Is Accreditation Right for Your Organization?
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Applicants for accreditation must demonstrate compliance with all of the accreditation indicator practices.
Use the following checklist as a guide to see if your organization is eligible and ready to apply for accreditation at this time.
Are the following statements true for your land trust?
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We are committed to continuous improvement and building a strong land trust.
- We are committed to the long-term stewardship of land and/or conservation easements.
- We are committed to upholding the credibility of the land trust community.
Is your oganization eligible?
- Is your land trust a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization?
- Has it been incorporated for at least two years?
- Is your organization focused on acquiring and/or stewarding conservation land or conservation easements?
- Have you completed two direct land or easement acquisition projects? (In a direct land or
easement acquisition project the applicant organization
is included in the chain of title on a fee parcel or is the grantee of a conservation easement.)
If your land trust does not meet these criteria, it is not eligible for accreditation at this time.
Does your organization adhere to best practices?
If your land trust has not adopted Land Trusts Standards and Practices or done an assessment, please visit the Land Trust Alliance for information. These are required for accreditation.
Do you think your organization is ready to apply?
- Are you implementing the indicator practices ?
Accredited land trusts must carry out each of the accreditation indicator practices. Conducting an assessment against Land Trust Standards and Practices is a helpful way to evaluate implementation and plan accordingly. Reviewing the application for accreditation is also a good way to assess implementation.
- Do you have the necessary documentation?
Accreditation applications must provide evidence that the land trust is carrying out each of the indicator practices. If your organization recently adopted new policies, your application must include evidence that the policies are being implemented. The Commission will also look at the paper trail for land projects to see if transactions are screened against criteria and are carefully planned and to determine if stewardship obligations are met.
- Can you show how your organization approves land transactions?
Do you have evidence of how land transactions are approved in your organization? Can you provide the information your board receives before it makes a decision to acquire land or conservation easements? If a committee of the board or another entity makes the decision, can you show what authority was delegated, the information provided to the decision-makers and the information provided to full board?
- If you hold conservation easements, do you have baseline documentation (or current condition) reports for all and do you monitor them annually?
Applicants must have baseline documentation reports for every conservation easement they hold. They must demonstrate a pattern of monitoring each easement annually. If this is a new practice, the Commission will look for a minimum of two consecutive years of annual monitoring records to show compliance.
- If you own land in fee, do you have management plans or written guidance for each property and do you inspect your properties regularly?
Applicants must have written management plans or written guidance for each property they hold in fee. They must be able to show that these properties are inspected regularly – on a schedule that is appropriate for the use of the property and resources protected.
Is this the right time?
- Do you have a team of people who can make the time to complete the application? (Applicant teams in the pilot program averaged over 200 hours of total volunteer and staff time.
- Can you schedule a time when your land trust is not involved in a complex land transaction or other event or activity for the team to focus on the application?
Test Yourself!
If your land trust is not yet able to answer 'yes' to the questions above or to complete the application for accreditation, visit the Land Trust Alliance for resources and training that may be available to help you prepare for accreditation.
For more information, contact the Commission at 518-587-3143 or info@landtrustaccreditation.org.
updated 8/07
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