Land Trust achieves national recognition
Palouse Land Trust Earns National Recognition
Accreditation Awarded by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
August 2015, Moscow, ID — Local conservation group, the Palouse Land Trust, has achieved national recognition by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission as one of the nation’s 317 Accredited Land Trusts.
"Palouse Land Trust’s accredited status demonstrates our commitment to permanent land conservation that benefits the entire community,”says Amy Trujillo, Executive Director. "Our land trust is a stronger organization today having gone through the rigorous accreditation program.”
Palouse Land Trust works in north-central Idaho and eastern Washington to help private landowners protect working lands, open space, and wildlife habitat throughout the region. Projects have included the permanent protection of endangered Palouse Prairie remnants, working farms and forests,and just this summer, the permanent protection of a wildlife corridor along nearly 2 miles of the South Fork of the Palouse River in Whitman County.
"Our conservation projects are getting more and more complex, working with families from diverse backgrounds and bringing together multiple partners to get some really great projects done,” says Trujillo. "Going through the accreditation process has confirmed that we’re using best practices to make sure these efforts will stand the test of time.”
Palouse Land Trust was awarded accreditation this August and is one of 317 land trusts from across the country that has been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008. Accredited land trusts are authorized to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.
"This round of accreditation decisions represents another significant milestone for the accreditation program; the 317 accredited land trusts account for more than three quarters of the 20,645,165 acres currently owned in fee or protected by a conservation easement held by a land trust,”said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. "Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that, at the time of accreditation, the land trust meets high standards for quality, and that the results of their conservation work are permanent.”
About the Palouse Land Trust - The Palouse Land Trust works with willing landowners to conserve the open space, scenery, wildlife habitat and water quality of the Palouse for current and future generations. In addition to helping families protect their land with conservation easements, the Land Trust owns Idlers Rest Nature Preserve.
About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission - The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. See a complete list of all recently accredited land trusts online at http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/land-trust-locator. More information on the accreditation program is available on the Commission’s website, www.landtrustaccreditation.org.