One thing that unites us as a nation is land: Americans strongly support saving the open spaces they love. Since 1991, the Minnesota Land Trust has been doing just that for the people of Minnesota. Now, the Minnesota Land Trust has announced it has renewed its land trust accreditation – proving once again that, as part of a network of over 400 accredited land trusts across the nation, it is committed to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in its conservation work.
“This rigorous accreditation process ensures that our organization is safeguarding the trust placed in us by the hundreds of families who have completed conservation easements on their family land across our state,” said Kris Larson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Land Trust. “The promise of the Land Trust is the promise of forever – and this process ensures that we will be here to ensure that the places that matter to all Minnesotans will be protected forever, now, and for the future.”
Minnesota Land Trust provided extensive documentation and was subject to a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to achieving this distinction. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded renewed accreditation, signifying its confidence that the Land Trust’s lands will be protected forever. Accredited land trusts in the United States now steward almost 20 million acres – the size of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
“It is exciting to recognize the Minnesota Land Trust’s continued commitment to national standards by renewing this national mark of distinction,” said Melissa Kalvestrand, executive director of the Commission. “Donors and partners can trust the more than 400 accredited land trusts across the country are united behind strong standards and have demonstrated sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance, and lasting stewardship.”
Since 1991 the Minnesota Land Trust has worked to protect the natural lands and waters of our state, primarily working with local families to protect their land through conservation easements. The only state-wide land trust in Minnesota, the Minnesota Land Trust has protected over 60,000 acres of land, and 1 million feet of shoreline on Minnesota’s lakes, streams, and rivers.
The Minnesota Land Trust is one of 1,363 land trusts across the United States according to the Land Trust Alliance’s most recent National Land Trust Census. A complete list of accredited land trusts and more information about the process and benefits can be found at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
About the Minnesota land Trust
The Minnesota Land Trust is a membership-based non-profit organization. Its mission is to protect and restore Minnesota’s most vital natural lands to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences, and scenic beauty for generations to come. The organization has completed more than 600 conservation projects statewide, permanently protecting more than 60,000 acres of natural and scenic land and more than a million feet of fragile shoreline.
A conservation easement is a voluntary, legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or other qualified agency that permanently limits certain uses of land in order to protect its conservation values. Landowners continue to own and enjoy the land and pay property taxes. Once created, the conservation easement is binding on all future owners of the property. More information on Minnesota Land Trust can be found at www.mnland.org.
About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission inspires excellence, promotes public trust and ensures permanence in the conservation of open lands by recognizing organizations that meet rigorous quality standards and strive for continuous improvement. The Commission, established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts. For more, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
