This past Friday, Davidson Lands Conservancy was recognized as a newly accredited land trust at the Accreditation Awards Ceremony held during the 32nd annual Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference, Raleigh, NC, October 17-19. Autumn Rierson Michael, Executive Director, accepted the award on behalf of DLC in recognition of this accreditation achievement.
Rally 2019 is the nation’s largest annual gathering of land conservation professionals, with nearly 1,800 participants from throughout the United States and other countries in attendance. “It was an honor to accept the accreditation award in front of so many pioneers in land conservation who have paved the way for us to preserve land now and for future generations,” said Michael.
According to Tammara Van Ryn, Executive Director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, “There are now 437 accredited land trusts conserving land for their communities in almost every corner of the country.” Land trust accreditation is a mark of distinction, showing that a land trust meets high standards for land conservation. It sends a message to landowners and supporters: “Invest in us. We are a strong, effective organization you can trust to conserve your land forever.”
“Accreditation demonstrates Davidson Lands Conservancy’s commitment to permanently protecting land in our community,” said Michael. “We want to be able to demonstrate to property owners, donors, and members that we are committed to long-term sustainability and good governance as an organization. We are in the business of protecting land forever, and this accreditation helps build confidence in our organization that we can do that.”
Does accreditation increase public confidence in land trusts? “Yes” finds a recent report evaluating the impact of the first 10 years of the accreditation program, published in the Winter 2019 Saving Land journal. From increased stakeholder confidence to higher levels of organizational efficiency and governance, the report states that accreditation helps support land trusts in their mission to conserve land in perpetuity.
About the Davidson Lands Conservancy
The Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC), founded in 2000, is a nonprofit land trust that works with willing landowners to save land in the Davidson, North Carolina area in order to preserve a healthy, natural environment for future generations. DLC works to protect valuable land, educate the public about the benefits of conservation, and advocate on behalf of our ecosystems. For more information, visit www.davidsonlands.org .
About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission inspires excellence, promotes public trust and ensures permanence in the conservation of open lands by recognizing organizations that meet rigorous quality standards and strive for continuous improvement. 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. For more, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents 1,000 member land trusts supported by more than 200,000 volunteers and 4.6 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and operates several regional offices.
The Alliance’s leadership serves the entire land trust community—their work in the nation’s capital represents the policy priorities of land conservationists from every state; their education programs improve and empower land trusts from Maine to Alaska; and their comprehensive vision for the future of land conservation includes new partners, new programs and new priorities. Connect with them online at www.landtrustalliance.org.
