Renewing our Status as a Nationally Accredited Land Trust

By Suzanne Copping, Program Director

The Conservancy is currently applying for renewal of our land trust accreditation status through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission (Commission), a national organization that recognizes land conservation organizations that meet the highest national quality standards for permanently protecting and stewarding important natural places and working lands.

Accredited land trusts must continuously meet stringent standards and practices around governance, financial accountability, and conservation transactions and stewardship practices.  During the renewal cycle, which occurs every 5 to 7 years, the Commission conducts a rigorous review of close to one hundred attachments and narrative write-ups reflective of the organization’s compliance over the past five years against 35-40 indicator elements the Commission has selected from their standards and practices guidelines.

Since 2001, Central Colorado Conservancy has protected over 7,000 acres of land in partnership with willing landowners, through perpetual conservation easements in Chaffee, Lake, Fremont, and Saguache counties. We annually coordinate with landowners to monitor these 38 easements to ensure the conservation values for which these lands were permanently protected continue to provide natural habitat and wildlife values, scenic quality, agricultural productivity and intrinsic public benefit. Conservation easements and strategic acquisitions are critical tools in the Conservancy’s mission to protect central Colorado’s lands, waters and quality of life as our communities continue to experience pressures and rapid growth.

The renewal process includes an opportunity for the public to comment on the Conservancy’s compliance with the national quality standards. The Commission will accept such comments on behalf of the Conservancy through Friday, July 24, 2026. You can email comments to info@landtrustaccreditation.org or mail them to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.  

Curious about what the green accreditation seal above signifies? Learn more about this mark of distinction at https://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about/about-the-seal.