Buzzards Bay Coalition earns national recognition in land conservation
How do you know that land conserved today will be protected for generations to come? You make sure the organizations that manage that land, like the Buzzards Bay Coalition, are fiscally strong, organizationally sound, and prepared to be good stewards.
The Buzzards Bay Coalition is now an accredited land trust. This is the highest recognition that a land trust can receive.
This month, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, announced that the Coalition has met those standards and is now an accredited land trust. This is the highest recognition that a land trust can receive.
With this announcement, the Coalition joins 280 of more than 1,700 land trusts nationwide that are accredited.
In the past two decades, the Coalition has protected over 6,500 acres of land across the region, from Westport to Cape Cod. Working with landowners, local land trusts, and at all levels of government, the Coalition works to conserve those lands that are most critical to protecting clean water.
One example is our current project to protect more than 400 acres of forests, beaches, and marshes around Nasketucket Bay. This is the largest coastal land protection effort on Buzzards Bay in the last 30 years.
“We have always taken great pride in our high standards in implementing land conservation around Buzzards Bay,” said Coalition President Mark Rasmussen. “Now the landowners, funders, partners, and communities we work with have the assurance of those high standards that comes with the independent evaluation of the accreditation process.”
To apply for accreditation, the Coalition submitted extensive documentation and underwent a rigorous, year-long review.
Accredited land trusts are authorized to display a seal indicating that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust, and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. This seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.