HARPSWELL

Following a thorough, fiveyear application process, the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust was awarded national accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance last week.

So far, only 301 land trusts nationwide, including 20 in Maine, have received this recognition, according to a press release.

HHLT is now among other local land trusts, such as the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust and the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust in Bath, who have received accreditation.

The press release said the accreditation shows that the land trust meets the standards and practices established by the Land Trust Alliance, which offers guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust that is not only ethical and legal, but also in the public’s best interest.

“It gives you credibility within the community and the society at large, to the community we serve and any potential donors,” executive director Reed Coles said on Tuesday morning. “We are operating the property as a land trust and we can be trusted to do our work and manage our responsibilities correctly.”

After nearly five years of work on the application process, Coles said he was pleased to see the accreditation come to fruition.

He said the process began in 2011 when the the organization was assessed based on criteria established by the Land Trust Alliance. From there, Coles said the organization came up with more than 160 checklist items to help them stay organized and focused on working toward the application requirements.

After going through a preliminary application process and making some corrections, the organization submitted a completed application in October. After it was reviewed in March, Coles said it was finally approved.

Coles, who has been with the organization for 10 years, also commended the effort of members and volunteers who helped make the accreditation possible.

To qualify for the accreditation, HHLT has expanded education programs, formalized standards and upgraded management plans, according to the press release.

“The end result is that we are in a much better position, (having) all the records we need to have on hand, and for people donating easements and donations, they know they can rely on us to do the right thing,” Coles said.

When asked if there were any future goals for the organization, Coles said he hopes to focus on the organization’s long-term sustainability.

“We want to build it to a point where we can feel confident that we can sustain operations indefinitely,” he said.

‘Landing’ recognition

SO FAR, only 301 land trusts nationwide, including 20 in Maine, have received Land Trust Alliance recognition. HHLT is now among other local land trusts, such as the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust and the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust in Bath, who have also received accreditation.