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    A stronger land trust movement

    Posted 2016
    Source
    Land Trust Alliance
    Author
    Kirsten Ferguson
    About This Document

    The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust finds that accreditation makes their organization — and the land trust movement — stronger.

    © 2026 Land Trust Alliance, Inc. All rights reserved.

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    These resources are provided "as is" for informational purposes only, without warranty of any kind. They do not constitute legal or professional advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship. They may not reflect current legal developments and should be adapted for your organization with qualified professional help. The Alliance is not liable for any damages arising from use of or reliance on these resources. Views in individual posts and third-party links/logos are not Alliance endorsements. The Alliance is committed to equal opportunity and does not condone unlawful discrimination.

    For accreditation-related materials, please also consult the Land Trust Accreditation Commission website.

    The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust finds that accreditation makes their organization — and the land trust movement — stronger.

    As one of the first land trusts to go through the accreditation process, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust found the preparation helpful when Colorado implemented a certification program in 2009. The state program requires any organization that accepts donations of conservation easements with Colorado tax benefits to be certified by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs.

    “When they originally set up the program, they really pulled from what the Alliance was asking with accreditation,” says Alyssa Street, CCALT’s development and communications director. “It was nice to have already gone through accreditation — it gave us a fast-track application.”

    Accreditation also gave the organization a chance to take a closer look at its policies, Street says. “It’s always difficult to find time to update policies and procedures. Accreditation and renewal motivates you to get things done in a specific time frame that you might put off otherwise. In turn that makes you stronger — anytime you’re regularly reviewing your organization internally, it’s going to help you become a better organization.”

    Accreditation also improves the whole land trust movement, Street believes. “I think we’re becoming stronger across the country. It’s nice to know there are hundreds of other organizations going through the same thing.”