Solutions
The Working Lands Coalition supports the creation of state financial incentives to owners of forest and agricultural lands who agree not to develop places important for fish and wildlife. We believe such incentives should:
● Help traditional land-rich, cash-poor producers stay on the land;
● Provide a financially meaningful incentive to individual landowners while controlling the impact
on the state budget;
● Focus on lands that provide important benefits for fish and wildlife;
● Provide for effective state oversight to ensure responsible use of the incentives.
A public dialogue continues about how Idaho can maintain its rural heritage and wildlife for future generations. Last legislative session (2008), we supported a tax credit for working lands conservation. We recognize that the State’s current fiscal situation means that the 2009 session is not the right time to renew our proposal.
The conversion of working lands is a long-term issue for Idaho’s economic development. We do intend to bring forth facts, personal perspectives, and ideas for consideration by the Idaho Legislature. To work towards this objective, the Coalition sponsored HCR 18, a resolution that requests the Natural Resources Interim Committee to gather information about Idaho’s private working forests, ranches and farms lands and report their findings to the 2010 session of the Legislature.
The Coalition’s monthly newsletter, The State of Working Lands, includes updates on the status of the bill and the activities of the Interim Committee.
Working Lands annual strategic plan – Read more>>
