Press Release
MALT Receives Accreditation Renewal from Independent National Land Trust Commission
March 8, 2022
POINT REYES STATION, Calif., March 8, 2022 — The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) announced today that it received national recognition for its work to preserve Marin County’s agricultural lands by being awarded accreditation for the third time by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. The commission is an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, a national leader working to support land trusts so they can save and secure more lands now and for future generations.
“Renewing our accreditation shows MALT’s ongoing commitment to permanent land conservation and represents an independent seal of approval for MALT’s activities, governance, and dedication to the principles and practices of land trusts nationwide,” said Robert McGee, chair of MALT’s board of directors and president and COO of Straus Family Creamery. “Accreditation signals confidence in our ability to deliver on our mission to permanently protect Marin’s agricultural land for agricultural use.”
This accreditation places MALT among more than 450 accredited land trusts—from nationally renowned organizations such as The Nature Conservancy to state, regional and local land trusts across the United States—that collectively are protecting almost 20 million acres of land for the benefit of future generations. MALT was originally accredited in 2010 and earned its first renewal in 2016, with current accreditation remaining in good standing through 2027.
“It is exciting to recognize MALT’s continued commitment to national standards by renewing this national mark of distinction,” said Melissa Kalvestrand, executive director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. “Donors and partners can trust that MALT, along with all the other accredited land trusts across the country, are united behind strong standards and have demonstrated sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance and lasting stewardship.”
Land Trusts Part of Larger Movement Nationwide
The Land Trust Alliance works to elevate land conservation as a nationwide priority and is part of a larger movement of lands being protected.
“Our legacy of land protection in Marin goes back 42 years, to when Ellen Straus and Phyllis Faber—a rancher and a biologist—joined forces to found MALT as a way to prevent Marin’s agricultural lands from being paved over for development,” said Jennifer Carlin, acting chief executive officer of MALT. “The land trust accreditation program recognizes the important work that we’re doing, in cooperation with our many partners throughout the region and the state, to protect West Marin’s farmland and ranches forever.”
The Land Trust Alliance website summarizes the purpose and goals of the land trust movement. “We envision a reenergized, more relevant conservation movement, in which land trusts join with partners that have not traditionally identified as conservation organizations around our shared interest in protecting special places, from urban playgrounds to native prairies, from family farms to old-growth forests and from coastal wetlands to cactus-studded deserts.”
About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission inspires excellence, promotes public trust and ensures permanence in the conservation of open lands by recognizing organizations that meet rigorous quality standards and strive for continuous improvement. The Commission, established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts. For more information, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
About MALT
Marin Agricultural Land Trust is a nonprofit organization created in 1980 to permanently protect Marin’s agricultural land for agricultural use and establish Marin County as a thriving and inclusive agricultural community in a healthy and diverse natural environment. Some of the Bay Area’s most highly acclaimed dairy and meat products and organic crops are produced on farmland protected by MALT, which totals more than 54,000 acres. To learn more about MALT, visit malt.org.
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For More Information:
Colleen Martell
Martell Communications
cmartell@martellpr.com
408-832-0147