The Commission is pleased to announce that it will be able to accommodate all organizations that participated in the lottery in one of three application rounds next year. Land trust interest in the program matches the Commission’s projections for the number of applications it will review 2008 – an indication that plans for the program are on target.

Names of applicants will be drawn at Rally 2007: The National Land Conservation Conference in Denver, Colorado at a special Accreditation Kick-Off: Lottery Drawing and Reception on Friday, Oct. 5 at 5:15 PM. The lottery drawing will be used to select the organizations for each application round. If you are at Rally, join land trust colleagues from around the country for this historic event and find out who will apply in 2008!

The Commission will still be evaluating its pilot program in 2008 so it will not yet be at full operations. We expect the number of applications that can be reviewed to grow after 2008. Next year, the Commission will also evaluate the lottery for 2008 applications and determine how it will accept applications in future years.

Rally Workshops
In addition to the lottery drawing and reception, the Commission is hosting two workshops at Rally this year.

• Accreditation Overview: If you are not familiar with the land trust accreditation program, this workshop is for you. Learn more about accreditation and how it might benefit your land trust. (A20, Friday, Oct. 5, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)

• Preparing for Accreditation: This workshop is a chance to hear first-hand from the groups that are part of the 2007 accreditation pilot program. Learn more about pilot land trust experiences and how to put together an application for accreditation. (C21, Friday, Oct. 5, 3:30 - 5:00 PM)

We look forward to seeing many of you in Denver. Be sure to stop by the Commission’s booth!

We’re Getting a Facelift…Virtually!
The Commission will launch its new website just in time for Rally. Our new site will include up-to-date information on the accreditation program, resources for those interested in applying, an exciting new land trust search feature and much more. Please be sure to visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org next week to see our new look!

Public Comments on Current Pilot Applicants
As part of the application process, the Commission is currently accepting public comments on the second round pilot applicants. Comments must be attributed, relate to how the applicant carries out national quality standards and will be shared with the applicant. Click here for more information, or if you would like to offer a comment on a current applicant.