Tax Incentives for Private Land Conservation Extended
Congress just renewed a tax incentive that helps private landowners-especially working family farmers and ranchers-who protect their land with a voluntary conservation agreement. The incentive, which had expired at the end of 2009, helped Gallatin Valley Land Trust work with willing landowners in our area to conserve more than 11,500 acres of productive agricultural lands and natural areas between 2006 and 2009.

Conservation-minded landowners now have until December 31, 2011 to take advantage of a significant tax deduction for donating a voluntary conservation agreement to permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their land. When landowners donate a conservation easement to Gallatin Valley Land Trust, they maintain ownership and management of their land and can sell or pass the land on to their heirs, while foregoing future development rights. 

The enhanced incentive applies to a landowner's federal income tax.  It:
·    Raises the deduction a donor can take for donating a voluntary conservation agreement   
     from 30% of their income in any year to 50%;
·    Allows farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100% of their income; and
·    Increases the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from 6 to 16 years.

Please contact Kelly Pohl, Program Director, for more information at 406-587-8404.

GVLT Awarded grant from Turner Foundation
We are proud to announce that GVLT has been awarded a grant of $15,000 from the Turner Foundation for our Land Conservation program. The funding will help further our stewardship, outreach, and voluntary land conservation work.

Bozeman Creek Public Meeting - Feb 9th
Running through the heart of our community, Bozeman Creek presents great unrealized potential for recreation as well as habitat and water quality improvement. It also poses a threat of flooding. GVLT is participating in a working group of community organizations and individuals collaborating with the National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program and the Bozeman Parks Division to plan improvements to Bozeman Creek. The group is currently identifying issues, potential solutions and opportunities. If you would like to participate, please join us from 6:30-8:30 pm at the County Courthouse Community Room on Wednesday, February 9th.

East Gallatin Reroutes
Two sections of the East Gallatin Recreation Area trails become impassibly flooded most years during high water. Thanks to funding from the Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Recreational Trails Program and a Bozeman Parkland Improvement Grant, GVLT plans to reroute both sections in 2011 using raised boardwalk in each case. If you've hiked or skied these trails recently, you may have noticed the yellow tape blocking off a new section of trail and a disturbed area where our contractor has begun digging the footings for a 45-foot section of boardwalk. In spring, before high water, we'll be completing this trail reroute and closing and reclaiming portions of the flood-prone section of trail that it will replace.

Learn more about these current trail projects click here!

Over $103,000 in New Grants
We are excited to announce that we have been awarded three grants totaling over $103,000 for our Trails Program. The Gallatin Resource Advisory Committee and the National Forest Foundation awarded GVLT grants for stream restoration and other improvements at the Sourdough Canyon Trailhead. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Recreational Trails Program approved a grant for trail maintenance and improvement projects. Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting work! 

Trail Maps
GVLT's new website includes a trail maps page where you can view or download PDF maps of Chestnut Mountain, Drinking Horse Mountain, the new Highland East Nordic ski trails, the Snowfill, and the Story Hills as well as our 2007 Main Street to the Mountains trail map.  We plan to add additional maps in the future.

In 2011, we will be publishing a new updated Main Street to the Mountains trail map.  If there are features you would like us to include in the new map, please email your ideas to GVLT Community Trails Planner Ted Lange.