The Williamsburg Land Conservancy has joined an elite club of land trusts thanks to accreditation received last month from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
The accreditation allows the conservancy to display a seal indicating they meet standards of excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent, according to a conservancy news release.
“There are 1,700 land trusts in our nation; we are very proud to be one of the 301 to have achieved the distinction of accreditation,” Caren Schumacher, the conservancy’s executive director said in a news release. “This three-year process has positioned the conservancy to be an even stronger and more successful organization in the years to come.”
The conservancy started in 1990 and has focused on preserving natural, scenic, historic and farm lands in the lower James and York River watersheds. Its work has protected 38 properties across 6,248 acres.
Those properties include Mainland and Greenswamp farms in James City County, the Route 132 entryway into Colonial Williamsburg and the Curtis Farm in York County, 274 acres of the Williamsburg Winery and 201 acres along the golf course in Governor’s Land.
“This round of accreditation decisions represents another significant milestone for the accreditation program,” said Tammara Van Ryn, the executive director of the commission. “Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that, at the time of accreditation, land trusts meet high standards for quality and that the results of their conservation work are permanent.”
Travis Crayosky, the chair of the conservancy’s board of directors, said the accreditation shows the group’s commitment to preserving land.
“Our land trust is a stronger organization today having gone through the rigorous accreditation program. The entire board and staff were committed to the process, which was a priority in the conservancy’s Five-Year Strategic Plan,” he said.
The conservancy is a nonprofit based in James City County that is supported by annual membership dues, donations and grants.
