The Trustees of Reservations Applies for National Accreditation Renewal
Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 04, 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 http://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 http://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 24th, 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 112 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: http://www.thetrustees.org.
Contact: Allison Pekel, Project Manager | 617-904-7756 | apekel(at)ttor(dot)org
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Kristi Perry, Trustees of Reservations, http://www.thetrustees.org, +1 781.784.0567 Ext: 7503, [email protected]
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