PROTECT THE LAND AND WATER YOU LOVE, FOREVER!
JUNE MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
“We have all seen great changes in the landscapes we have lived in. Some of those changes may have been benign, or maybe even positive. Other changes have occurred so slowly that we have not noticed them as they were occurring. Some changes, like the construction of a new freeway, or of a new shopping mall, can create dramatic impacts almost overnight. In way too many cases we do not appreciate what is lost until it is too late. In the Rio Grande corridor, we still have time to preserve the essential characteristic of these disappearing landscapes. But the longer-term trends are sobering, and irrigated lands have a hard time competing with other types of land and water uses. As a Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust (RGALT) board member, I am delighted to be part of a dynamic team that is making a difference in protecting these disappearing landscapes that contribute to the health, environmental wellbeing, and welfare of the entire community.”
~John Leeper, RGALT Board Treasurer
This month we have launched our annual membership drive.
We are asking you to join us in making a difference right here at home.
Your support will help us protect the disappearing landscapes that benefit the community.
RGALT depends on members’ support to accomplish our important mission to protect land and water for people and wildlife in New Mexico, forever.
Share in our vision of the middle Rio Grande communities – urban and rural – a landscape rich with vegetation and wildlife, water in the river and ditches, and thriving farms.
RGALT is committed to community-based conservation in New Mexico’s middle Rio Grande. We bring together diverse community partners to protect agricultural land and water for people and wildlife in New Mexico’s most populated and threatened area.
Your membership supports our work with landowners and community members to achieve conservation in New Mexico’s most precious and threatened agricultural landscape.
RGALT’s Membership Drive Goals
Increase Community Support! Please click the ‘Donate’ button below to provide any amount you are able to contribute to help us in protecting agricultural land and water in the middle Rio Grande’s urban and rural communities
Make a One-Time Donation Today here!
FARMS UNDER THREAT: THE STATE OF THE STATES – AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
The American Farmland Trust is pleased to share their new report Farms Under Threat: The State of the States. Farms Under Threat is American Farmland Trust’s multi-year initiative to document the status of and threats to America’s agricultural land while at the same time offering policy solutions to save that land. The State of the States paints a striking picture of the threats facing agriculture and documents the steps every state has taken to protect and retain their agricultural land base for working farms and ranches.
The New Mexico state findings indicate that between 2001-2016, 53,300 acres of agricultural land were converted to urban and highly developed (UHD) land use, and 59,700 acres of agricultural land were converted to low-density residential (LDR) land use. Compared to other states, New Mexico scored among the lowest states for policies and programs that protect agricultural land from development, promote farm viability, and facilitate the transfer of agricultural land. To read the full New Mexico Report, click here.
Along with the report, you also can explore maps and policy findings on their interactive website which has additional resources, such as summaries for each state to highlight the findings from our mapping and policy analyses.
Finally, here is the link to two webinars that took place on May 20th. The first is led by American Farmland Trust’s president John Piotti and features a roundtable discussion about the implications of the findings with NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr and California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross. The second features the report authors and provides a deeper exploration of the findings and policy recommendations.
American Farmland Trust hopes these new resources will be valuable to your work and that you will share widely with your contacts and lists. And please contact American Farmland Trust staff at (800) 370-4879 or online at www.farmlandinfo.org if you have questions or need technical assistance.
RGALT’s Spring/Summer 2020 Print Newsletter is out!
Read the entire newsletter here!
HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE DURING THE PANDEMIC
To encourage more charitable giving in 2020, the CARES Act expanded tax deductions for qualified giving in a few ways. For one, people who take the standard deduction can claim a new “above the line” deduction of up to $300 for qualified cash donations. While not a huge tax benefit to most people, these donations would make a big difference to our organization this year. In addition, people who itemize on Schedule A can potentially claim larger deductions in 2020. We hope, as the legislation intended, that people will take advantage of these new deductions to support local nonprofits like the Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust.
The new charitable giving incentives under the CARES Act will only apply to cash donations, not donations of stock, real estate, or other non-cash types of property. In addition, the contributions must be to pubic charities – not private foundations or donor-advised funds.
Did you know you can support the Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust through shopping on Amazon? Simply go to https://smile.amazon.com and select Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust as the non-profit you want to support. Then, anytime you shop on https://smile.amazon.com, 0.5% of your total purchase will be donated to the Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust! We thank you in advance and happy shopping!
Donate to the Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust with Amazon Smile here!
We protect land and water for people and wildlife in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, forever.