What accreditation has done for us
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Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust was awarded accreditation in 2009. We are very proud of this accomplishment! We believe achieving accreditation assures both our easement and financial donors of our integrity, professionalism and capacity to successfully execute our mission.
Deborah Stanley is executive director of Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. Accredited land trusts show significant gains compared to land trusts that aren't yet accredited. Read the Land Trust Accreditation Commission's 2016 Annual Report.
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For accreditation-related materials, please also consult the Land Trust Accreditation Commission website.
Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust was awarded accreditation in 2009. We are very proud of this accomplishment! We believe achieving accreditation assures both our easement and financial donors of our integrity, professionalism and capacity to successfully execute our mission.
Since being accredited, we have nearly doubled the number of acres we hold under easement. Because of this increase, we have significantly increased our stewardship of these properties and we now have 130 volunteer monitors and two staff members working on monitoring. One of these staff members devotes nearly 50 percent of his time to stewardship.
Ausbon Sargent celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012 and, in tandem with this celebration, we conducted our first capital campaign: Saving Land For Tomorrow. The purpose of the campaign was to raise $2.5 million to fully fund our stewardship endowment. In December 2013, we surpassed our campaign goal! The income from this long-term investment will cover all stewardship expenses and supplement annual membership support by providing 20 percent of our operating revenue.
When we achieved renewed accreditation in 2015, I sent an email to our members explaining how renewal of accreditation is a rigorous process and how proud we are of this achievement. Since we were first accredited, there were a number of changes within our land trust — advancements in technology and knowledge gained in the conservation field that warranted this careful review. Our findings during the renewal process resulted in modifications to our policies and procedures, ensuring once more that we continue on the path of "excellence, trust and permanence."