Updates

Meet Your New Legislators: In January, 19 new legislators (two senators and 17 representatives) will join our friends on Beacon Hill for the 2021-2022 session. If a new legislator will be representing your service area, now is the time to start reaching out to introduce yourself and begin building a…

Not all donations of conservation easements are created equal. While the vast majority are truly charitable endeavors, a few bad actors are promoting conservation easement donations as a way for investors to make a fast profit by gaining access to very large federal tax deductions. These transactions are essentially tax…

On September 17, 2020 the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released its SMART Agricultural Solar Tariff Generation Units Straw Proposal, which proposes greatly expanding the use of farmland for solar development. In part, the expansion relies on the premise that certain agricultural activities could continue under elevated solar panels…

Listed below, in no particular order, are resources that have been shared with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition related to diversity, equity, justice and inclusion initiatives in the land conservation field. If you are aware of related resources that would be of interest to the Massachusetts land conservation community, please…

UMass and MLTC are partnering to put on a monthly webinar series for landowners on conservation-based estate planning. This work is funded through the MA DCR Working Forests Initiative. Topics for the webinar series include: family goal setting, using wills and trusts for passing on land (Nov. 10), determining the…

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) is now law, guaranteeing $900 million in Land and Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) every year and providing over $9 billion in deferred maintenance on federally owned lands and historic and cultural assets over the next 5 years. LWCF is funded by a small portion…

Intended for land trust staff and board members, these informal one-hour Zoom discussions are focused on exchanging information among peers on topics of common interest. Seasoned land trust practitioners as well as those newer to the field are welcome. These calls are sponsored by the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition. To…

If you are a small or all-volunteer land trust that is looking to get your record keeping in order, consider applying for the 2020-2021 Massachusetts. Record Keeping Initiative. Deadline is Tuesday, September 15. The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC) and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) are collaborating to offer direct…

Thank you to all who have already renewed your membership for FY21. For those who haven't yet renewed, a gentle reminder to renew your membership. Or join us for the first time. Other ways to support MassLand are also available. Our membership year is July 1 - June 30, though we…

On Wednesday, July 22nd the U.S. House of Representatives took historic action and passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to permanently and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and help fund the backlog of maintenance projects on federal public lands, including national parks and national…