In spring of 2021, the Commission released an updated version of the Requirements Manual and a document outlining the changes. This month we will look at the difference in formatting and how these changes can help with clarification questions.
Structure
The 2021 Manual now contains links to the educational materials, background narratives, and courses related to each indicator element that are available on The Learning Center. When designing the 2018 Manual, the Commission decided to reduce the amount of explanation about requirements in the Manual and instead included that information in the background narratives. This gives land trusts access to more complete and in-depth information. See page 10 of the Requirements Manual for more information.
The 2021 Manual no longer includes the list of the documents provided in the main accreditation application. Now that the reference version of the complete application is available on the Commission's website, the 2021 Manual includes a link (see page 5 of Requirements Manual) to these accreditation application documents to ensure land trusts are using the most current versions. The online accreditation application includes pre-application materials, targeted verification documents, application questions, application documents, and documentation from land and easement projects.
Bold vs. Non-Bold Labels
The bold/non-bold labeling was implemented in the 2018 Manual to help land trusts understand how the Commission views individual requirements and to reflect that, while all are important, not all requirements carry the same level of risk (see page 6 of the Requirements Manual).
To ensure this feature of the Manual was helpful, a question was included in the fall comment period. Most respondents indicated that the bold/non-bold distinction helped them better understand the requirements and how the Commission uses the requirements. As a result, the 2021 Manual continues to use the bold/non-bold labeling, but the category of some requirements was changed to better reflect risk and the way the Commission addresses compliance. The redline version of the Manual shows the changes in the categories. Note: in the redline version of the the requirements highlighted in yellow were changed; the previously bold became non-bold and vice versa.
If you have questions about any of the changes, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Click here to see the entire Summary of Changes and to download the Requirements Manual.
