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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 25, 2008
CONTACT: Ryan Owens, (603) 357-0600
MONADNOCK CONSERVANCY
EARNS ACCREDITATION
Regional land trust is one 39 nationally
( KEENE)—The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, announced on September 19th that the Monadnock Conservancy has been awarded accredited status, one of 39 such organizations in the inaugural round of applicants and the first in New Hampshire.
“Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization and the systems and policies it uses to protect land.”
Accredited land trusts were formally recognized at Rally, The National Land Conservation Conference, which was held in Pittsburgh. Rally, hosted by The Land Trust Alliance, is the largest annual gathering of land conservationists in the country.
Approximately 1,700 land trusts nationwide protect an estimated 37 million acres of farm and ranch land, forests, wetlands, and recreational lands. Strong, well-managed land trusts provide local communities with effective champions of their critical natural resources and safeguard the land in perpetuity.
“The public most often hears about land conservation solely in terms of acres protected, yet little is revealed about the institutions behind those protections,” said Ryan Owens, executive director of the Keene-based Monadnock Conservancy. “Our accredited status provides impartial verification that the nearly 12,000 acres in our care are backed by a professional, ethical, and financially sound organization.”
Founded in 1989, the Monadnock Conservancy is a nonprofit, member-supported land trust serving the 35 towns of the Monadnock Region. With nearly 12,000 acres already under protection across 155 properties, it seeks to conserve significant wildlife habitats, wetlands, farms, working forests, and public recreation corridors. Its primary conservation tool, the conservation easement, keeps land in private ownership while permanently restricting certain intensive land uses. Conservation easement transactions are entirely voluntary, and conserved land remains on property tax rolls.
Applicants to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission must complete a rigorous 55-page application and submit hundred of pages of files and other documentation to demonstrate adherence to 37 professional standards. Accredited land trusts are 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 seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.
“Having completed the accreditation process, we are a much more effective and efficient organization, yet the collective strength of the entire land trust community is our greatest asset,” said Owens. “We wish the best of luck to the many other New Hampshire organizations that have applied or will soon apply to the program.”
For more information, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or call (603) 357-0600.
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