STRATEGIC PLAN
The mission of Wildlands Conservancy is to preserve, protect, and
enhance the land, water, ecological, and recreation
resources of the region. The Conservancy
fulfills its vision and mission through involvement with many
partners in proactive education and advocacy programs, various land-protection and stewardship
strategies, science-informed water quality and ecological restoration projects,
comprehensive community-planning efforts, and greenway and recreational-trail
development.
Wildlands Conservancy has been the principal environmental organization
of the
The watershed. The health of the river is closely tied to quality
of the lives of the watershed’s residents.
For this reason, in 1998, the Conservancy’s board of directors adopted a
five-year strategic plan, and set the Conservancy on a new course centered on the
The organization immediately began a series of initiatives focused on
this geographical area. From the beginning, the Conservancy had
support from the William Penn Foundation, and other private donors, as well as
grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. These initiatives formed an inter-disciplinary
effort to direct all of the expertise of the organization toward issues
surrounding the
To date, over 40,000 acres
of
precious open space have been preserved, numerous
stream-restoration projects have been completed, new and innovative educational
programs have been established, and several watershed-management plans have
been completed as a result of this initiative.
The culmination of these efforts was the comprehensive and strategic Lehigh River Watershed Conservation
Management Plan completed in 2004.
It can be found on-line at www.wildlandspa.org/Rivers/lr_cp.html.
With the last strategic plan successfully implemented, it is once again
time to look ahead. Since the
Conservancy intends to continue its focus on this same geographical area and
issues, this new strategic plan will refine that focus by setting a five-year
agenda within the context of the two-county Lehigh Valley and the ten-county
The Lehigh River Watershed
Conservation Management Plan provides the Conservancy, as well as the watershed
community, with a strategic blueprint for future protection, preservation, and
enhancement of the region. In
particular, Wildlands Conservancy is uniquely positioned to act as the lead
entity, and to build broad-based partnerships to protect the natural resources
of the
The Lehigh River Watershed
Conservation Management Plan also affords the Conservancy the opportunity
to focus its self-initiated efforts on the highest-priority projects within its
expertise and its financial capabilities.
At
its core, this strategic plan enumerates just such a set of
priorities for the next
five years. It also recognizes, however, that these priorities should not be static,
and should evolve with events and opportunities. Furthermore, this plan is not intended to be
comprehensive; the Conservancy should certainly continue to respond to
opportunities, provide services to other organizations, and
undertake revenue-earning projects consistent with its mission as it has in the
past. Rather, the priorities in this
strategic plan define the areas in which the Conservancy will be actively
initiating projects.
The plan begins with an overview of the Conservancy’s recent
accomplishments in its major areas of expertise. This is followed by a set of priorities that
build on the strengths and the past experience of the organization. These priorities are stated as goals that it
has set for itself. Finally, there is a
discussion of the Conservancy’s wider range of activities within this context.
ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Education/Awareness – Since its inception, Wildlands
Conservancy’s educational mission has been to create awareness, understanding,
and appreciation of the environment in order to promote responsible
environmental stewardship. The
Conservancy’s unique environmental-education programming has provided
leadership, innovation, and initiative with programs designed to empower
individuals to protect their environment, and to motivate people to use parks,
trails, and rivers as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.
To this end, the Conservancy provides formal
environmental-education programming that assists local schools in meeting state
academic standards, and responds to informal education/recreation needs of the
community with public programming. During
the last five years, 75,000 children and adults participated in educational
programs at the Pool Wildlife Sanctuary.
To better serve these students, the Conservancy’s educational
programming was significantly enhanced by the recent construction of the 5,500-square-foot
Land Conservation and Planning – Land-conservation and planning efforts at the Conservancy have been focused on protecting and enhancing the quality of life and the environment through a rational, integrated approach. The goal of the program is to preserve critical habitat and precious open space, to manage property in an environmentally sound manner, to expand parks and other recreational lands and corridors, and to educate municipal officials about smart-growth principles and best environmental management practices.
Since 1973, Wildlands Conservancy has played a significant role in the sheltering of more than 40,000 acres of
land in 16 eastern
River
Conservation – Wildlands
Conservancy’s rivers program utilizes a comprehensive watershed approach to
protecting water resources. The goal of
the program is to preserve, protect, and enhance the water resources of this
geographic region through education, restoration, watershed planning, and
proper resource management.
The Conservancy has completed four watershed conservation management
plans (
The Conservancy has recently completed a substantial abandoned mine
drainage remediation project at the Lausanne Tunnel near Nesquehoning,
Trails
and Greenways – Wildlands
Conservancy is committed to promoting, enhancing, and assisting in the planning
and implementation of trails and greenways in the region. Planning, developing, and maintaining a
“green infrastructure” brings limitless benefits to the health of the
environment, and its inhabitants, of the region.
Conservancy staff recently
developed a water trail for 72 miles of the
It is the consensus of the staff
and the board of directors of the Wildlands Conservancy that accomplishing each
of the following goals in the coming five years would make a significant contribution
to the quality of the environment in the
These goals are all based on specific recommendations on pages 419 to 444 in the Lehigh River Watershed Conservation Management Plan. Furthermore, the Conservancy has the expertise, ability, and influence to marshal funding, the relationships and skills to organize broad-based partnerships, and the ability to attract volunteers to assist in the effort.
Although individuals will rank the importance of these goals in different ways, each goal offers many opportunities for community support, volunteer participation, and financial contribution. To be achieved, they must transcend the Wildlands Conservancy and gain broad support for their benefits to the region.
·
Preserve more high-priority open spaces in the
Helping to maintain a balance between our man-made infrastructure and our
nature-related amenities has always been an important mission of this
organization. Preserving high-priority open spaces
will maintain the natural beauty of the watershed, provide additional
recreational opportunities for its citizens, and protect the habitat of a rich
variety of native plants and animals. To
accomplish this goal, the Conservancy will work with communities, local
governments, and state agencies to refine the prioritized list created for the Lehigh River Watershed Conservation
Management Plan, and to coordinate acquisition and protection agendas. Using this refined list, the Conservancy will
actively expand its land-protection program by contacting owners of high-priority
land (such as those near the Conservancy’s South Mountain Preserve or the
Lehigh River, for example) for preservation offering creative ways to protect
these parcels, and by raising funds for the preservation of open space.
·
Remediate abandoned mine drainage impacts in the
The
·
Preserve, protect, restore, and enhance stream
corridors on the Monocacy, Little Lehigh, and
Non-point source
pollution
[1]
has been identified as a
major source of impairment in the Monocacy, Little Lehigh, and Jordan creek
watersheds. The Conservancy has
completed watershed conservation management plans on all three of these
watersheds, in addition to the
·
Actively promote the Conservancy’s
land-conservation, land-planning, and stream-remediation services to public and
private entities.
The Conservancy has the right programs to meet the challenges of balancing economic growth and the environment using smart-growth strategies and best management practices to produce wiser land usage and conservation throughout the region. Its staff has already provided valuable consultation services on various land-use and water-resource issues to a number of local governmental entities. By actively expanding these services, the Conservancy will help revitalize the region’s cities and counter the deleterious effects of a population that is, according to a recently published report by the Brookings Institution, spreading out over the landscape at a rate greater than its increase in numbers. Using targeted, audience-specific presentations, printed materials, computer-generated mapping, and other demonstrations, the Conservancy will actively proffer its services to municipal officials, developers, landowners, planning professionals, watershed associations, and agency professionals. To bolster this effort, a coordinated series of more generic printed materials directed to the general public on relevant subjects like open-space planning, environmental ordinances, and environmental protection will be created and widely distributed.
·
Implement a marketing plan to inform a wider
constituency about the mission of the Conservancy, and to gain support for its
projects and services.
A comprehensive,
integrated marketing plan using appropriate communication tools is necessary to
reach the approximately
1 million people living in the
Most other conservation organizations like the Wildlands Conservancy are involved in projects and programs that carry them outside their historical geographical area. These organizations are indeed becoming more global in their approach to their missions. This kind of expansion is not currently part of a strategic plan for Wildlands, but its potential beyond this geographic region is well known.
The Conservancy’s deliberate geographic focus notwithstanding, there
are areas beyond the
Responding to requests and needs beyond its geographic region will not
be abandoned as the organization focuses its own initiatives on more specific
local projects. Each external project
will be judged on its own merits. Many
of these projects support the broader mission of the Conservancy, provide staff
members with opportunities to enhance their skills, build strong relationships
with similar organizations, and earn revenue.
Wildlands Conservancy is capable of providing expert advice to
organizations beyond its primary region in the remediation of abandoned mine
drainage, the management of resources utilizing native plants and plant
communities, the development of education/recreation programming like the Bike & Boat program, the
implementation of walking/exercise-for-health programs, and the establishment
of larger-scale riparian buffers. These
examples illustrate how local initiatives can lead to broader opportunities and
enhance the value of creative local projects.
For 31 years, Wildlands
Conservancy has been the principal environmental organization of the
By striving to meet the eight goals stated in this strategic plan,
Wildlands Conservancy will enhance its stature and value in this region. For the next five years, these goals will be
the foundation of the organization’s efforts.
In addition, the organization will continue its existing programs, as
well as be selectively responsive to ideas and energies that emerge from
whatever source.
final
– 10/14/2004
[1] A “non-point source” of pollution comes from a non-specific location, such as a paved surface or a farm field.
[2] A “riparian buffer” contains a mixture of natural vegetation (trees, shrubs, and grasses) located on a margin of land adjacent to a water course. The vegetation acts as a filter (or buffer) for surface water entering the stream from the land.