Land Trust Alliance Accreditation
Teatown earns national recognition as an accredited land trust
Affirmation of our strong commitment to public trust and conservation excellence
One thing that unites this country is land: Americans strongly support saving the open spaces they love. Since 1963, Teatown Lake Reservation has been doing just that for the communities and people of Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley.
Now Teatown has achieved national recognition — joining a network of more than 450 accredited land trusts across the United States that have demonstrated their commitment to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in their work.
Kevin Carter, Teatown’s executive director, noted that “especially at this juncture in Teatown’s 62-year history — as we prepare for major improvements to make our central campus a safe and ADA-accessible community hub for environmental education — this distinction marks an elevation of our organizational capacity to pursue our mission of ‘inspiring our community to lifelong environmental stewardship.’
“Accreditation demonstrates Teatown’s commitment to permanent land conservation in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley,” Kevin added. “We are a stronger organization for having gone through this rigorous accreditation program. Our strength means Teatown’s open spaces will be protected forever, making Teatown an even more special place for us and our children.”
Teatown provided extensive documentation and was subject to a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to achieving this distinction. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded accreditation, signifying its confidence that Teatown’s lands will be protected forever. Accredited land trusts steward almost 20 million acres of land across the nation — the size of Denali, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Everglades, and Yosemite National Parks combined.
“It is exciting to recognize Teatown with this national mark of distinction,” said Melissa Kalvestrand, executive director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. “Donors and partners can trust that accredited land trusts across the country are united behind strong standards and have demonstrated sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance, and lasting stewardship.”
Teatown is one of 1,363 land trusts across the United States, according to the Land Trust Alliance’s most recent National Land Trust Census. A complete list of accredited land trusts and more information about the process and benefits can be found at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
About Teatown
Teatown Lake Reservation is an environmental education center and membership organization located on a 1,000-acre nature preserve in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. Teatown is the largest independent, community-supported nonprofit nature preserve in Westchester. Located 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan, Teatown draws nearly 28,000 visitors each year from the New York metropolitan area and the Lower Hudson Valley. Our mission is to inspire our community to lifelong environmental stewardship. We advance our mission through innovative programs in conservation, education, stewardship, and research.
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, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.