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Upstate Forever Adopts Revised Land Trust Standards Upstate Forever has adopted the revised Land Trust Standards and Practices recently established by the Land Trust Alliance. These standards and practices are the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust. Both Congress and the South Carolina General Assembly provide tax incentives to landowners to protect properties with significant conservation or historic values. Some abuses of these incentives have occurred, which have been widely reported in the media. Congressional hearings on the subject were recently held, and both the IRS and the South Carolina Department of Revenue are challenging several transactions. In response to this concern, the Land Trust Alliance revised its Standards and Practices to make land trusts even more accountable and effective. “We wholeheartedly support the new standards,” said Dana Leavitt, the Director of Upstate Forever’s Land Trust Program. “And we applaud the IRS and the Department of Revenue for going after the abusive deals. These transactions have received a lot of attention, but the fact is that they represent just a few bad apples in a barrel full of solid and worthwhile conservation transactions that comply with the letter and spirit of the law.” To
date Upstate Forever has received 22 conservation easements,
protecting more than 4,500 acres
of important lands and
resources in the region,
with several more in the works. For more information
about Upstate Forever’s Land Trust |
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