ESF to Renew National Accreditation

Land Trust Accreditation Commission Seeks Public Comment

Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF), the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to protecting Elkhorn Slough and its surrounding watershed lands, is applying for renewal of national accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

ESF first earned accreditation in August 2014. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. A public comment period is now open.

“Accreditation demonstrates our commitment to permanent land conservation that benefits the entire community,” says Mark Silberstein, Executive Director. “Our supporters deserve to know that the Elkhorn Slough Foundation fulfills the highest standards and best practices of a nonprofit land trust.”

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs.

Accredited land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for responsible operation of a land trust, and by meeting accreditation requirements drawn from these guidelines.

As part of the review process, the Accreditation Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments should relate to how the Elkhorn Slough Foundation complies with national quality standards.

These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust (for the full list of standards see www.landtrustaccreditation.org/tips-and-tools/indicator-practices).

Comments regarding the Elkhorn Slough Foundation’s application should be submitted by mail, fax, e-mail, or online by June 30, 2019, to:

Land Trust Accreditation Commission
Attn: Public Comments
36 Phila Street, Suite 2
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(Fax) 518-587-3183
(email) info@landtrustaccreditation.org
(Online) www.landtrustaccreditation.org

Founded in 1982, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation made a strategic decision to become a land trust in 1997 — after more than a decade managing nearly 800 acres in the watershed, including land owned by The Nature Conservancy — expanding its capability to acquire conservation lands with the overall objective of protecting the land, water, and wildlife of the Elkhorn Slough.

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The Elkhorn Slough Foundation now stewards nearly 4,000 acres and has restored more than 2,000 acres of critical habitat in the Elkhorn Slough watershed. For more information, please visit www.elkhornslough.org.