artful negotiation skills, he tries to share his long-term vision with these property owners, to encourage them to see beyond the financials. Part of the process involves funneling money to the farmers from county, state, and federal government programs to take a little of the sting away from choosing to not recognize the profits on the sale of that particular parcel of land.
• Dennis looks out over land protected through his work with land trusts.
Another primary function of land conservancies involves negotiations with landowners on behalf of conservation groups regarding the attachment of permanent restrictions to their lands; these restrictions detail exactly how the land may be used. Known as easements, the restrictions may be donated to the land trust or, in many cases, they may be purchased with monies that are acquired through fundraising efforts or made available through local, state, or federal programs. The available funds often don’t amount to a whole lot, so the trusts must be choosy about which landowners they approach. In some cases, landowners will voluntarily approach a land trust to make a contribution to the conservancy. Most often these donations or easements are tax deductible, and depending on the situation, can help to offset the lost real estate value of the land. One thing to note about the conservancies is that they get nothing in return for the service they perform. They operate under Internal Revenue Service tax law as 501(c)(3)s, charitable organizations. Their mission is to enlist the landowners to gather the easements and to attempt to enforce those easements when the properties
change hands. Currently, there are over 1,700 land trust and land conservancy organizations in the United States supported by an overarching group called the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). These groups are responsible for the preservation of more than 47 million acres of property around the country, according to the LTA’s 2010 National Land Census Report. The largest of these trusts is the Nature Conservancy. While the groups with which Dennis has been affiliated have focused on the preservation of farms and landscapes, the Nature Conservancy has more of a scientific focus, concentrating on the species that live on particular lands and the biomass in general. What fuels Dennis’s desire to continue to try to preserve the lands of this nation? In his words, “I do what I do because promises are promises…but they can be retracted. My business has always been to get beyond the promise, to make it perpetual.” It’s one thing for a farmer to promise to keep the farm in the family, but in too many instances skyrocketing property taxes and deeppocketed land developers shatter the promise. Suddenly a large farm is now a housing development. With Dennis’s
Dennis alludes to the fact that if it weren’t for Millbrook School, and more specifically Frank Trevor, whom he calls “the most charismatic man I ever met,” he wouldn’t be working in this field. He continues his involvement with the Norfolk Land Trust. He serves on the national committee of the LTA pursuing more effective methods for dealing with the federal and state governments. He is on the advisory board of the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative, whose focus is on creating a strategic regional partnership of land trusts to protect air and water, farms, natural habitats, and the beauty of rural communities in the northwest Connecticut area. His determination ensures that there will be wide open spaces for future generations to enjoy!
Farnie Collins ’53 While Farnie Collins has not dedicated his professional career to land conservation, he grew up valuing the open space and the great natural habitats in Millbrook. As the population in this rural area started to increase, the pressure to develop some of this land increased, too. While acknowledging that development could not be halted, Farnie and other local landowners have believed in the importance preserving the natural appeal of the Millbrook landscape. Out of this mindset, the Dutchess Land Conservancy was born. Their mission: to encourage sound, well-planned growth balanced with the conservation of our important natural
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