Aiken Land Conservancy Awarded Renewed Accreditation

ALC Earns National Recognition

Aiken Land Conservancy is proud to announce that our national accreditation has been renewed.

The Aiken Land Conservancy, founded in 1991 and first accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in 2016, has been awarded renewed accreditation through 2026.  Accreditation is a rigorous test of the land trust’s standards and practices, including financial documentation, record-keeping, governance, and property stewardship.

Since earning accreditation in 2016, ALC’s accomplishments and strategic partnerships have included:

  • Accredited - Land Trust Accreditation Commissionacquisition of more than 600 acres in new conservation easements;
  • participation in a public-private cost-share program to bury powerlines alongside historic Winthrop Polo Field, protecting the live oaks from utility pruning;
  • donation of $107K grant to the City of Aiken for the purpose of conducting an inventory and assessment of trees in the city’s parkways;
  • partnering with Streetscapes, the City of Aiken, and Dominion Energy to bury powerlines along South Boundary Avenue, protecting the 120-year-old live oaks that line one of Aiken’s most recognizable and treasured vistas;
  • partnering with the City of Aiken, the Aiken Garden Club, and Enviroscape on restoration of the parkway at the York Street bridges;
  • partnership with the City of Aiken on a Clean Water Act Section 319 grant to protect more lands along Shaws Creek, the source for approximately 20% of the city’s drinking water;
  • liaison between landowners and the City of Aiken for the city’s purchase and protection of the largest contiguous parcel (2500 acres) of forested land in the Shaws Creek watershed;
  • active support for establishing groundwater regulation in Aiken and six neighboring counties;
  • active support (in progress) for the Edisto River Basin Council and its efforts to maintain a sustainable surface water supply in the Edisto watershed;
  • and a stormwater partnership (in progress) with the City of Aiken and the Hitchcock Woods Foundation.

All of these accomplishments help achieve ALC’s goals of:

  • preserving the character of the City of Aiken, Aiken County, and surrounding counties, including agricultural and forest lands, fragile ecological sites, lands of educational and historic value, watersheds, and visual amenities
  • fostering the use of sound conservation practices;
  • and encouraging land use planning for the long-term benefit of the citizens of the region we serve.

Since our initial accreditation in 2016, ALC has proudly displayed the Land Trust Accreditation Commission’s seal on our website and our communications products. Accreditation by the LTAC means that we have earned a public trust and that we operate rigorously and with transparency to maintain that trust.