Building on 27 years of land conservation and stewardship across the North Olympic Peninsula — equating to more than 3,300 conserved acres for farms, fish and forests — the North Olympic Land Trust recently renewed its land trust accreditation.

As part of a network of only 389 accredited land trusts across the nation, this recognition reaffirms the organization’s commitment to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in its conservation work, land trust officials said this week.

Accredited land trusts must renew every five years, confirming their compliance with national quality standards and providing continued assurance to donors and landowners of their commitment to forever steward their land and easements. The North Olympic Land Trust had to provide extensive documentation and undergo a comprehensive review as part of its accreditation renewal, earning the renewed status from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

“Renewing our accreditation reflects the ongoing dedication to collaborate with our community to conserve the incredible and diverse lands that define Clallam County,” said Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director.

“By providing the standards, practices and the process to ensure our small, rural land trust in the northwest corner of the country is meeting the highest national standards for excellence and conservation performance, we’re able to really focus on doing the work while having the confidence and accountability that comes with accreditation.”

The North Olympic Land Trust is one of 1,363 land trusts across the United States, according to the most recent National Land Trust Census, released Dec. 1, 2016, by the Land Trust Alliance.