The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association has achieved land trust accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.  This distinction is the result of a three-year effort, involving the entire board and staff, to review and update the operations of the association and demonstrate that it complies with national standards for land trusts.

“Going through the process of becoming accredited has been the single most valuable experience for the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association's board and staff in preparing for our next phase of growth as an organization,” Board President Honor Fox Sage said.  

The association was founded in 1969 to both conserve land and advocate for the environment.  This was, and still is, an unusual combination of goals for a land trust in Maine to adopt.

The association has been involved in such issues as nuclear power, industrial plants that threatened ground water quality, new road proposals, alternative energy proposals and bridge design and placement on Route 1, the major artery crossing our watershed. It is not an easy task to take positions on the important development issues of the day while remaining a trusted conservator of land and holder of conservation easements.

While advocacy is an important aspect of its work, land conservation is the primary mission.  The association has worked with many conservation-minded landowners to protect 3,569 acres of working farms, forests and important habitat in over 50 conservation properties including seven preserves open to the public for low-impact recreation.

Most recently, the association has been a leader of the new 12 Rivers Collaborative, a group of 10 local land trusts seeking to accelerate conservation of the forested landscape from the Kennebec to the St. George.

Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association was awarded accreditation this August and is one of only 181 land trusts from across the country that has been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008.  Accredited land trusts are able 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.  The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.

“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,” Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn said.

“The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association is excited to have received this distinction and will proudly display our accreditation seal,” Executive Director Maureen Hoffman said. “While this seal shows that the  Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association has been doing excellent work, we intend to continue to improve and work hard to support our community.”