Accreditation

The seal of accreditation is a way to prove to their communities that land trusts are worthy of the significant public and private investment in land conservation.

Accreditation renewal is an affirmation that these organizations have made an ongoing commitment to excellence.

Rand Wentworth

Former President, Land Trust Alliance

A Mark of Distinction in Land Conservation

The Southeast Alaska Land Trust is proud to be recognized as one of four Alaska-based land trusts operating in the state of Alaska with Accreditation status. We received this distinction in 2014 and in 2020 achieved Accreditation renewal.

Accreditation certifies that our practices meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust, and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent.

Excellence

Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them.

Trust

Nonprofit organizations, including land trusts, are increasingly called on to demonstrate their accountability to the public. Accredited land trusts have voluntarily submitted their organizations to an external, independent review of their practices. As a result, accreditation provides the public with the assurance that the land trust displaying the accreditation seal meets established standards for organizational quality and permanent land conservation.

Permanence

Land trusts help conserve land that is essential to our health and well-being. When land trusts agree to protect land for the benefit of the public, in most cases they do so by promising that the protection is forever. The accreditation program verifies that the land trust has the policies and programs in place to keep this promise, either by caring for the land itself or transferring the land to an entity that can.