The Trustees of Reservations Applies for National Land Trust Accreditation Renewal

We are excited to announce that The Trustees of Reservations is applying for renewal of its 2010 national Land Trust Accreditation award!  The Trustees is currently one of eleven Accredited land trusts in Massachusetts and 301 nationwide (click for list of accredited land trusts).  Accreditation renewal will provide independent confirmation of the soundness of the practices of The Trustees of Reservations and its supporting organizations.  Land Trust Accreditation must be renewed every five years, during which time the Accredited organization operates under Land Trust Standards and Practices, and works to accomplish any Expectations for Improvement for the organization set by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. 

 

You may have noticed the silence of this blog since last June!  Our Land Conservation and Conservation Restriction program staff have been hard at work ensuring that we complete conservation projects under the Land Trust Standards and best practices, and updating our baseline documentation reports (BDRs) - the required documentation of conservation values and property conditions for CR properties - for nearly 300 of our 390 CRs across the state.  These updates ensure that every BDR meets the current Accreditation standards.  Updating BDRs was among the single largest tasks necessary for The Trustees' Accreditation renewal over the past five years!  If you are a CR landowner, you likely received an updated BDR thanks to the tireless work of our staff.  With this herculean task nearly behind us, we hope our readership is excited for more news from out "On the Land" in 2015. 

2014 CR Program staff- L to R, Justina Smith (former BDR Assistant), Sally Naser (CR Program Manager), Jennifer Garrett (BDR Specialist), Andrew Bentley (CR Stewardship Specialist).  Not pictured: Sandy Lower (CR Program Assistant), Dani Christopher (former BDR assistant)

The following is the official press release regarding our Accreditation application.  
 

The Trustees of Reservations Applies for National Accreditation Renewal

Boston, MA – March 5, 2015 – The Trustees of Reservations, the nation’s oldest statewide land trust and one of Massachusetts’ largest conservation nonprofits, today announced that the organization is applying for accreditation renewal through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.  The Accreditation Commission accredits land conservation organizations that meet specified standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Trustees of Reservations was originally awarded accreditation in 2010 and is now applying for the renewal of that accreditation. The Trustees of Reservations’ supporting organizations, including the Massachusetts Land Conservation Trust and the Boston Natural Areas Network, will also be applying for accreditation concurrently.  A public comment period is now open for those who wish to contribute.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. Since its founding in 1891 by open space visionary Charles Eliot, The Trustees of Reservations has served as a leader in the conservation community, striving to set the highest standards of ethics and performance in its ongoing care and maintenance of 113 reservations located on more than 26,000 acres across Massachusetts. Accreditation renewal will provide independent confirmation of the soundness of the practices of The Trustees of Reservations and its supporting organizations.

The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how The Trustees of Reservations, the Massachusetts Land Conservation Trust, or the Boston Natural Areas Network, comply with certain of LTA’s Standards and Practices. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see www.landtrustaccreditation.org/tips-and-tools/indicator-practices

To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment on The Trustees of Reservations, the Massachusetts Land Conservation Trust, or the Boston Natural Areas Network, please visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org. Comments may also be faxed or mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission; Attn: Public Comments: (fax) 518-587-3183; (mail) 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Comments on will be most useful if received by April 24^th, 2015.

The Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees “hold in trust” and care for properties, or “reservations,” of irreplaceable scenic, historic, and natural significance for the general public to enjoy. Founded by open space visionary Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees is the world’s oldest land trust and one of Massachusetts’ largest conservation and preservation non profits. Supported by more than 100,000 members and donors and thousands of volunteers, The Trustees own and manage 113 spectacular reservations – from working farms, historic homesteads, and landscaped gardens, to community parks, barrier beaches, mountain vistas and woodland trials -- located on more than 26,000 acres throughout the Commonwealth.

A leader in the conservation movement, The Trustees has both served as a model for other land trusts, nationally and internationally, and worked with hundreds of community partners to preserve open land and the character of local communities statewide.  In addition to managing and caring for its own holdings, The Trustees also holds perpetual conservation restrictions on more than 20,000 acres—a total larger than any other conservation organization in Massachusetts—permanently protecting scenic and natural areas from development, and has worked with communities and other conservation partners to assist in the protection of another 24,000 acres around the state. 

With hundreds of outreach programs, workshops, camps, concerts and events annually designed to engage all ages in its mission, The Trustees invites you to Find Your Place and get out and experience the natural beauty and culture our state has to offer. For more information, visit: www.thetrustees.org.