N A L C
Norman Area Land Conservancy Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 2
Incorporated 2000
D e d i c a ted to Con serve, I m prove, a n d P r otect Rural a nd Urban E n v i r onmen ts of Norman BOARD MEMBERS Geoff Canty Greg Carbin Van Cline Robert C. Goins* Craig Knutson Julie Knutson Lynne Miller, Chair 329-5470
David Morgan Jacci Rodgers* Lee Rodgers* Lyntha Wesner* 321-2204 * Founding Member
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Patrick Copeland 364-9423
FOUNDING MEMBERS Marion Bauman Harold Heiple Edwin Kessler John Raeside
Winter 2005
Conservation Easement Deductions Being Threatened Join the Fight to Stop the Proposals
A
recent report by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation shocked the land trust community by proposing major decreases in the federal tax deductions for conservation easements and bargain property sales. The proposal, if adopted by Congress, could severely undermine the work of land conservation organizations such as NALC.
NALC Public Forum F o llowed b y An n ual Meeting
5:00-6:30 PM Monday Feb. 28th Sarkeys Foundation 530 East Main Street
The Tax Proposals Please Join Us! The Joint Committee has proposed that deductions for conservation easements be limited to 33% of appraised value. Also under the propsed changes, NO deduction would be allowed for the donation of an easement on land used for a personal residence. This provision appears to run counter to the concept of preserving the "family farm". The Committee further proposed changing the allowed deductions for donations or bargain sales of land. Any tax deduction would be limited to the owner's "basis", or the cost of the land plus any capital improvements made over the years. The Impact on Land Conservation If these proposals are enacted, land conservation efforts in Oklahoma and across the country could be seriously hindered. Whether interested in maintaining open space, forest land, or a working farm, most conservation easements are donated by landowners with a genuine concern for the future of their property. However, we all realize that tax deductions are a strong incentive that allow many more property owners to place conservation easements on their land. Please Help Today As an NALC member, and someone who cares about the preservation of open space, you must act today! The future success of our organization will depend, to a large degree, on the incentives that the Joint Committee on Taxation has threatened with elimination. Letters to our US Senators and Representative, asking them to fight these proposals, are essential. Our local opinion does count. Draft letters and more information, including how to email or write our elected officials, can be found on the NALC website at: http://www.nalcok.org In this Issue:
Board Member Bios.......2 Kuhlman Ranch News..2 Newsletter Editor, Greg Carbin More about NALC..........3 Special Gifts....................4 PO Box 1616, Norman, OK 73070 On the web at http://www.nalcok.org/ Commit ted to Norman's Qualit y of Life Oklahoma's Congressional Delegation:
Rep. Cole, 329-6500, tom.cole@mail.house.gov Sen. Inhofe, 608-4381, jim_inhofe@inhofe.senate.gov Sen. Coburn, 231-4941
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New Board Members Craig and Julie Knutson joined the NALC Board in 2004. Craig Knutson grew up in Tulsa, graduating from Tulsa Memorial in 1969. Following completion of University of Oklahoma degrees in Political Science and Regional and City Planning, Craig has had a career in planning of all kinds. Post graduation he worked first in transportation planning for Tulsa and then Oklahoma City. Very soon his planning emphasis evolved into economic planning. He was Senior Economic Planner for Oklahoma City for four years and then Director, Economic Development and Education. For seventeen years he was Chief Economist with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company-Oklahoma. This professional emphasis continues as President of E-conographic Consulting Services of Oklahoma, LLC. Craig has been active in a wide range of volunteer activities, many of which involve leadership roles in goal setting, for groups as diverse as Communities Foundation of Oklahoma and Junior Achievement. He has participated in twenty-one consecutive years of teaching high school economics through Junior Achievement. He is a committed volunteer to the Oklahoma Blood Institute, at this writing having become a Thirteen (13) Gallon blood Donor. He is a member of The Nature Conservancy and the Norman Area Land Conservancy, Inc. Julie Knutson was born in Tulsa and has lived in Norman since 1979. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in education (emphasis English, Drama & Debate), and her Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tulsa. She is the President/CEO of the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals (The Oklahoma Academy), a private, non-partisan organization that provides substantive forums for deliberation and develops recommendations on public policy issues affecting the quality and standard of living in Oklahoma. She has been CEO since 1987. Julie has been and continues to be very active in professional organizations, often serving in leadership positions in the Oklahoma Counseling Association and the Midwest Region of the American Counseling Association and Chairman of the National Licensure Committee for the American Counseling Association. She served on the State Department of Education Task Force on Middle Level Education Development. She was selected as a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class II, and subsequently served on their board of directors for several years. She just completed a 5 year term on the University
PO Box 1616, Norman, OK 73070
Winter 2005
of Oklahoma College of Education Board of Advocates. She currently is on the board of directors for Leadership Oklahoma City and Great Expectations. She volunteers with Junior Achievement as time allows with her job and volunteers to tutor children in reading and social studies. The Journal Record selected her as one of the top 50 Corporate Women in Oklahoma in 1997. Craig and Julie are proud of their three children, OU graduates all. We are honored to have Craig and Julie Knutson willing to contribute their unique skills to our Board of Directors.
Kuhlman Ranch Update Patrick Copeland, Executive Director
On August 19, 2002, history was made in Norman in the form of many firsts. Utilizing the first USDA Farmland Preservation Grant ever awarded in the State of Oklahoma, NALC acquired its first conservation easement. Herbert and Esther Kuhlman, long-time Norman residents and farmers, agreed to place a conservation easement on 107 acres of their farm, located at North Porter and Franklin Road. On Saturday, January 22, 2004, NALC board members conducted the second annual site inspection of the Kuhlman easement and found the farm to be in very good shape with hay stored from last summer and new wheat just breaking the surface of the ground. Thanks are in order for board member Geoff Canty, who did the actual work required for the annual visit. The rest of us got to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Kuhlman and tour the property with their son, Richard. Richard was able to show several maintenance projects that were underway as a part of the ongoing improvements at the farm. Please join us at the upcoming annual meeting, where the Kuhlman family will join us as our special invited guests. THANK YOU HOOPER PRINTING! Recent NALC Annual Meeting invitations were sent to many individuals including members. NALC would like to thank Hooper Printing of Norman for their generosity. They printed the invitations free of charge! On the web at http://www.nalcok.org/
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Winter 2005
More About NALC
Become a NALC Member!
Who We Are (Our Purpose). The Norman Area Land Conservancy, Inc. (NALC) is a local, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation committed to preserving and protecting open space in the Norman area.
Join the Conservancy Now and Become a Part of Norman's Future
How We Operate. The NALC enters into agreements with willing local landowners to create a perpetual conservation easement on their property. With such an easement, landowners can protect their land without giving up ownership. The landowner agrees to forego development of the property, allowing it to remain in its agricultural state forever. A conservation easement can protect sites with historic value, preserve land for ranching or farming, or safeguard endangered animal or plant species. The landowner decides whether the easement will permit public access. Eligible lands generally must contain productive soil or historical or archaeological resources. The landowner, with the concurrence of the NALC, decides the terms of the conservation easement. The accepted easement is a legal document, filed with the county clerk. The landowner retains title to the property and can use it, sell it, or leave it to heirs. But the conservation easement remains with the land forever. The Land Conservancy becomes responsible for ensuring that the terms of the easement are followed in perpetuity. Under certain conditions, the NALC may accept outright land donations. Benefits to Cooperating Property Owners. Specific benefits to property owners may include some or all of the following: 1. An income tax benefit as a charitable donation, based on any difference between the value of the land before and after creation of the easement. 2. A lowered value for estate and gift taxes. 3. Personal fulfillment from preserving family land in its historic form. 4. Monetary benefit. In certain instances, federal funds may be available for purchase of conservation easements. In such cases, the NALC likely would ask the land owner to make a charitable donation to help offset the cost of future stewardship expenses.
Please complete this form and send it with your tax deductible dues and contribtution to:
Norman Area Land Conservancy PO Box 1616 Norman, OK 73070 Annual Membership [ ]Regular................................................$25 [ ]Family..................................................$40 [ ]Student/Senior (65+).........................$18 [ ]Supporting..........................................$45* [ ]Sustaining........................................$100* [ ]Gold Card Sustaining.....................$500* Corporate, Institution, and Organization [ ]Regular.............................................$500* [ ]Supporting......................................$1000* [ ]Sustaining......................................$5000* [ ]Gold Card Sustaining.................$10000* *Minimum Contribution Name:_____________________________________ Address:___________________________________ City:_________________________Zip:__________ Phone:____________________________________ Fax:_______________________________________ Email:_____________________________________ Comments:
Thank you very much!!!
Thanks to David Morgan for compiling this information.
PO Box 1616, Norman, OK 73070
On the web at http://www.nalcok.org/
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Share your experience about the benefits of land conservation and open space with other NALC members. If you or your family have experienced the benefits of land conservation during a recent trip or outing, NALC would like to hear about it. Write a brief description of your travel adventure or open space discovery, and describe why these places are important to you. Photographs will also be accepted, if you have them. If you are aware of the organization(s) responsible for preserving and caring for the areas you have visited and enjoyed, please include that information as well. Send your story/photos to NALC and selected contributions will be published in a future newsletter. Our email address is: nalcnews@nalcok.org "In wildness is the preservation of the world." -Henry David Thoreau, Walking, 1862
EMAIL NOTIFICATION As a registered member of NALC you will receive NALC newsletters at your email address unless you instruct us otherwise. You may also see current and past issues of the newsletter by visiting our website: nalcok.org Electronic transfer of NALC news will save money and trees.
Special Gifts Lyntha Wesner NALC is honored to be the recipient of a generous corporate donation from Mike Donohue of Big Red Sports and Imports. Thank you, Mr. Donohue, for sharing our vision for Norman. In addition we have received a contribution from the Committee to Elect Sandra Rose, as that Ward 8 campaign account was closed. Sandra and Mack Rose have personally been annual supporters of NALC since its inception. We appreciate their constant support for NALC goals. It is our hope that all Norman citizens will benefit from this generosity.
Norman Area Land Conservancy PO Box 1616 Norman, OK 73070
Request for Future Newsletter Content
Winter 2005
www.nalcok.org
Volume 4, Issue 2