Press Release

Marin Agricultural Land Trust Awarded National Accreditation

August 10, 2010

Pt. Reyes Station, Calif. – On August 4, 2010, Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) earned accreditation from The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation, signifying that the accredited group meets national standards for excellence, upholds the public trust, and ensures that conservation efforts are permanent. MALT joins 104 other land trusts from across the country, including 11 from California, that have been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008.

“Becoming accredited was a major goal for MALT this year, and we are very proud of this recognition,” said MALT Executive Director Robert Berner. “For 30 years, we have believed in setting high standards for our agricultural land preservation program and have held ourselves to a very high bar. Accreditation means we conduct our work in an effective and ethical way, that we have the organizational and financial resources to promise that we can care for our agricultural easement properties in perpetuity, and that donors can be certain their contributions will be invested carefully to protect working farm and ranch land in Marin County forever”

During MALT’s two-year application process, staff and board members made a significant commitment of time and resources to assess MALT’s policies and procedures and to create the extensive application package required for submittal. In a rigorous review process, the Commission examines the documentation, interviews land trust staff, and evaluates multiple sources of information, including comments from the public.

“Congratulations to MALT on achieving the milestone of accreditation. This round of accreditation decisions comes at an important time as land trusts and their supporters work to save land in an uncertain economic environment,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that land trusts meet high standards for quality and that their conservation work is permanent.”

Marin Agricultural Land Trust is a member-supported, nonprofit organization created in 1980 by a coalition of ranchers and environmentalists to permanently preserve Marin County farmland. Some of the Bay Area’s most highly acclaimed dairy products and organic crops are produced on farmland protected by MALT conservation easements, which total more than 41,800 acres on 66 family farms and ranches. To learn more about Marin’s family farms and the food they produce, visit www.malt.org.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. More information is available on the Commission’s website, www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. It works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices, and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats. 2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the Alliance. The Alliance publishes Land Trust Standards and Practices and provides financial and administrative support to the Commission. It has established an endowment to help ensure the success of the accreditation program and keep it affordable for land trusts of all sizes to participate in accreditation. More information can be found at www.landtrustalliance.org.

CONTACT: DEBORAH WHITE, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, 415-663-1158, ext. 312 dwhite@malt.org