For the Tomahawk Leader
STEVENS POINT – North Central Conservancy Trust (NCCT) recently announced that it has achieved national recognition.
A release from NCCT said the organization began 30 years ago, when conservation-minded central Wisconsinites from Wausau and Stevens Point worked together to form a land trust, a “community-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land.”
NCCT said its mission is to “conserve the natural heritage of central Wisconsin through the protection of land.”
“NCCT works with landowners to develop conservation easements that protect and preserve the ecological values of their properties,” the release stated. “The organization also owns several preserves that are open to the public, including the 160-acre Mumford Preserve in Marathon County.”
NCCT is based in Stevens Point operates in an eight-county service area that includes Lincoln, Taylor, Clark, Marathon, Wood, Portage, Adams and Waushara counties.
With the completion of its most recent project in 2023, the organization now holds 60 conservation easements and has surpassed 5,000 total acres of land protected, including more than 10 miles of shoreline on central Wisconsin waterbodies.
In earning national recognition, NCCT joins a network of over 450 accredited land trusts across the nation and 16 in Wisconsin that have “demonstrated their commitment to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in their work,” according to the release.
“This is NCCT’s first attempt at becoming accredited, though it has been a goal for the organization for a long time,” NCCT stated.
“It is exciting to recognize NCCT with this national mark of distinction,” said Melissa Kalvestrand, Executive Director of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. “Donors and partners can trust the more than 450 accredited land trusts across the country are united behind strong standards and have demonstrated sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance and lasting stewardship.”
“We are thrilled that NCCT has been granted national accreditation status after completing a rigorous review process of our land trust activities and performance,” said Jill Falstad, President of NCCT’s Board of Directors. “We are grateful to our supporters over the past 30 years, including board and committee members, donors, landowners, staff, property monitors, volunteers and community partners, who have all contributed to building and advancing our land trust so we could meet the high standards for national accreditation and receive this designation. Our strength means more special places in central Wisconsin will be protected forever, making our communities an even greater place now and for future generations.”
Accredited land trusts steward almost 20 million acres of land across the United States, equivalent to the size of more than half of the state of Wisconsin, according to the release.
“NCCT provided extensive documentation to the National Land Trust Accreditation Commission during the years-long application process,” said NCCT Executive Director Chris Radford. “After a comprehensive third-party evaluation, the commission awarded the distinction of accreditation, signifying its confidence that NCCT meets the highest standards in all categories. We thank all of those who worked so hard to help NCCT reach this milestone as this status could not have been achieved without the many contributions of the team members dedicated to this task.”
NCCT is one of 1,363 land trusts across the United States and more than 40 in Wisconsin, according to the Land Trust Alliance’s most recent National Land Trust Census. Of those, 16 are nationally accredited. A complete list of accredited land trusts and more information about the process and benefits can be found at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
The organization said it is “thrilled about their recent designation and is encouraged about working with more landowners to permanently protect their wetlands, shoreline, prairies, forests, agricultural lands, and habitat that supports birds, wildlife and native plant communities.”
To learn more about land protection opportunities, conservation easements or supporting NCCT, visit www.ncctwi.org or call 715-344-1910.