Allegheny Earns Respected Land Trust Accreditation

The Allegheny Land Trust was recently awarded accredited status by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, becoming one of 113 land trusts nationally, a very exclusive group. Allegheny’s is one of only 10 accredited trusts in the state.

“It gives us a sense of confidence that what we’re doing here at Allegheny Land Trust we’re doing at a high professional level and we’re doing everything we need to do to make sure the land that we protect is protected forever,” Executive Director Roy Kraynyk says.

The Trust took part in a rigorous examination in which they met with consultants to determine if they were meeting national standards. The accreditation commission looks for excellence in upholding the public trust and ensuring that conservation efforts are permanent.

“If someone knocks on our door and says, ‘Hey I have some land here that I would like to preserve,’ we need to be able to look at that person in the eye and say with confidence and sincerity that ‘Yes, we can do that for you,’” Kraynyk says.

The process involves an extensive review of the management of the organization and the systems it uses to conduct its functions. Kraynyk mentioned that the Allegheny Land Trust updated it’s file keeping system along with its servers in an attempt to create a more sound and efficient workplace.

“One benefit of going through this process would be that now we’ve got procedures and policies and structure and methodology in place that makes our work a little easier,” Kraynyk says.