Manada Conservancy became an accredited land trust February 2024, a status that can be renewed every five years. Accreditation means Manada Conservancy meets national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Manada Conservancy demonstrated to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission its commitment to excellence. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate the commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. To learn more about land trust accreditation and the current accreditation status of Manada Conservancy, visit http//www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about.
We have been partners in preservation with the Manada Conservancy since 2005. It was a three year process for us, but worth every bit of our time and effort to preserve this 65 acre farmland which has been in our famiiy for generations. We moved here from Pittsburgh 25 years ago to retire on the farm where Max was born and raised and where his father raised chickens and dairy cows on what was then about 200 acres. It's no longer a working farm, but with its woods, native plants, stream, birds, deer, occasional foxes and other wildlife it is one beautiful, if tiny, green space on our planet earth.
Since moving we have seen many family farms with much green space in Dauphin and neighboring Lancaster counties lost to large housing developments and shopping malls. Coincidentally (looking back on it, providentially) we met and made new friends, friends of integrity, friends who shared our love of nature and the environment. Fast forward a number of years and we found that a number of these same friends became the founding members of The Manada Conservancy!
As we (along with our grown children) slowly came to the decision that we wanted to place a conservation easement on our property, we knew it would be with the young and growing land trust called Manada Conservancy. We have not been disappointed. All the conservancy people we have met and worked with impress as as being true to their mission, knowledgeable yet continually learning, hard working with good follow-through, interesting and delightful.
I grew up with a quote from my maternal great grandfather: "Our eyes need something green to look upon." The older I get the more that simple statement means to me. And there's another quote by John Muir that I believe is true as well: "Everyone needs beauty as well as bread." It is a good feeling to know that by working with The Manada Conservancy to preserve this beautiful green space, we are doing our little bit to insure that our township retains its rural aspect.
Max and Erika Lauffer
Londonderry Township, PA
We contacted the Manada Conservancy (a land trust organization) in the hopes of preserving our farm (80 acres in Londonderry Twp, Dauphin Co., Pa) as we did not wish it to be developed and were getting a lot of pressure from developers. Within a few days, we were contacted by Manada Conservancy and a meeting was set up. We were impressed by the professionalism and "approachability" of the organization. They clearly explained the procedure, indicated any costs to us and gave us a time frame. Manada Conservancy works with grants, so other than having a current survey, which in this case we did, the cost to the client is minimal. The client is responsible for attorney fees, but then is often reimbursed through grants. A donation is appreciated to the Conservancy. Upon our inquiry, they indicated what other clients who had their properties conserved donated.
They spent quite a lot of time preparing the baseline document, making sure that it was exactly as we desired. They were very patient with our questions and concerns.
They answered all phone calls immediately and spent much time traversing the property to accurately map the areas.
We would highly recommend the Manada Conservancy to anyone looking to preserve their property and meet the criteria of a preservation-worthy property. They spend as little on administrative costs as possible and utilize a great staff of volunteers. They also advocate widely in the areas they serve. They truly deserve our support.