The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust has achieved renewed land trust accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.
On achieving accreditation, Ausbon Sargent Executive Director Deborah Stanley shared, “Renewal of accreditation is a rigorous process, and we are proud of this achievement. For Ausbon Sargent, the Land Trust Alliance’s ‘Assessing Your Organization’ tool was enormously beneficial in fully engaging the board and staff to conduct a detailed assessment. During the five-year period since we were first accredited, there have been a number of changes within our land trust, advancements in technology, and knowledge gained in the conservation field that warranted this careful review. Our findings resulted in modifications to our policies and procedures, ensuring that we continue on the path of excellence, trust, and permanence.”
The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust was founded in 1987 as a way to address some of the land conservation concerns in the town of New London. Since that time, the land trust has expanded to include 12 towns in the Mount Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee region, including Andover. In the 27 years since its incorporation, Ausbon Sargent has protected 134 properties encompassing 10,867 acres of land in these 12 towns. In 2014, alone, Ausbon Sargent added eight new properties, each property in a different town of the 12 towns it serves.
Ausbon Sargent was awarded renewed accreditation this February and is one of only 301 land trusts of the more than 1,700 from across the country that is now accredited. Accredited land trusts are authorized to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust, and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. Ausbon Sargent is proud to display the accreditation seal, a mark of distinction in land conservation.
Accreditation Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn said, “The Ausbon Sargent Land Trust is one of the first land trusts to achieve renewed accreditation, a significant achievement for the land trust and a significant major milestone for the accreditation program. Accreditation renewal, which must be completed every five years, provides the public with an assurance that accredited land trusts continue to meet exceedingly high standards for quality.”
Upon hearing of this accreditation renewal, past Board Chairman of Ausbon Sargent, John Garvey, responded, “We are delighted to once again achieve accreditation. It is a detailed process that allows us to reflect on what we are doing as an organization and consider how we can do it even better. Given our unique mission of preserving and protecting land, our job is to be sure we remain healthy and strong for the long haul. It is gratifying to get a clean bill of health.”