Athens Land Trust has earned reaccreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, and we think that matters to everyone who cares about where their food comes from, what our landscape looks like, and whether the promises made today will still be kept a generation from now.
The accreditation seal is not something that simply hangs on our wall. It is a promise we keep renewing — to our community, to our donors, and to the land and people entrusted to our care.
What accreditation means
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, the national backbone organization for land conservation. Its purpose is to verify that land trusts are operating at the highest standards of ethics, financial responsibility, and conservation permanence. Fewer than 500 of the thousands of land trusts in the U.S. hold this distinction.
Accreditation is not a one-time achievement. It requires renewal every five years, and each cycle puts the applicant through an extensive examination: governance structure, financial reporting, land transaction practices, stewardship records, and conflict-of-interest policies. Accreditation reviewers verify that conservation easements are monitored annually, that funds are in place to defend conservation work in perpetuity, and that the board is independent.
Why this matters to you
Accreditation means that the community can be confident that the land entrusted to our care — and the people who rely on it — will be served responsibly for years to come. It is the clearest assurance we can offer that our promises are built to last.
An independent evaluation found that accredited land trusts have significantly larger stewardship funds, more community investment, and that they save three times more land than comparable non-accredited organizations. Over 80% of landowners, foundations, and public agencies say accreditation increases their confidence in a land trust.*
Since the beginning
Athens Land Trust has been accredited since 2008; we were among the inaugural class of only 39 organizations to earn this distinction. We didn’t wait to see whether it was worth it. We believed in what accreditation stood for from day one, and we’ve maintained it through every renewal cycle since.
That long-term commitment reflects something deeper about who we are. When Athens Land Trust protects a piece of land we are saying forever. That word only carries weight if the organization making the promise is built to last and held accountable over time.
Land and people
Athens Land Trust is one of only a few organizations in the nation that combines the work of a community land trust and a conservation land trust. This dual mission reflects a radical reimagining: that land can and should be a shared resource for community and environmental benefit.
Conservation land trusts protect the natural environment: forests, wetlands, farmland, and the clean water and air we all depend on. Community land trusts hold in trust for affordable housing, community gardens, and shared spaces that stay accessible regardless of market pressures. At Athens Land Trust, we do both, because we believe land and people are inseparable.
What ties it all together is stewardship: holding land in trust for the next generation. Reaccreditation reinforces that commitment, demanding we prove again and again that we have the governance, financial health, and technical practices to actually deliver on that promise.
Accreditation in action
In April, The Conservation Fund and Athens Land Trust announced that Woodland Gardens Organic Farm — a beloved 48-acre property that has long helped feed the Athens region — will remain farmland forever.
Woodland Gardens is the second farm we’ve protected in partnership with The Conservation Fund’s Farms Fund, which is designed to keep working farms in production while helping farmers put down roots by facilitating land acquisition. Athens Land Trust placed a permanent agricultural conservation easement on the property and longtime farm business manager Celia Barss and partner John Cooper now own the land they have stewarded for the past two decades. Known for its fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers, Woodland Gardens is a cornerstone of the Athens-Clarke County food system, supporting local jobs and supplying residents, markets, and restaurants with locally grown food.
This is what reaccreditation makes possible. The rigorous standards we meet and renew are what allow landowners, partners, and community members to trust that a commitment like the one made to Woodland Gardens will hold forever.
When you support Athens Land Trust, you’re investing in a locally rooted organization independently verified since 2008 through multiple rigorous renewal cycles to operate with integrity, transparency, and a commitment to perpetuity. Your gift is protected by the same high standards that protect the land. We don’t take that lightly. Thank you for trusting us with it.
*https://landtrustaccreditation.org/why-accreditation-matters
