Pre-applications from the first round of 2008 applicants drawn from the lottery arrived at the Land Trust Accreditation Commission’s office in February, with complete applications arriving this week. The Commission is now accepting comments from the public on the following applicants for accreditation:

Aspen Valley Land Trust (CO)

Athens Land Trust (GA)

California Open Lands (CA)

Chikaming Open Lands (MI)

Conservation Trust for Florida (FL)

Countryside Conservancy (PA)

Estes Valley Land Trust (CO)

Freshwater Land Trust (AL)

Gallatin Valley Land Trust (MT)

Hudson Highlands Land Trust (NY)

Lancaster Farmland Trust (PA)

Land Trust of Virginia (VA)

Northern Prairies Land Trust (NE, SD)

Placer Land Trust (CA)

Scenic Hudson and The Scenic Hudson Land Trust (NY)

Tecumseh Land Preservation Association (OH)

For more information and guidelines on public comments, see the Applicant Handbook or visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org/current-applicants/action-public-comment.

Commissioner and Staff Update

The Land Trust Alliance Board of Directors recently voted to expand the size of the Commission by two to help create a more manageable workload for commissioners. We are pleased to announce the election of Kathy Treanor as a new commissioner. Kathy is the founder and senior advisor for the Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) in Greensboro NC. She also served as PLC's first president and executive director. Kathy was part of the original group of individuals that applied to be on the Commission in 2005. The Commission will announce details this summer on the application process for those interested in serving as commissioners as future seats become available.

“I am thrilled to serve with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission,” says Kathy. “Achieving excellence, trust and permanence will ensure sustainability for land trust efforts across the nation.”

There have also been some exciting staff changes at the Commission. Jennifer Brady-Connor joined the Commission in March 2008 as the new program coordinator. Jennifer has worked for the Land Trust Alliance and Saratoga Land Conservancy (now Saratoga P.L.A.N.) and has managed her own business. She served as board chair of the New York State Wetlands Forum and has held other volunteer leadership positions within the conservation community. Commissioners and staff welcome Kathy and Jennifer to the accreditation team. Read more about them on our website at: www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about-the-commission.

Laura DiBetta moved into the program manager position after two years as program coordinator. In this new capacity, Laura will take on a larger role in the coordination and review of applications while continuing to manage Commission communications.

Tip of the Month

The Land Trust Alliance and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission announced the elimination of five indicator practices last fall to avoid redundancy, including practice 2D. Records Policy. Some organizations have asked if that means a records policy is still required as part of accreditation. The answer is – yes! Practice 9G. Recordkeeping requires a records policy pursuant to 2D. Asking for the policy as documentation for 9G reduces redundancy. For more information on recordkeeping, visit The Learning Center at http://learningcenter.lta.org, the Alliance’s new online resource.

Upcoming Events

Commissioners and staff presented at many of the regional land trust conferences this spring. There are a few more accreditation workshops lined up at these upcoming conferences. We hope to see you there!

May 1-3 Northwest Land Trust Conference, Winthrop, WA

May 2-3 Maine Land Trust Conference, Brunswick, ME

May 15-17 Southwest Land Trust Conference, Park City, UT

June 11-13 Virginia United Land Trust Conference, Staunton, VA

For a full list of upcoming events, see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/home/32-newsflash/136-accreditation-at-upcoming-conferences.