New Application Materials Available
If your land trust is thinking about applying for accreditation or just interested in learning more about the program, the new application for accreditation and companion Applicant Handbook are must-reads. These and other application materials were released by the Commission earlier this month. The revised materials reflect the valuable feedback from pilot program participants – and commissioners and staff – gathered throughout the past year.

"The Commission and staff should be applauded for improving the application process after the pilot phase," says Michael Feeney, executive director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, one of the land trusts selected in the 2008 application lottery. "It's now less redundant and more user-friendly."

All the materials are available on our website at: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/getting-accredited/application.

Tip of the Month – Baseline Documentation Reports
Accreditation indicator practice 11B calls for applicants to have a baseline documentation report for every easement it holds. This really does mean every easement! One of the purposes of accreditation is to help ensure the long-term protection of land, and without baseline documentation reports conservation easements may be harder to enforce. If you have older easements that are lacking baselines, be sure to have them completed before you submit an application for accreditation. See the Commission’s Guidance Document on this practice for more information.

Upcoming Events
Accreditation workshops will be held at these upcoming regional land trust conferences. We hope to see you there!

March 27-29: Land Trust Alliance Southeast Land Trust Conference, Montreat, NC
March 29: Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, Worcester, MA
April 4-5: Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference, Malvern, PA
April 5: Connecticut Land Conservation Council Annual Conference, Berlin, CT
April 10-12: Land Trust Alliance Northeast Land Trust Conference, West Point, NY