Middlebury Land Trust applies for accreditation

#Middlebury

This view of Fodder’s Folly looks down on Larkin Pond. The land off South Street in Middlebury is one of many parcels the Middlebury Land Trust preserves. The Land Trust is applying for accreditation, in part so it can do an even better job of caring for properties. (Curtiss Clark photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

In a process it began to consider in 2015 and then fully committed to, the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) is applying for accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission (LTAC), an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. Public comments on the land trust and its application are now being accepted. Details on commenting can be found at the end of this article.

The LTAC recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The MLT decided to undertake this rigorous process because, as MLT President Dr. Scott Peterson noted, “Accreditation is important, both as an external badge of quality and as an internal means of continuous quality improvement.”

Through its evaluation, the LTAC conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies, procedures and programs – standards that encompass governance, finances, transactions and stewardship. It considers the responses to questions and a broad range of supportive documentation.

Since its founding in 1969, the MLT has conserved almost 2,000 acres of forests, meadows, marshes, ponds and streams for the benefit of area residents. That is a long history and a substantial amount of land, meaning the preparation for this step forward was an intensive effort that involved a great deal of work– estimated at more than 700 hours – by the all-volunteer board.

That is in addition to background work done by forestry consultants in developing detailed technical analyses and management plans on all the properties owned by or held in conservation easement by the land trust. Board member Don McRae said, “Implementation of these standards and practices will instill confidence in our property owners with conservation easements as well as future donors of open space.”

Board members have found that, although the amount of work involved in taking this step forward has been immense, the benefits of that work are already being seen. The baseline reports, for example, have already been found to be very useful, and some of the data therein have been used for articles about MLT properties in this newspaper.

These reports include detailed information about the history of the property, topography, geology and soils along with details about the forest and field plant life and habitat value. That could well prove useful in the future for local educators and students for science studies projects.

As mentioned above, the Commission invites public comment as part of the accreditation process, and that public comment period on the MLT application is open. Comments must relate to how the MLT complies with Commission standards. The full list of standards may be found at www.landtrust-accreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-practices.

To submit comments, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org and scroll down to “Comment on a Land Trust” to get to the form, or email them to info@landtrustaccreditation.org. Comments also may be faxed or mailed to The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn. Public Comments. The FAX number is 518-587-3183; mail goes to 36 Phila St., Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Comments on the MLT’s application will be most useful.