenue Code requirement for a contemporaneous written acknowledgment of the gift from the donee — it did not state whether the donee provided any goods or services in consideration for the preservation easement.