20-Year-Old Organization Among Just 10% of Land Trusts Nationwide to Achieve This Distinction
October 2012 – The Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) — which conserves lands and waters in Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Park Counties — has achieved land trust accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
By earning this coveted accreditation, MALT joins just 180 of the nation’s 1,723 land trusts to be awarded this important seal of approval since 2006, when the Land Trust Accreditation Commission was established as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.
Accredited land trusts are able to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet tough national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. Accreditation is a mark of distinction in land conservation.
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission, established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, is governed by a volunteer Board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. More information on the accreditation program is available on the Commission’s website, landtrustaccreditation.org.
The Land Trust Alliance, of which MALT is a member, 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. 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the Alliance. More information can be found at landtrustalliance.org.