Presumpscot Regional Land Trust (the Land Trust) officially received national accreditation in February through the Land Trust Alliance, the national leader in setting policy and standards for local land trusts. PRLT joins 446 land trusts in the U.S., representing approximately one third of all the land trusts nationally.

According to Executive Director, Rachelle Curran Apse, this achievement is the “Gold Seal” of approval and is the culmination of a rigorous, three-year process. She said, “We are proud to achieve national accreditation, our staff and volunteer board spent hundreds of hours over the last three years creating the written policies and plans that ensure we have strong systems to keep the promise of forever conserving land.”

The Land Trust conserves 1840 acres of wildlife habitat in 15 Preserves in the towns of Gorham, Standish, Windham and Westbrook. They provide over 25 miles of free, public access trails for walking, biking, snowshoeing and enjoying nature. The Land Trust also serves as Stewards of the Presumpscot River Watershed and is the Coordinating agency for the 28 mile Sebago to the Sea Trail.

Curran Apse said, “Our Land Trust will continue to use best practices to conserve more land and provide more access to the community in one of the fastest growing regions of the state. We are committed to ensuring future generations have access to nature close to home.”

To learn more, get involved and support the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust go to www.prlt.org.