TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Truckee Donner Land Trust has achieved accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.

“This effort will pay off in the future as we have better procedures, documentation, transparency, and credibility in the land trust and wider communities,” said Land Trust President William Thauvette.

The Truckee Donner Land Trust was founded in 1990 and has protected more than 33,000 acres, ensuring continued recreational access and protecting lands for future generations. Most recently, the Land Trust conserved the Webber Lake/Lacey Meadows and Royal Gorge properties.

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The Land Trust was awarded accreditation this February and is one of only 201 land trusts across the country awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008. Accredited land trusts are authorized to display a seal indicating to the public they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure conservation efforts are permanent. The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.

“This round of accreditation decisions represents another significant milestone for the accreditation program; the 201 accredited land trusts account for half of the 20,645,165 acres currently owned in fee or protected by a conservation easement held by a land trust,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that, at the time of accreditation, land trusts meet high standards for quality and that the results of their conservation work are permanent.”

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Each accredited land trust submitted extensive documentation and underwent a rigorous review. “Through accreditation land trusts conduct important planning and make their operations more efficient and strategic,” said Van Ryn. “Accredited organizations have engaged and trained citizen conservation leaders and improved systems for ensuring that their conservation work is permanent.”

The Truckee Donner Land Trust preserves and protects scenic, historic and recreational lands with high natural resource values in the greater Truckee Donner region. Learn more at http://www.tdlandtrust.org.

About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. 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 from around the country. Learn more at http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

About The Land Trust Alliance

The Land Trust Alliance, of which Truckee Donner Land Trust is a member, is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. It works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats. Learn more at http://www.landtrustalliance.org.