Great Peninsula Conservancy has been selected to apply for accreditation through the independent Land Trust Accreditation Commission. The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction among the more than 1,700 land trusts across America. The public is invited to comment on GPC’s application now through May 31.
The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The rigorous accreditation process provides third-party assurance of the quality and permanence of land conservation programs. Land trusts who earn accreditation have proven they are strong, effective organizations you can trust to conserve your land forever.
Great Peninsula Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust dedicated to protecting forever the natural habitats, rural landscapes and open spaces of the Great Peninsula with a 30-year track record of success, helping to protect 5,800 acres in west Puget Sound.
It conserves shorelines, salmon streams, evergreen forests, wildlife-rich wetlands and family farms throughout Kitsap, north Mason, and west Pierce counties, Washington. Recent projects include saving Petersen Farm in Silverdale, creating a new nature preserve on Filucy Bay (Key Peninsula) and, as one of the leaders of the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project, purchasing land for a new county park on Port Gamble Bay (Hood Canal). “Great Peninsula Conservancy’s application for accreditation is the final step in a multi-year effort to ensure all aspects of our work–conservation transactions, land stewardship, finances, record keeping, and donor relations–are conducted to the highest standards,” said GPC’s executive director Sandra Staples-Bortner. “Achieving accreditation will be an affirmation of our hard work to build a strong organization that is prepared to conserve salmon streams, forests, family farms and cherished landscapes in perpetuity.”
A public comment period on Great Peninsula Conservancy’s application for accreditation is now open. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Great Peninsula Conservancy complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/tips-and-tools/indicator-practices.
To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org. Comments may also be faxed or mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments: 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
Comments on Great Peninsula Conservancy’s application will be most useful if submitted by May 31. Visit www.greatpeninsula.org for live links to view standards and submit comments.
