From the Executive Director

By Nancy Schumm-Burgess

Private land protection is an opportunity for landowners to make a statement about preserving their prized family legacies. Studies from the Donors Foundation in Chicago have reported that the largest transfer of land in history will occur in the next 10 to 50 years, as landowners either pass their property to their heirs or are forced to sell it. When land changes hands, two things can happen: the properties can be protected from development, or they can be exploited.

The option for private land protection with a conservation easement can protect it in perpetuity. The choice is up to the landowners, and we’re here to help with strategies for tax savings on estate planning and estate protection both during a landowner’s lifetime and for the generations that follow. There are currently several enticing federal tax incentives for landowners who protect their qualifying properties with conservation easements. But these incentives will only be in place until the end of 2009. Now is an excellent time to investigate protecting your land in perpetuity by taking advantage of property tax and income tax incentives through the use of conservation easements.

I am pleased to report that the conservative investment policies our Board of Trustees has followed over the past seven years have ensured that we have not lost money during the current downturn. Our assets are safe and protected. On the expense side, we have scaled back significantly in order to protect our reserves. We are very conscious of our duty to be fiscally responsible to our stakeholders. As a nonprofit, we rely primarily upon donations to fund the operating expenses of our organization, so if you have not yet renewed your membership for 2009, we do hope that you will take this opportunity to do so.

Our primary mission at Barrington Area Conservation Trust is to protect the land and the way of life we enjoy here in the Barrington area. We continue to work diligently to fulfill this mission. Residents have been assisted with land protection. Lawyers are being educated about conservation easements and other land-protection and estate-planning options. Policies have been developed to strengthen our organization. Our programs are moving forward, and with your support and partnership, the character of our community will be protected for future generations.