OLC Receives the Land Trust Alliance National Land Trust Excellence Award

The Oblong Land Conservancy (OLC) is excited to announce that the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) has selected OLC and the Putnam County Land Trust to receive the Alliance’s National Land Trust Excellence Award for all-volunteer land trusts.  It is the first time this award will recognize all-volunteer trusts in New York State.

This award is presented in honor of the collaborative conservation work in The Great Swamp watershed, one of the three largest wetlands in New York State.  The wetlands cover some 6,700 acres and the uplands surrounding the swamp provide a watershed of approximately 62,500 upland acres.


Conservation of this natural resource is vital for a number of reasons:

• It provides the sole recharge facility for the aquifer that serves more than 40,000 people in the Watershed,
• It forms the headwaters of the Croton Reservoir System that provides New York City with some of its drinking water, and 
•  It provides critical habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, some of which are endangered.

This collaboration is an important initiative since it recognizes that conservation goes beyond the efforts of a single land trust, and has led to a collaboration with Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) to implement strategies for awareness of, and land stewardship in, the Great Swamp Watershed.  It is one of 13 inter-state and inter-town partnerships happening in New York and Connecticut.  These land trusts and environmental groups recognize that together we can achieve much more than we can as individual organizations.

"Oblong Land Conservancy and Putnam County Land Trust epitomizes all we recognize in Excellence Award recipients," says Land Trust Alliance President Andrew Bowman.  "Through the highest caliber work, Oblong Land Conservancy and Putnam County Land Trust has broadened support for land conservation, built understanding and grown the conservation community."

We are honored to be receiving this award at the Alliance's Rally 2016: The National Land Conservation Conference on the evening of October 28, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

For additional details please contact Theresa Ryan, Chair Oblong Land Conservancy (845) 855 5993.

OLC Accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

OLC is pleased and proud to announce it joins the ranks of the largest land trusts in the country, receiving accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

Dutchess County, NY-- Oblong Land Conservancy, the local land trust for southern Dutchess County, today announces it has achieved accreditation - a mark of honor in land conservation. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission has awarded accreditation, signifying its confidence that Oblong Land Conservancy lands will be protected forever.

Accredited land trusts across the country have permanently conserved more than 15 million acres of farms, forests and natural areas that are vital to healthy, vibrant communities.
"Accreditation demonstrates Oblong Land Conservancy's commitment to permanent land conservation in Southeastern Dutchess County," said Chris Wood, Co-Chair. "We're a stronger organization for having gone through the rigorous accreditation program and this strength will help make this an even better place to live, for us and future generations."

Oblong Land Conservancy was among 37 land trusts across the United States to achieve accreditation or to have accreditation renewed in February. Oblong Land Conservancy joins the 342 land trusts that demonstrate their commitment to professional excellence through accreditation, helping to maintain the public's trust in their work.

"It is exciting to recognize Oblong Land Conservancy with this distinction," said Tammara Van Ryn, executive director of the Commission. "Together, accredited land trusts stand united behind strong national standards ensuring the places people love will be conserved forever. In all, over 75 percent of private lands conserved by land trusts are now held by an accredited land trust."

Each accredited land trust meets extensive documentation requirements and undergoes a comprehensive review as part of its accreditation application. The process is rigorous and strengthens land trusts with systems that help landowners and communities achieve their goals. More information about land trust accreditation can be found at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

The Commission is an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. More information about the many benefits of land conservation is available at www.landtrustalliance.org.

About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission inspires excellence, promotes public trust and ensures permanence in the conservation of open lands by recognizing organizations that meet rigorous quality standards and strive for continuous improvement. The Commission, established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts. For more, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents more than 1,100 member land trusts supported by more than 100,000 volunteers and 5 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C. and operates several regional offices. More information about the Alliance is available at www.landtrustalliance.org.
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