PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                             
February 22, 2007

For more information, contact:
Laura DiBetta, 518-587-3143, ext. 208

Twenty-two Land Conservation Organizations Selected
for National Accreditation Pilot Program

(Saratoga Springs, NY) – Twenty-two land conservation organizations from 19 states have been selected to test a new national accreditation program. The new land trust accreditation program will recognize land conservation organizations, also known as land trusts, that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever.

“We are extremely grateful to the land trusts that volunteered to demonstrate publicly their commitment to high standards and to serve the land conservation community and the American public by shaping this new program,” said Tammara Van Ryn, executive director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

The Commission is an independent program of the national Land Trust Alliance and was created in 2006 to operate the new accreditation program.  “In an era when the public is demanding accountability from government and nonprofit organizations, independent land trust accreditation will help provide the assurance of quality and permanence of land conservation the public is looking for,” Van Ryn said.

The accreditation program will be tested in 2007 and will be available to interested organizations starting in 2008.  At that time, land trusts can join the ranks of other nonprofit organizations that gain professional recognition through accreditation, such as museums, zoos, aquariums, colleges and hospitals.  Accredited land trusts will be able to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. 

The Monadnock Conservancy, located in Keene, New Hampshire, is one of the land trusts participating in the pilot program.  “The Monadnock Conservancy has long been a supporter of the Land Trust Alliance’s efforts to build the collective strength of the land trust community,” said Monadnock Conservancy Executive Director Richard Ober.  “Today, we can think of no better way to bolster and improve the great work we all do than to develop a rigorous and meaningful program of accreditation. We are pleased to be part of the pilot program.”

The Monadnock Conservancy and the other 21 land trusts in the pilot program are just a few of the more than 1,660 land trusts across the country.  These community-based conservation organizations have conserved more than 11.9 million acres of land – an area twice the size of New Hampshire.

Organizations volunteered to be part of the pilot program.  The Commission selected groups from the volunteers to make sure that the tests include a diversity of land trust sizes, geographic locations and types of land protected.

Jane Prohaska, president and executive director of the Minnesota Land Trust, explained their reasons for volunteering to be in the pilot program. “Being a pilot organization will help us assess and improve our own operations, allow us to help our colleagues throughout the region, and be a part of constructing an effective program that will improve overall conservation efforts in America.”

For the full list of participants and more information on the pilot program, please visit www.lta.org/accreditation/pilot.htm.