August 2023: A Message from Our Executive Director

Dear Wolf River Conservancy Friend,

We are very proud of the fact that the Wolf River Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust, and we would like to remind all of our donors, friends, and volunteers why this distinction is important.

Under the auspices of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, the Wolf River Conservancy first became a nationally accredited land trust in 2015 and was reaccredited in 2020.  Today, only 400 (24%) of the 1700 land trusts in the United States have achieved this important milestone.  It is estimated that those 400 accredited protect over 81% of the privately protected lands in our country.

The national Land Trust Alliance launched the accreditation program in 2008 in order to improve and standardize land conservation practices.  Since its launch in 2008, accredited land trusts have proven to be more productive in their land conservation projects and to have greater financial assets to deliver on their mission and work, having met the high standards required for accreditation.

In 2015, our staff and board worked diligently to achieve accreditation, adopting a Strategic Land Conservation plan which is scientifically based and prioritizes land parcels in the watershed with the greatest potential impact on our clean drinking water and natural habitat.  You can visit our website to view the Protected Lands map at www.wolfriver.org/map.

Being an accredited land trust means the Wolf River Conservancy complies and operates under the highest standards for land conservation.  To learn more about these standards, please visit www.landtrustalliance.org/resources/learn/topics/land-trust-standards-and-practices.

Since our 2015 accreditation, the Conservancy has protected an additional 5,000 acres in the Wolf River watershed, representing a 36% increase in protected lands for a cumulative total of 19,000 acres.  The value of these protected lands is estimated to be approximately $30 Million.  Our board is committed to investing in these critically important lands for our community today and for future generations.

Recently, it was announced that an independent study revealed that the City of Memphis is #1 for Clean Drinking Water among other cities in the country.  The Wolf River Conservancy is proud to play a role in this achievement.

We appreciate all the continued support from our donors, partners, and volunteers to help us deliver on our mission.

Keith Cole

Executive Director