Conservation easement workshop scheduled
May 1, 2008 10:16 AM
The Mississippi River Trust is inviting accountants, estate planners, foresters, lawyers and private landowners to attend an upcoming workshop on conservation easements May 28 at the Brinkley Convention Center in Brinkley, Ark.
The purpose of the one-day workshop is to explain the process of conservation easements and their financial benefits under Internal Revenue Service Code Sections 170 and 2031, including the 2006 amendments.
The $95 cost for the workshop covers registration, lunch and handout materials. Attendance is limited to 75 persons. The workshop has been approved for five Continuing Forestry Education Credits and four Continuing Legal Education Credits.
A conservation easement is a legal agreement that ensures a property will be managed in perpetuity according to the landowner’s desires. It also qualifies the landowner for significant tax benefits. Conservation easements can assist landowners in protecting their land, wildlife habitat, scenic areas or historic buildings.
Each conservation easement document is individually crafted and reflects the special qualities of the land and the landowner’s needs.
At the workshop, will be: Daniel Coggin (Mississippi River Trust), conservation easement use and application; Gerald Barber (Barber and Mann, Inc.), determining values of conservation easements; Bill Tomlinson (Wildlife Technical Services), conservation ethics and baseline documentation; Bill Bridgforth (Ramsay, Bridgforth, Harrelson and Starling, LLP) preparation of the conservation easement document; Steve Sessums (May & Company, LLP), estate and tax planning benefits from conservation easements.
Anyone interested in attending the upcoming workshop should call the Mississippi River Trust at (662) 686-3503 for a workshop registration form and brochure or log onto www.mississippirivertrust.org and download the brochure and registration information.
