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Page 4 farmland preservation report news briefs Land Trust Alliance announces move to appoint accreditation commission WASHINGTON, DC - The Land Trust Alliance Board of Directors announced this month it will appoint in February a commission made up of diverse land trust professionals that will establish procedures for accreditation of the nation's land trusts. The commission will work on procedural matters in 2006, test its product with an initial round of applicants in 2007, and begin full accrediting in 2008. The commission will operate independently and will be a subsidiary of LTA and incorporated as a 509(a)(3) organization. There will be "a firewall of confidentiality" between the two entities. "The commission will be responsible for ensuring the highest level of accountability for the accreditation program and operating a system that is fair, consistent and responsive to participant needs," stated a letter from the LTA board. Cost of accreditation, according to LTA, will., . likely range from about $2000 to $4000 for LTA members, and the accreditation term will be five years. Beginning next spring, LTA will offer training, developed from the organization's recently published standards and practices. The first course to be offered in a web -based training format will focus on ethics and conflicts of interest. Loudoun County without PDR relies on tax incentives, new farm enterprises LEESBURG� VA - That it ever had a purchase of development rights program may be a distant memory in years to come, but Loudoun County, while discon- tinuing its farmland preservation program last year, kept its rural economic development plan intact, and its agricultural development officer Louis Nichols on the job. "We're all disappointed we don't have a PDR program," Nichols said. But limited funding dimmed prospects for its success, he said. Without PDR, Loudoun has to rely on landowners staying in the state Agricultural and Forestal District Program, which protects 60,000 acres in 25 districts October 2005 throughout the county. Properties of less than 20 acres must demonstrate the property is being used for some kind of production, "and we are offering counseling on what to do," Nichols said. Nichols is also working with the soil conservation district "to come up with a natural resource plan, even for wildlife, so then the rule would be, if it's under 20 acres you have to have a plan." The county offers, as a bump -up from use -value assessment, a 50 percent property tax deferral of five to 10 years and a 99 percent deferral for 10 to 20 years in return for development restrictions. Nichols' day to day work is designed to keep the county's ag production -- including activities on the 3,000 -plus acres preserved through PDR -- moving forward and in many cases transitioning to higher value products. .Loudoun is part of the Blue Ridge Rural Innova- tion Forum, along with Clark, Fauquier, and Frederick Counties in Virginia, and Jefferson County, WV. The group focuses on the latest technologies for starting or improving ag enterprises. Some winners, some losers in county actions under Ca. Williamson Act SACRAMENTO, CA - While one county is moving to end agricultural use -value tax breaks for certain recipients under California's Williamson Act, another county is looking to attract new applicants following an amendment to the act signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger Oct. 6. Santa Clara County is cracking down on Williamson Act abuses, and as many as 1,000 prop- erty owners could lose their tax breaks. County officials identified 279 prime land Williamson Act parcels below the 10 -acre minimum, and 893 non- prime properties under 40 acres. Many of the undersized properties have become home sites and have no agricultural use. According to the state Department of Conservation, which administers the Williamson Act, the number of suspected violations in Santa Clara is "significant," and the county is taking appropriate measures. Meanwhile, Santa Cruz County is gearing up to be among the first counties to offer Williamson Act tax breaks to greenhouse and nursery operations, now qualifying under an amendment to the law. About 2,000 acres will be newly eligible.