CMLC first in North Carolina to earn National Accreditation
Awarded by the Land Trust Accreditation CommissionCarolina Mountain Land Conservancy is the first land-trust organization in the state of North Carolina to earn an accreditation award from The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.
The Land Trust Alliance National Headquarters announced on September 20, 2008 that Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy has been awarded accredited status, one of the first thirty-nine land trusts in the country to be honored. There are over 1,700 local land trusts nationally.
An excited Bob Wald, president of CMLC board of trustees said "Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy’s accredited status demonstrates our commitment to permanent land conservation. Our local land trust is a stronger organization today having gone through the rigorous accreditation program.” CMLC Executive Director, Kieran Roe said, “All the work by staff and volunteers was worth the time and effort. Being the first North Carolina land-trust organization to earn this award makes it all the more valuable. I am extremely proud of our accomplishment.”
“Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization and the systems and policies it uses to protect land.”
Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy was founded in 1994 as an all-volunteer organization. It is today a bustling office with a qualified staff of eleven working in land protection, stewardship and membership services. The land trust has worked with conservation-minded landowners to complete seventy-five projects, has protected over 17,700 acres of farm, forest and is among the most successful local land trusts in the state. Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy is the only land trust in the state to be awarded national accreditation to date.
Why is This Important to You?
Conserving land helps ensure clean air and drinking water, food security, scenic landscapes and views, recreational places, and habitat for the diversity of life on earth. According to the Land Trust Alliance, community leaders in land trusts across the country have worked with willing landowners to save over 37 million acres of farms, forests, parks and places people care about. Land is America’s most important and valuable resource.
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. The Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance established in 2006, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy was among the first in the country to reach this professional honor. Your local land trust is truly a best practices organization that you can trust with your donations, support and endorsement.
Across the country, local citizens and communities have come together to form land trusts to save the places they love. Strong, well-managed land trusts, like Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, provide communities with effective champions and caretakers of critical land resources.
