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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2007
CONTACT: Ryan Owens
(603) 357-0600
MONADNOCK CONSERVANCY SELECTED TO TEST NATIONAL ACCREDITATION PROGRAM
Twenty-two land trusts participate in pilot program
(KEENE) The Conservancy has been selected as one of 22 land trusts from around the country to test a new national program of accreditation for land trusts. After this pilot, the program will ultimately be available to more than 1,600 land trusts across the nation. At that point, land trusts will join the ranks of universities, hospitals, and museums in obtaining independent verification for the high standards of their work.
“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,” said Tammara Van Ryn, executive director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, a new independent program of the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). “We are extremely grateful to the Monadnock Conservancy and the other land trusts that volunteered to be part of the pilot.”
In 1997 the Conservancy formally adopted the LTA’s “Standards and Practices,” a set of 88 conventions considered to be the hallmarks of a well-run land trust. Since that time staff and trustees have continually assessed the Conservancy against these standards in an ongoing effort to build a stronger and more effective organization.
For the accreditation pilot, staff and trustees will assemble a comprehensive application package of policy statements, descriptions of procedures, and examples of actual project files. Collectively, these documents will demonstrate compliance with the 42 “indicator” practices chosen by the Accreditation Commission as the best measures of a top-notch land trust. The Conservancy sees this process as not only an opportunity to demonstrate and refine our own high standards, but also as a chance to help build a program that will benefit the entire land trust community. Application review will continue through 2007, and final decisions are expected in early 2008.
For more information about the Conservancy's application, contact Ryan Owens at 603-357-0600. For information about the Accreditation Program and a complete list of participants, visit the Land Trust Alliance website at www.lta.org.
Founded in 1989, the Monadnock Conservancy is a non-profit land conservation organization that serves 35 towns in southwestern New Hampshire. Its mission is to identify, promote, and actively seek protection of significant natural, aesthetic, and historic resources in the Monadnock Region; and to monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the trust.
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