2025–30 strategic plan thriving nature. thriving communities. thriving organization. land for life. nature for all.
In 1953, a group of avid birders came together in an attempt to stop Gulf Oil Company from dumping Schuylkill River dredging spoils into the Tinicum Marshes—an important habitat located in southwest Philadelphia and Delaware County. This small but mighty coalition eventually succeeded in saving what is now the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum and went on to create one of the earliest land trusts in the United States.
Thus begins the history of Natural Lands. Determined. Strategic. Plucky. It’s the stock from which we’ve grown.
Today—as the oldest and largest conservation organization in our region— we have saved more than 135,000 acres, including 40-plus nature preserves and one public garden that span 13 counties and two states.
For 70 years—anchored in a culture of strategic and fiscal discipline complemented by thoughtful risk-taking and innovation—we have grown our impact. We are guided by the heart of our mission, “land for life. nature for all.” It’s a promise we pursue, day in and day out, by focusing on three core areas:
• Saving open space.
• Caring for nature.
• Connecting people to the outdoors and each other.
Peacedale Preserve | 222 acres
Photo by Jill Sabre
Cover: Stroud Preserve | 571 acres
Photo by Mark Williams
executive letter
We are delighted to share with you Natural Lands’ next Strategic Plan, which will serve as our guide star through 2030.
Entitled “Thriving Nature. Thriving Communities. Thriving Organization,” this Strategic Plan is rooted in our already considerable strengths as an organization and our track record of success over decades. It also acknowledges the significant challenges that our natural world, the communities of our region, and our organization face. And it calls us to focus, innovate, and act boldly in the face of these challenges.
In short, Natural Lands can do even more.
In the coming five years, we will:
• focus more of our conservation efforts on priority landscapes that provide the greatest benefit to people and nature, continue to protect the special places that are at the heart of the communities of our region, and expand our efforts to strengthen nature footholds in places that too often lack them;
• accelerate the pace and scale of restoration projects on our preserves and garden;
• increase opportunities for everyone in our region to connect with the wonders of nature;
• support communities and individuals in planning and managing their outdoor spaces sustainably; and
• continue to strengthen our organization so that we can deliver on the promises of this Strategic Plan with excellence.
This plan reflects months of work that included substantial input from our Board of Trustees, staff, President’s Council, NextGen Council, and numerous other key stakeholders. The process and plan itself also benefitted mightily from leadership of the staff Strategic Planning Team, which included senior management and representatives of each department. We are immensely grateful to each of the 175 individuals who shared their insights, ideas, and passion. Our efforts and our organization will be better as a result.
To be sure, we live in a dynamic world of constant change and considerable challenges. Natural Lands has, over its more than seventy years, proven time and again that we can make a meaningful, positive difference. We look to the future with devotion to our mission and commitment to continued growth in our organization and the impact we will make. In essence, to thriving together in the years ahead.
With appreciation,
Susan P. Mucciarone Chairperson, Board of Trustees
Oliver P. Bass President and CEO
Photo by Adam Hribar
strategic plan process
Natural Lands formally embarked on the development of a new comprehensive Strategic Plan to guide the growth of the organization in April 2024. The plan was formally adopted by the Board of Trustees one year later.
A cross-functional Strategic Planning Team, which included staff members from across the organization, collaborated with Marc Smiley and his colleagues at Metamorphic Consulting to pursue a broadly inclusive process for plan development.
Marc is an Oregon-based organizational consultant with extensive experience helping land conservation organizations address the challenges of strategic and capacity planning.
listening sessions and interviews
The planning process benefitted from the input of 67 individual donors; representatives of key partners and funders; elected officials; representatives of state, county, and local government; land trust peers; Force of Nature volunteers; members of staff; Natural Lands’ IDEA Team; President’s Council; and NextGen Council, all of whom participated in 90-minute listening sessions or 60-minute 1:1 interviews.
staff and trustee survey
In August 2024, 48 members of Natural Lands staff and Board of Trustees responded to an online survey, developed and analyzed by Metamorphic Consulting.
leadership summit and stakeholder retreats
143 members of Natural Lands’ Board of Trustees, President’s Council, NextGen Council, and staff participated together in a series of off-site retreats throughout the fall of 2024. This included the first-ever Leadership Summit, which brought together the Board and advisory groups.
the results
The main themes and recommendations expressed by contributors fell into six categories:
1
2
Conserve open spaces with willing communities and landowners to ensure the natural vitality, resilience, and ecological health of the region.
Steward lands to ensure their conservation value, public benefits, and climate resilience for the future.
3
4 5 6
Connect people to nature for the benefit of both.
Support communities to help them plan and manage their outdoor spaces sustainably.
Ensure that organizational excellence and community-building are at the heart of Natural Lands.
Better define the boundaries of where Natural Lands works.
Photos on opposite page (in numbered order): 1. Stroud Preserve, 571 acres, Nicholas Rohr; 2. Sadsbury Woods Preserve, 511 acres, Mike Niven; 3. Stroud Preserve, 571 acres, Ellie Ezekiel; 4. Palmer Park, 1.1 acres, Mae Axelrod; 5. Cheslen Preserve, 1,282 acres, Sean Quinn; 6. Crow’s Nest Preserve, 712 acres, Dan Barringer
the challenge
answering the question: WHY?
Natural Lands has long pursued a mission that endeavors to meet the needs of both nature and people. That means we do many things toward a common purpose. We seek to save open space, care for nature, and connect people to the outdoors and each other
The result? Thriving natural lands that might otherwise have been lost. Healthier communities in which millions can benefit from the fruits of our shared efforts. And a track record of success and organizational capacity that positions us to have even greater impact.
The region we serve continues to face significant challenges, including:
• a changing climate that threatens both ecosystems and communities;
• persistent development pressure that leads to loss of open spaces that are essential to the health of the planet and the wellbeing of people;
• a dramatic decrease in the diversity of wildlife and habitats; and
• communities that lack access to trails, parks, and the natural spaces that bring us together.
These are broad-scale challenges. Fortunately, Natural Lands has demonstrated over decades that we can lead on these issues, generating tangible benefits for our region.
Natural Lands is now called to do even more.
Our last strategic plan focused on the core issues that threaten natural and human communities throughout our region. We used powerful mapping tools to highlight areas that have special significance and that, if preserved, will ensure resilience for nature and people for generations. We began growing our resources so that we can be more proactive about the land we protect and ensure the vitality of the lands we’ve already protected.
Now we must focus—to identify the program investments that have the greatest potential to build a healthy, resilient region for everyone; we must innovate in ways that enhance the impact of our efforts; and we must act boldly to make our vision a reality.
Green Hills Preserve | 201 acres
Photo by Donna Galanti
Bear Creek Preserve | 3,986 acres
Photo by Mark Williams
Binky Lee Preserve | 112 acres
Photo by Jill Sabre
Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary | 200 acres
Photo by Zane Miller
our vision
Natural Lands envisions a region in which nature nurtures and sustains all creatures that live here, where everyone has access to, and experiences the benefits of, connection and proximity to natural places, and where engagement with nature and the work of conservation helps to bring communities together.
To achieve such ambitions, Natural Lands must continue our pursuit of organizational excellence.
• We envision an organization that sets the standard regionally and nationally for sustainable, relevant, and innovative conservation.
• We envision an organization that attracts and retains talented, diverse, and committed staff who thrive in their workplace and excel in their work.
• We envision an organization that engages volunteer leaders from a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives. Their spirit and guidance ensures that Natural Lands puts the needs and desires of the communities we serve at the very center of our service.
our mission
Land for life. Nature for all. We preserve and nurture nature’s wonders and resilience, while creating opportunities for joy, discovery, belonging, and connection in nature for everyone in our region.
our values
In the first year of this plan, we will undertake an inclusive process to define our values and culture with both staff and board members. What follows is a placeholder list of values that emerged during the strategic planning process:
• Treat each other with kindness.
• Build caring, honest relationships as the foundation for community partnership.
• Embrace our belief that we have the capability and will to succeed.
• Communicate openly and transparently to foster understanding and participation.
• Pursue excellence and accountability in our work.
• Manage resources ethically and prudently.
• Approach our work with humility, remaining committed to continuous learning.
• Collaborate across the organization to maximize our impact.
Bryn Coed Preserve | 510 acres
Photo by Mark Williams
save goal 1
Conserve open spaces with willing communities and landowners to ensure the natural vitality, resilience, and ecological health of the region.
strategies
1. Protect priority landscapes that provide multiple conservation benefits to people and nature, using the full complement of Natural Lands’ conservation tools.
2. Protect special places that provide conservation benefit and/or cultural significance to the community.
3. Support efforts that strengthen nature footholds in naturedeprived communities.
in five years
• The total number of conservation projects Natural Lands completes annually (including partnerships, assists, transfers) doubles and includes:
- establishment of two new Natural Lands-owned properties in a strategic landscape or community,
- expansion of five existing Natural Lands properties, and
- the addition of protective buffers through conservation easements for three existing Natural Lands properties.
• Annually, the total number of acres we conserve (acquire/ease) in rural areas increases by 20 percent, from a baseline of 770 acres annually during the previous strategic planning period.
• We have completed five new “Nature Foothold Projects” in nature-deprived communities either directly or through collaboration. These projects could include land acquisition resulting in public access, planning for improved accessibility, or land stewardship for ecologically healthier natural spaces.
Hildacy Preserve | 55 acres
Photo by Thomas Caldwell
care goal 2
Steward lands to ensure their conservation value, public benefits, and climate resilience for the future.
strategies
1. Steward our portfolio of regional nature preserves and Stoneleigh garden (our properties) to improve their ecological function and conservation values and build their ecological resilience.
2. Steward our properties to provide outstanding experiences in nature, opportunities for learning, and conservation that benefits people.
3. Partner with landowners to improve land and easement stewardship of properties under Natural Lands conservation easement.
in five years
• We have expanded our harvesting and propagation programs for species of concern and established an internal propagation program at Stoneleigh.
• We have increased tree cover across the preserve system by planting and caring for 60,000 trees.
• We have increased grassland bird/ pollinator habitat across the preserve system by 100 acres (approximately seven percent of available acreage).
• Increased staff capacity allows us to more consistently collect comprehensive stewardship data, monitor the ecological benefits of habitat restoration projects, and track public use impacts at our preserves.
• Surveys indicate that increasing numbers of visitors to and volunteers at Natural Lands properties have learned more about the ways in which caring for land benefits both people and nature.
Kaczenski Property | 252 acres
Photo by Kate Raman
connect goal 3
Connect people to nature for the benefit of both.
strategies
1. Build relationships with a variety of communities that have traditionally benefitted less from conservation to support their conservation needs and priorities.
2. Promote inclusive opportunities to experience the wonders of nature at our properties, serving constituents from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests.
3. At our properties and beyond, encourage learning for children and adults through partnerships and programming.
in five years
• Infrastructure improvements—including opening existing Natural Lands preserves more fully to the public—provide greater access to and engage new audiences at our properties.
• A plurality of program participants report that they felt safe, welcomed, and able to participate fully; that their experience is likely to change the way they behave; and that they are more empowered to act.
Saunders Woods Preserve | 25 acres
Photo by TS. Badiyah Austin
goal 4
support
Support communities to plan and manage their outdoor spaces sustainably.
strategies
1. Promote public investment in conservation and long-term stewardship of protected lands.
2. Engage in other public issues and initiatives—such as attainably priced housing—to ensure conservation is part of important community solutions.
in five years
• Government investment in conservation and stewardship at the local and county level has increased. One county has passed a successful open space referendum, and we are actively engaged with a second county. Ten municipalities have passed successful open space referendums with our involvement. State investments in conservation and recreation do not decrease.
• We have undertaken our first conservation or planning project that addresses the need for attainably priced housing.
Crebilly Farm | 308 acres
Photo by Mark Williams
excel goal 5
Ensure organizational excellence and community-building are at the heart of Natural Lands.
strategies
1. Foster an engaged leadership— including our Board of Trustees, President’s Council, and NextGen Council—that represents the communities we serve and Natural Lands’ priorities for the future.
2. Attract and retain a diverse, engaged staff driven by strong performance and healthy organizational culture.
3. Engage motivated volunteers— including through Force of Nature, Stoneleigh Ambassador, and other programs—to extend the capacity and strengthen the energy of the organization.
4. Advance our strategic priorities and ensure organizational sustainability through a commitment to fiscal responsibility and ambitious fundraising.
5. Develop systems and facilities to support the organization.
in five years
• Staff engagement surveys are administered regularly and demonstrate high levels of satisfaction.
• We have established a well-defined, transparent, and fair compensation philosophy, ensuring staff understand how salary decisions are made.
• Routinized check-ins between staff members and their supervisors, along with ongoing opportunities for learning, advance staff development and the pursuit of individual and organizational goals.
• Unrestricted fundraising revenue has underwritten at least 20 percent of the organization’s annual operating budget each year, and goals associated with a campaign to enable strategic plan priorities are met.
• Technology systems are secure and enable staff to work efficiently. Information is easily accessible, and insights help improve strategy and day-to-day management.
• We have successfully completed accreditation renewal and continue to maintain our commitment to the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards and Practices.
Photos on opposite page (clockwise from top left): Stoneleigh: a natural garden, 42 acres, David Korbonits; Willisbrook Preserve, 126 acres, Taproot Photography; Crow’s Nest Preserve, 712 acres, Mae Axelrod; Gwynedd Preserve, 279 acres, Debbie Beer; Stroud Preserve, 571 acres, Kevin Kelleher; Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, 200 acres, Zane Miller
glossary
access to nature
The ability to be near, enjoy, or approach nature in a way that is safe, welcoming, and suitable to the user’s purpose for being outside. It can be measured by the amount of green space, how far away it is, or how often someone visits it.
accessibility
Accessibility means that all people have equal opportunity to acquire the same information, visit the same places, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as others. For Natural Lands, this means being inclusive, proactive, and continually adaptive in removing barriers that prevent access to our places and prevent meaningful experiences across our properties and in our programs.
Understanding that everyone has unique access needs, this is not limited to addressing the needs of those with disabilities.
attainably priced housing
Housing that is affordable to people earning around the Area Median Income (AMI). Households living in attainable housing and earning between 80 percent and 120 percent of the AMI should not need to spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs.
belonging
Belonging is a sense of being accepted and embraced by those around you. It is an accumulation of day-today experiences that enables a person to feel secure and live as their full, unique self wherever they are. In the workplace, it means an employee’s sense that their uniqueness is accepted and embraced by their organization and colleagues.
diverse
Showing a great deal of variety. Including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds, and/or lived and learned experiences. In nature, a variety of plant and animal species and a variety of landscape types.
inclusive
– see “belonging”
nature
Nature means “all the animals, plants, rocks, etc. in the world and all the features, forces, and processes that happen or exist independently of people, such as the weather, the sea, mountains, the production of young animals or plants, and growth.”
– Cambridge Dictionary
At Natural Lands, we speak often of people and nature, suggesting they are separate, but people are also part of nature. The long-standing perception that the two are separate and distinct is detrimental to both.
nature for all
Ensuring that the benefits of nature are available to everyone in our region. We can realize this aspect of our mission through conservation efforts that ensure clean water, provide healthy habitats, mitigate climate impacts, and provide free access to quality experiences in nature at our properties and elsewhere. This does not, however, require that every property that Natural Lands owns or protects must be open to the public. As there have long been, there will be cases in which logistical considerations or the presence of sensitive species precludes access.
nature footholds
A well-managed, community-relevant, accessible space where nature and people can thrive in an area that otherwise lacks them (i.e., nature-deprived). A jumping off point/catalyst for more conservation and/ or involvement.
organizational excellence
A strong commitment—shared across the organization—to the pursuit of excellence in all that we do. It includes, but is not limited to, the way we operate, how we manage our finances, and the ways in which we support our staff and engage with others.
priority landscapes
Large areas identified through conservation planning that have shared characteristics, particularly with regards to ecological function. They may share similar climate, vegetative community, geology, soils, landforms, slope, or aspect that give rise to similar natural communities. Conservation focused on this scale is often considered an “ecosystem approach” because the area is large enough that protection of it helps maintain a suite of ecological functions. (Past examples at Natural Lands include Hopewell Big Woods, Unami Forest, Schuylkill Highlands Landscape, and Burden Hill in NJ.)
resilience
The ability of communities—both natural and human—to withstand, recover from, and adapt to negative events such as changes in the climate and episodes of severe weather.
special places
These are areas comprised of a single ownership parcel or a bundle of several, typically contiguous parcels, that contain significant natural or cultural resources relevant to Natural Lands’ mission and/or to a local community. These may include Natural Lands’ properties (or additions to them), local and county parks, farms or other large open space properties, trail or other recreational and greenway connectors, etc.
stewardship
The conducting, supervising, or managing of something, especially the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. –Merriam Webster
Land stewardship is:
• The management of natural resources for the benefit of humans and wildlife, including current and future generations.
• Maintaining trails that provide people with safe access while minimizing harm to other areas.
• Management of invasive plants that compete with native species for resources like sunlight and water and that are less likely to support wildlife.
