Chadds Ford, PA October 30, 2008 Standing on the pastoral property of the Riegel family, forever preserved from development due to a conservation easement, Senator Thomas R. Carper pledged to continue to champion legislation that will help families conserve their lands for future generations.

As a supporter of the Farm Bill (Senate Bill 469), passed earlier this year, Senator Carper helped ensure that important tax incentives for donations of conservation easements were renewed. Each year, farmers and other private landowners use this important conservation tool to permanently protect more than a million acres across the nation.

Today, the Brandywine Conservancy recognized Senator Carper for his leadership in supporting the tax incentives for conservation easements. John Field, treasurer of the Conservancy's Board of Trustees, and Sherri Evans-Stanton, director of the Conservancy's Environmental Management Center, presented Senator Carper with an award on behalf of America's land trusts and the conservation community.

The Riegel property totals nearly 25 acres and consists mostly of open fields, two wooded copses, and the headwater spring to an unnamed first-order tributary to the Brandywine River. It offers the public extensive scenic views from Thompson's Bridge Road and Brandywine Creek State Park. A great public benefit of such open spaces is the preservation of water quality and supplies.

The Riegel family was able to protect its land from development thanks to a 2006 tax incentive that has helped thousands of farmers, ranchers and other landowners to conserve their land. Voluntary conservation easements are used to permanently protect working farms as well as natural resources. The conservation easement was granted to the Brandywine Conservancy.

"This legislation has been critical in encouraging landowners to donate conservation easements resulting in the permanent protection and conservation of natural, cultural, agricultural and scenic resources. Over 98% of the conservation easements held by the Brandywine Conservancy have been donated by landowners" said Field. "Unless Congress acts, it will expire at the end of 2009, so we're counting on Senator Carper to co-sponsor legislation to make it

permanent." The incentive, which applies to a landowner's federal income tax:

• 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.