Monthly Update

When you reconnect with friends and family in this season of celebration, we hope you have time to enjoy the out of doors. As the year comes to an end, the Frontera Board of Directors wants to thank you for your commitment and support. Without you, the local business community and the various charitable foundations we simply would not be here, hard at work to improve the region’s quality of life through water, wildlife and land conservation.

In 2013, Frontera’s diverse land protection efforts spanned the ecological landscape from working on a Land Conservation Inventory Tool and meeting with interested landowners to expanding public outreach and providing education opportunities for families. We had a good reply to the first-ever request to the Resler Canyon Endowment Fund and will continue to build on this fund until we reach our goal of $50,000. The 2013 Business Sponsors enabled Frontera to host another successful Conservation Workshop and several clean-up days at Resler Canyon and Thunder Canyon; see http://fronteralandalliance.org/site/ for more information about all these activities and to read our December 2013 newsletter.

But what we really want to share with you is what we have in store for 2014!

Thanks to the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation and to the Shield-Ayres Foundation we are able to keep you better informed of our efforts for conservation and restoration in the region, update our website, work on habitat restoration and offer an expert staff to assist landowners in deciding how best to conserve their lands. Frontera is also working to restore a section of Resler Canyon by removing non-native and exotic trees and reducing the erosion in the northern part of the arroyo. On Saturday, November 1, 2014 Frontera will be celebrating its 10^th year as an organization with an event in Thunder Canyon, the conservation easement held by Frontera on City-of-El-Paso property. We hope to see everyone there. In the meantime we continue our efforts to conserve Castner Range and other habitat restoration work, all in an urban setting.

Other News Around the Nation & Region

TxDOT needs to hear from users of the Franklin Mountains State Park. TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) proposes a wildlife, hike and bicycle corridor in an underpass at the entrance to the Tom Mays section of Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP). The underpass will mitigate the fragmentation caused by the widening of Transmountain and creates connectivity for wildlife, hikers, and bicyclists between the north and south portions of FMSP on the west side of the Park. In order to ensure the necessary funding TxDOT needs to hear from park users. The deadline for comments is 10 Jan 2014. Please send your comments to Project Manager Tony Uribe at ELP-FMSParkEntrance@txdot.gov or mail Blanton & Associates Attn: Connectivity at the Franklin Mountains State Park 5 Lakeway Centre Court, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78734.

Did you know the Enhanced Incentive for Conservation Easements Expires December 31!

A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement that restricts the use or development of land, to ensure that the land remains open, protected in its natural state, or in productive agriculture for generations to come. Landowners can take a charitable deduction on their income taxes for the value of a conservation easement donation. There are potential estate tax benefits as well.

The Enhanced Incentive for Conservation Easements is set to expire on December 31^st, 2013. This incentive increases the amount of the deduction a landowner can take from a donated conservation easement and also increases the number of years over which a landowner can take the deduction. If you are interested in possibly donating a conservation easement on your land, contact The Frontera Land Alliance for more information (915-351-8352)

Interested in joining a hiking group? Check out these local sites:

Jornada Hiking & Outdoors Club, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Meet-up Group,

El Paso Hiking Group, Las Cruces Running Group, Geobetty.com

New Conservation Easement Court Decision, GLW Ventures vs. USDA:

http://tinyurl.com/m3xq2md

Conservation Easements: Appraisals don’t have to be Tidy to be Qualified | Bloomberg BNA: http://www.bna.com/conservation-easements-appraisals-b17179877371/

In Texas, Fight Over Water Spills Underground

http://EverythingLubbock.com: http://www.everythinglubbock.com/story/in-texas-fight-over-water-spills-underground/d/story/E5uFzs81O0WboN5Nx2CNcg#.UjhfoXVsDhE.twitter

A Land Trust Merger in Colorado:

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24074517/colorado-open-lands-colorado-conservation-trust-merge-into

New Conservation Easement Court Decision, Stockport Mountain vs. Norcross Wildlife Fndn:

http://preservationlawdigest.com/2013/09/11/stockport-mountain-corporation-llc-v-norcross-wildlife-foundation-inc/

Still looking for the perfect gift for a loved one? Please consider making a donation, in their name, to The Frontera land Alliance at http://fronteralandalliance.org/site/how-to-help/donate.

Finally, if you are looking for a way to make a difference in your very own backyard and regardless how much time and experience you’re able to give, give Janaé a call and see how you can help.

Sincerely,
The Frontera Land Alliance Board of Directors
Mike Gaglio, President
Scott Cutler, Vice President
Charlie Wakeem, Treasurer
Eileen Karlsruher, Secretary
Doug Echlin
John Moses
Scott Winton