Submitted by The Nisqually Land Trust
The Nisqually Land Trust announced today that after an extensive two- year evaluation it has been awarded national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, a mark of conservation excellence achieved so far by fewer than 15 percent of land trusts nationwide. “Accreditation demonstrates the quality of our commitment to permanent land conservation,” said Land Trust President JW Foster. “It’s a rigorous process, and we’re a stronger organization today for having gone through it.”
“Through accreditation, land trusts conduct important planning and make their operations more efficient and strategic,” said Tammara Van Ryn, executive director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. “Accredited organizations have engaged and trained citizen conservation leaders and improved systems for ensuring that their conservation work is permanent.”
“Land trusts are gaining higher profiles with their work on behalf of citizens, and the seal of accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission is a way to prove to their communities that land trusts are worthy of the significant public and private investment in land conservation,” noted Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth.
The Nisqually Land Trust, founded in 1989, has permanently protected over 4,500 acres of important wildlife habitat in the Nisqually River Watershed, which runs from Mount Rainier National Park to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. The right to display the accreditation seal indicates that the Land Trust meets national standards for excellence, upholds the public trust and ensures that its conservation efforts are permanent.
Conserving land helps protect clean air and drinking water, food security, scenic landscapes, recreational sites, and habitat for the diversity of life on earth. Across the country, local citizens and communities have come together to form land trusts to save the places they love. Community leaders in land trusts throughout the country have worked with willing landowners to save over 47 million acres of farms, forests, parks and places people care about. Strong, well-managed land trusts provide local communities with effective champions and caretakers of their critical land resources and safeguard the land through the generations.
“We’re honored to display the accreditation seal,” said Land Trust Executive Director Joe Kane. “Accreditation is an achievement our entire organization — including our members, volunteers, business supporters, and funding and project partners — can be very proud of.”
About The Nisqually Land Trust
The mission of the Nisqually Land Trust is to permanently protect the water, wildlife, natural areas, and scenic vistas of the Nisqually River Watershed. The Land Trust, in collaboration with watershed communities and key partners, has protected over 4,500 acres, from Mount Rainier National Park to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. For more information, contact us at 360.489.3400 or visit our website.
About The Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. More information is available on the Commission’s website.
About The Land Trust Alliance
The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. It works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats. The Alliance publishes Land Trust Standards and Practices and provides financial and administrative support to the Commission. It has established an endowment to help ensure the success of the accreditation program and keep it affordable for land trusts of all sizes to participate in accreditation. More information can be found here.
