[PCA] Fwd: LTA Response to Washington Post Article

[Jason Koontz]

FYI:


>Yesterday morning, The Washington Post ran an extensive front-page article
>( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17384-2003Dec20.html )
>critical of conservation easements and certain land trust practices. The
>article covers many of the ethical issues we have discussed in recent
>articles of Exchange and at the LTA Rally in Sacramento, and in
>discussions relating to revision of our Standards and Practices.
>
>This article will impact the entire land conservation community. Congress
>pays attention to issues covered by The Washington Post and the Senate
>Finance Committee is already considering new regulations on land trusts to
>restrict the types of problems cited in this article. Those opposed to
>land conservation will certainly use this article to attack land trusts
>and easements in Congress and in state legislatures.
>
>The land trust community needs to respond to these articles in an
>energetic and positive way if we hope to retain existing programs and win
>new conservation tax incentives in Congress. We also need to build
>national support so that Congress or state legislatures do not impose
>regulations that would stifle the work of local land trusts. For all of
>these reasons, I urge you to read this article carefully to take action as
>part of a coordinated response from the land conservation community.
>
>WHAT YOU CAN DO
>
>1. Write Letters Before Congress Reconvenes on January 20: Get one or more
>of your landowners who have donated conservation easements to write a
>letter to their Members of Congress stating how they and their communities
>have benefited from conservation easements and encouraging the inclusion
>of the conservation provisions in the Charities Act (H.R. 7) (See
>http://www.lta.org/publicpolicy/adv_120503.htm ). It is essential that we
>demonstrate that modest-income people, along with the general public, are
>enjoying significant benefits, and that this is not just a tax loophole
>for the rich and famous.
>
>Please send copies of their letters to jwyerman at lta.org , so that we can
>use them in our lobbying and follow-up media response.
>
>2. Be Prepared for Local Media: It is likely that this article will be
>distributed nationally. To help present the positive side of the land
>trust story, the Land Trust Alliance early last week issued a press
>release presenting the end-of-the-year good news stories that many land
>trusts sent to us. Also last Friday, before the Post article ran, LTA
>issued a second release highlighting draft revisions to Standards and
>Practices--especially those dealing with the issues we knew would be
>covered by the Post. See below for links to both releases along with our
>prior messages to land trusts setting forth general media tips in dealing
>with this line of inquiry.
>
>WHAT LTA IS DOING
>
>LTA is responding fully, quickly and strategically to this new article.
>Our immediate response includes:
>
>
>*	Drafting an LTA letter to the Post editors
>
>
>*	Coordinating additional letters to the editors from national
>spokespersons and key interest groups (e.g., state fish and game
>officials, FWS, hunting/fishing groups, western interests, other national
>conservation groups, etc.)
>
>
>*	Notifying our tax bill coalition and urging their active response
>
>
>*	Alerting foundations and key donors
>
>
>*	Asking all land trusts to generate letters to Congress
>
>
>*	Coordinating key home district meetings between local land trust
>supporters and their elected officials-especially in swing
>districts/states represented on the conference committee on the tax bills
>
>
>*	Orchestrating a DC lobby day visit at the end of January to
>coordinate with the LTA and TNC board meetings in DC (i.e., asking our
>local leaders to take an extra day to lobby their reps while in Washington)
>
>
>*	Preparing an information package to use in lobbying meetings in
>January and February
>
>
>*	Planning a press conference with national conservation leaders in
>late January to highlight LTA's release of the draft revised Standards
>
>
>*	Responding to media inquiries
>
>
>*	Assisting land trusts in responding to local media follow-up,
>especially if a wire service, radio networks or even national TV pick up
>this article
>
>
>
>Thanks for your quick response to these breaking developments. I welcome
>your further comments and suggestions.
>
>Jim Wyerman
>Director of Communications & Development
>jwyerman at lta.org
>
>Additional Resources:
>
>October Alert LTA Media Tips for Land Trusts
>http://www.lta.org/newsroom/media_tip_jw.htm
>
>Media Tips for Land Trusts by Ben Long, Environmental Media Services West
>http://www.lta.org/newsroom/media_tips.htm
>
>Dec. 22 Press Release - Land Trust Alliance Announces Revision of Ethical
>Standards
>http://www.lta.org/newsroom/pr_122203.htm
>
>Dec. 18 Press Release - Giving a Gift of Land Forever
>http://www.lta.org/newsroom/pr_121803.htm
>