October 2006
Members of Congress Thanked for Support of Conservation Tax Incentive

To celebrate the recent victory for land conservation, the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) hosted a reception in early September, honoring members of Congress who helped enact the new conservation tax incentive. This was also an opportunity for LTA to recognize many of the conservation, sportsmen’s, and agricultural organizations and land trusts who helped pass this legislation.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY), Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), Representative Nancy Johnson (R-CT), Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), and James Connaughton, chair of President Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), were presented awards for their help in moving the new conservation tax incentive through Congress. Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth presented awards to each of them along with Don Young of Ducks Unlimited, Ralph Grossi of the American Farmland Trust, Paul Hansen of the Izaak Walton League of America, Jim Range of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and representatives of other national and regional conservation organizations.

Special recognition was given to Senator Baucus, who wrote the original version of the new incentive and led the advocacy for it in the final negotiations. Senator Baucus’s award was presented to him by Rock Ringling of the Montana Land Reliance, who first asked the Senator for his help in making this happen six years ago.

To read more at the LTA website, click here

WI Congressman Paul Ryan accepts the award from the LTA's Russ Shay for supporting the new legislation on conservation initiatives.