PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Land Trust now is among the 158 land trusts across the United States accredited by a nationwide program.
The land trust received word of its elite status among the 1,700 land trusts in the nation last month after an extensive review of documents and a telephone interview by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, said Gary Colley, a founding board member of the local organization.
“We are very proud of our newly acquired accreditation status,” he said.
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was established in 2008 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.
Colley headed the committee that began working toward applying for accreditation almost as soon as the new program became available.
“The review process required our organization to take a close look at how we function as a land trust,” Colley said.
“The changes we made as a result of that review have strengthened our organization and our ability to continue our important mission of conserving lands that sustain the communities on the Olympic Peninsula,” he added.
Accreditation lets the public know 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, said Tammara Van Ryn, executive director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
“Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever,” Van Ryn said.
David Morris, president of the local Land Trust’s Board of Directors, said the process of obtaining accreditation was demanding but valuable.
“We appreciate the opportunity to benefit from the accreditation commission’s expertise in establishing standards and working with us to achieve them,” he said. “Another benefit is the opportunity to continue working with accreditation professionals who can assist the organization with ongoing improvement.”
Morris said Colley, the committee he heads, and other volunteers and NOLT staff members deserve great appreciation for their work in preparing for accreditation.
“They have contributed to creating a stronger foundation for the land trust to serve the people of our area.”
Since local citizens established NOLT in 1990, the nonprofit organization has protected 74 properties containing 2,511 acres with such special qualities as wildlife habitat, farmland, commercial timberland, clean water and air, scenic vistas, open space and cultural heritage.
Most of those acres are protected through voluntary permanent legal agreements between the Land Trust and property owners, who retain title to their land and can use it, sell it or give it to heirs.
The Land Trust owns 421 acres, which include the 255-acre Elk Creek Conservation Area near Forks.
More information about North Olympic Land Trust is available from www.nolt.org and its office, 360-417-1815.
For more information on the Accreditation Commission, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
For more about the Land Trust Alliance, visit www.landtrustalliance.org.
