Catch-up on the latest Accreditation Corner from the Land Trust Alliance's Saving Land magazine.

Conservation Then and Now

By Melissa Kalvestrand

In a recent effort to clean my basement, I came across boxes of old stamps inherited from my grandfather. Finding a series of 4-cent stamps from about 1960 that showcased forest, water, soil and range conservation made me think about how conservation is defined today. Conservation is about healthy forests, clean water, healthy food, connectivity, change and ensuring the next generation of conservationists. At Rally, we celebrated 13 newly accredited land trusts whose stories illustrate what it means to be a land trust practicing conservation today.

• New England Forestry Foundation (MA) protects over 1.2 million acres of land, including 150 community forests totaling 40,000 acres that are open to the public. These forests offer recreation and a chance to see sustainable forestry in action.
• The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust (NY) acquires properties for remediation and protection to improve and protect water quality and provide critical public access to water and waterfront.
• The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy's (NY) LakeScapes program provides annual assistance to help implement stormwater best management practices.
• Lower Nehalem Community Trust (OR) transformed a portion of its Alder Creek Farm into a community garden. Volunteers harvest and donate over 1,000 pounds of produce to local organizations to address food scarcity.
• La Plata Open Space Conservancy (CO) has launched an equitable land access working group to better understand barriers that exist for farmers to access land and how to support the next generation of farmers.
• North Central Conservancy Trust (WI) transformed a 60-year-old ranger station into an office and Land Conservation Center. As part of its renovations, it invested in improving energy efficiencies and sustainability.
• Brandywine Red Clay Alliance (PA) is one of the oldest small watershed organizations in the country. Its recent merger with The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County solidified its focus on land preservation.
• Oregon Desert Land Trust (OR) and its partners acquired the 16,000-acre Trout Creek Ranch and over 500,000 acres of grazing permits to help connect more than 1 million conservation acres of climate-resilient habitat.
• Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (MI) and its partners established a 2,700-acre Superior Greenway. The conservancy's office is in the heart of the greenway and serves as both a visitor center and organic community garden.
• Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust (ME) created the #WEOUTSIDE program with the Maine Association for New Americans to bring asylum seekers from Angola, with a focus on youth ages 13 to 25, to experience the outdoors.
• Audubon Society of Rhode Island's (RI) Nature Center and Aquarium receives nearly 25,000 visitors each year, and its Environmental Education for Urban Schools Initiative provides free field experiences for approximately 3,000 students each year.
• Manada Conservancy's (PA) annual public presentation series seeks to make lasting change by having the public support and understand why conservation and restoration are so important.
• Berks Nature's (PA) The Nature Place is much more than an office headquarters. It is home to a summer eco-camp, a preschool and school field trips, and is a place to walk your dog and let your kids run free in the Nature Play Zone.

Congratulations to these 13 organizations who help shape and grow the definition of what conservation means!

To see the full archive of Accreditation Corners, please visit our Accreditation Corners page.