August 23, 2008
Mill Village Road
one mile south of Historic Deerfield
Farming
demonstrations, farm booths, farmer's market, hayrides, children's games and
activities,
vendor booths, food booths, BBC beer tent.
Music from 2:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Spancil Hill, The Tom Ingram Band,
Wild-Wood, Sweetwind and
Billy Eagan and The Rising more information
Gate fee $10 adults,
16 and under FREE
Discounted tickets
available before August 10th
at
the Land Trust office, 36 State Street,
Shelburne Falls daily 7am - 4pm .
Vendors and
Volunteers receive
FREE Admission.
Opportunities still available. Call today.
For more information, please contact the
Franklin Land Trust at (413)625-9152, ext.
3.
Thank
you to all our 2008 Farm & Garden Tour participants, site hosts, sponsors
and volunteers. What a fabulous weekend!
r22,
2008 - The
Franklin Land Trust invites you to our first
Franklin Land Trust finalizes land protection projects totaling
1,500 acres
The Franklin
Land Trust has just completed more than 1,500 acres worth of land
protection projects, bringing the total number of acres protected in
2007 to 2,808. The projects include land in Ashfield, Leverett,
Shelburne, Conway, Colrain and Erving.
All of the
projects involved gift conservation and/or agricultural
restrictions, in which landowners donated the development rights to
their parcels. They retain ownership of the property, but agree to
protect the land by leaving the land undeveloped.
"I'm so
pleased to say that we've had our best year ever, protecting 2,808
acres," said FLT Executive Director Richard Hubbard. "This work
wouldn't be possible without the landowners, who so deeply love
their land and want to see it protected forever."
The land
protected includes orchards, hayfields, woodland and wetlands. In
addition to preserving wildlife habitat and water resources, the
restrictions will help maintain the rural character of the towns
where they are located. One project,300 acres on Williamsburg Road
in Ashfield, consists of woodland and wetlands that are home to a
variety of wildlife. The property abuts the South River and also has
frontage along Conway and Williamsburg roads.
Another
large project is a 191-acre property on Broad Hill and Pratt Corner
roads in Leverett. The land is located in the watershed for the Town
of Amherst's public drinking water supply. It has an extensive trail
system that the owners hope to promote as a public resource.
Land
protected includes 782 acres in Ashfield; 337 acres in Leverett, 7
acres in Conway, 236 acres in Shelburne, 210 acres in Colrain, and 7
acres in Erving.
In
2007, the Franklin Land Trust completed 30 projects, protecting a
total of 2,808 acres in 13 area towns. In the past 20 years, the
Land Trust has protected more than 15,000 acres in the region.
Video of protected property in Ashfield;
created and produced by landowner
Robert A. Jonas.
Music by Robert A. Jonas and
Brooks Williams For more stunning nature videos by
Mr. Jonas,
please visit:
http://www.emptybell.org/podcast/index.php
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Breaking News: Congress
Renews Tax Incentive to Increase the Pace of
Conservation!
May 22, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today
Congress enacted a Farm Bill that renews a
powerful tax incentive which has helped to
conserve a million or more acres of farms,
ranches and natural areas across the US. The
incentive had expired January 1st, but is
now retroactive to the beginning of the year
and will last through 2009.
A
broad coalition representing sportsmen,
outdoors enthusiasts, farmers, ranchers and
national conservation groups, embraced the
measure. Rand Wentworth, president of the
Land Trust Alliance, said "This renewed tax
incentive for donations of conservation
easements is one of the best things Congress
could do this year to help landowners choose
the conservation option over sprawl.
Especially for family farmers and ranchers
of modest income, this is a great way to
help them keep productive agricultural land
from being lost."
The incentive, which applies to a
landowner's federal income tax, will:
Raise the deduction a donor can take for
donating a voluntary conservation
agreement from 30% of their income in
any year to 50%;
Allow farmers and ranchers to deduct up
to 100% of their income; and
Increase the number of years over which
a donor can take deductions from 6 to 16
years.
Landowner donations to conservation
organizations known as land trusts have
resulted in millions of acres of working
lands and natural areas being conserved for
the future. According to the Alliance, many
conservation groups reported an annual
doubling of the number of conservation
agreements completed in 2007, in response to
the same incentive that had expired in
January. Land trusts in America have
together saved more than 36 million acres
from development, an area the size of New
England.
Full Release
Thank
you to all our 2008 Farm & Garden Tour participants, site hosts, sponsors
and volunteers. What a fabulous weekend!
