What Happens to Public Comments

The accreditation program recognizes the need for public accountability for land trusts and values comments from the stakeholders like landowners, donors, and partners. These comments can provide a different perspective about the land trust and its work than the Commission may get during the application review process.

To give the public that opportunity, applicants are required to provide evidence that they have notified key stakeholders that the land trust is applying for accreditation as part of a complete first-time or renewal application. The notice to stakeholders must include information on how interested parties can comment, when comments are due (45 days after the application due date) and that comments must relate to the Standards from Land Trust Standards and Practices.

If a comment raises questions, the substance of the comment (but not the name of the commenter) is shared with the applicant and the applicant is given an opportunity to respond. The response can be through the review process or, if the land trust is not in the application process, through the compliance confirmation process.

Public comments are not the sole determining factor in an accreditation decision, and the Commission considers the land trust's response as part of making an informed decision. In keeping with the Commission's confidentiality policy, the land trust's response and the Commission's deliberations are never shared. The Commission's approach of relying on multiple sources of information helps ensure credible decisions that maintain the integrity of the accreditation program.