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For Immediate Release
February 25, 2009


Charlotte, NC – The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, announced today that Catawba Lands Conservancy has been awarded accredited status.

Catawba Lands Conservancy is among the first land trusts in the nation to receive this designation – one of only two land trusts awarded accreditation in North Carolina and among only 3% of the nation’s nearly 1700 land trusts.

“Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization and the systems and policies it uses to protect land.”

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission is an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. The Commission is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country.

"In this time of economic uncertainty, individuals want to be sure their donations are used and leveraged as effectively as possible," said Dave Cable, Catawba Lands Conservancy Executive Director. "We value greatly the public’s trust in the Conservancy, and this accomplishment is a nice affirmation of the quality of our organization and our team."

Catawba Lands Conservancy permanently protects local lands, safeguarding clean and abundant drinking water, fresh air, local foods, diverse wildlife, scenic landscapes, recreational places, and is the lead agency for the Carolina Thread Trail.

Dating back to the early 1990s, Catawba Lands Conservancy was formed from a small coalition of volunteers working to protect Mountain Island Lake. It quickly became apparent that their work was critical on a much larger scale, and in 1991 Catawba Lands Conservancy was incorporated as a nonprofit organization to protect the Catawba River Basin, working in Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties.

“One of the nation’s top land trusts, Catawba Lands Conservancy provides our region with an effective champion and caretaker of our critical land resources,” said Peggy Culbertson, Catawba Lands Conservancy Board Member. “Our children and grandchildren, will benefit greatly from having a best-in-class land trust focused on protecting local lands and enhancing our quality of life.”

Resources:

• Catawba Lands Conservancy – www.catawbalands.org

• Land Trust Accreditation Commission - www.landtrustaccreditation.org

• Land Trust Alliance - www.landtrustalliance.org


Catawba Lands Conservancy is an accredited regional land trust that permanently protects land, water and wildlife habitat to enhance your quality of life. The Conservancy protects 7,568 acres in Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Union counties and is one of 24 land trusts serving North Carolina that collectively have protected more than 286,000 acres. Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agency for the Carolina Thread Trail, an environmental initiative to link more than two million citizens with hundreds of miles of trails that winds through fifteen counties in North and South Carolina.