Local Mountain Preservation Group Recognized, WHKP 1450 AM Radio Henderson (NC), October 2008

Awarded by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission

(HENDERSONVILLE, NC) - Carolina 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 20th
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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy helps landowners protect local land and
water resources vital to our natural heritage and quality of life. As a
local nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the places you love, CMLC
is helping to create a regional network of more than 17,700 acres of
protected farm, forest, park and natural lands. To become a member or learn
about other ways to support CMLC, visit www.carolinamountain.org or call
697-5777.