Renewal

Accreditation is not a one-time action; it is a tool to foster continuous improvement.

Renewal fosters continued implementation of all the Standards and evolving best practices.

To continue being a leader in conservation excellence by demonstrating compliance with current accreditation indicators and program requirements.

An accredited term is five years (a seven-year term after 15 consecutive years of being accredited) and the renewal process focuses on your land trust’s activities during its term.

As soon as your land trust is accredited it can begin to take steps to help prepare for renewal! Small steps and planning can go a long way in making your renewal journey as smooth as possible.

Explore resources to set your land trust up for a successful renewal process.

It's online! The entire renewal process (including registration) is completed entirely online through our Accreditation Management System (AMS). Registering confirms your land trust’s intent to renew and ensures the Commission has your land trust’s current contact information.

You can prepare in advance! A reference copy of the renewal registration form is available as well as other resources your land trust can use to prepare for renewal.

We will send a reminder! Six months prior to your land trust’s application due date, the primary accreditation contact for your organization will receive an email to alert them to begin the renewal process and with a link required for registering.

Your land trust can start working on the pre-application as soon as registration is submitted in the AMS.

The Pre-Application asks basic questions about your land trust and its activities over the term, related entities (if any), and potential conflicts of interest with current staff and commissioners.

Based on your land trust's pre-application answers and documentation, the Commission will request specific documents for your main application, including information on specific conservation projects.

Your land trust can start working on the application as soon as registration is submitted in the AMS.

Like the pre-application, your main application consists of a questionnaire and required attachments. You can preview the questions and attachments by reviewing the Renewal Reference Application Packet.

If your land trust has Expectations for Improvement (EFI), which can be found in your Summary of Findings from your last accreditation decision, your land trust is required to provide a statement explaining and documentation showing how it met each EFI.

Your land trust will also need to provide the documentation related to the projects and targeted verification items selected by the Commission based on the information in the pre-application.

Your land trust remains accredited during the renewal application review process, even if its accreditation expiration date has passed.

Once your application is submitted, your assigned Commission staff member and one or more volunteer commissioners form your review team. They read your application in detail.

After reviewing your application, it is likely your review team will need more information to clarify your documentation, or your land trust may need to take corrective action to show it met the requirements. Your land trust will receive an Additional Information Request (AIR) that identifies these items.

You may receive an AIR anywhere from six weeks to four months after your application was submitted. A due date for your land trust’s response to the AIR will be issued by your review team.