Derrick P. Fellows, Author at Preserving for Tomorrow

VOF Increases Conservation Easement Fees, Financial Aid

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) has decided to begin imposing fees on all donations of conservation easements, effective January 1, 2016. This decision was made during VOF’s quarterly Board of Trustees meeting held on June 25, 2015. The official announcement of the decision was posted to VOF’s website in a blog post dated July 2, 2015. Let’s walk through the announcement and see how land preservation in Virginia might be affected. Continue reading VOF Increases Conservation Easement Fees, Financial Aid

Steaming Through the Past

On Saturday, June 13, 2015, many people between Lynchburg and Petersburg beheld what many of them had not seen in decades, if ever: a coal-fired steam engine rumbling down the tracks. Specifically, the old Norfolk & Western No. 611, a “J” class locomotive originally built in 1950. Continue reading Steaming Through the Past

Google Earth Pro Is Now Free—But Why?

Google announced earlier this year that it will now be offering Google Earth Pro for free. Google Earth Pro had previously required an annual subscription fee of several hundred dollars, and I have my doubts as to what the elimination of a paid subscription tier means for the future of Google Earth. But, first, let’s explore why this announcement is relevant to land preservation. Continue reading Google Earth Pro Is Now Free—But Why?

To Seek a Thousand Treasures

I have written several times about Governor Terry McAuliffe’s goal of preserving 400,000 acres during his term. (See here and here.) This goal has been quite tentative, to say the least, during the past year or so. But now we finally have a definite answer as to Governor McAuliffe’s conservation goal for his term:

Instead of preserving 400,000 acres, he wants to preserve 1,000 treasures.

Let’s take a look together at the new initiative and how it might impact conservation efforts in Virginia. Continue reading To Seek a Thousand Treasures

First Circuit Decides Kaufman V, Rules Against Landowners in Easement Valuation Dispute

In an opinion dated Friday, April 24, 2015, the First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against Gordon and Lorna Kaufman in their long-running easement fight with the IRS. In its published opinion (which you can read here), the First Circuit held that the Kaufmans could properly be assessed a 40% penalty for claiming $220,800 in charitable deductions for the donation of a façade easement that was later shown to be valueless. Let’s walk through the Kaufman case together and discover how it might be relevant to those wishing to donate conservation easements in Virginia. Continue reading First Circuit Decides Kaufman V, Rules Against Landowners in Easement Valuation Dispute