Drumlin Farm's Strategic Plan

Developed by the Staff and Volunteers of Drumlin Farm

Farming Our Future

Strategic Planfor Drumlin Farm

Wildlife Sanctuary2010–2015

OUR FARMDrumlin Farm was established in the early 1900s by Louise Gordon Hatheway and her family. The family maintained a working farm and invited city children to visit and learn about farm life. In the mid-1950s, as farms close to Boston began disappearing and urban populations were becoming increasingly disconnected from the land, Mrs. Hatheway was inspired to donate Drumlin Farm to Mass Audubon upon her death. Since 1955, we have maintained her tradition of bringing children to the farm and have taught hundreds of thousands of children, adults, and families how land, food, wildlife, and people are bound together.

Today, Drumlin Farm is Mass Audubon’s flagship sanctuary, containing 232 acres of fields, forests, and ponds. The only facility of its kind in Greater Boston, the property features a sustainable working farm and a display of wildlife native to New England. Our $2 million annual operating budget supports a full-time staff of 25 people, in addition to 90+ seasonal teacher/naturalists, camp counselors, and farm apprentices.

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary is many things. It is a critical piece of open space that links other undeveloped land in a regional wildlife corridor. It is a set of diverse habitats that provides food and cover for many wildlife and plant species. It is a working farm with a complement of farm animals and many acres of crop and hay fields. It is a destination where visitors can have a range of farm and nature experiences. It is an environmental education center that provides opportunities for all ages to experience and learn about nature and farming both on site and within their own communities. It is a local place to find sustainably raised produce, meat, and farm products, which reach thousands of families each year through our community supported agriculture (CSA) share program, the Drumlin farm stand, and at city farmers markets.

Drumlin Farm is also a community of people – staff, volunteers, and friends – who share a passion for the sanctuary and a vision for its future. By its very nature, Drumlin Farm teaches and inspires. Drumlin exemplifies the interconnectedness of people, land, andnature. The values and qualities of Drumlin Farm remain consistent over the decades, butthe farm itself is dynamic, evolving in response to the needs of the communities it serves.

As Drumlin Farm moves forward, our site and programs will continue to evolve in response to the changing world around us and the needs of the community. It is our hope that this plan will provide a framework while we grow to keep Drumlin true to its purpose and steer a steady course into the future.

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About Drumlin Farm

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary strives to promote awareness of the interdependence of people, land, and wildlife through environmental education, stewardship of regionally significant habitat, and sustainable agricultural practices. By fostering an understanding of how our everyday choices affect the environment, we seek to inspire individuals, groups, and communities to develop and act upon their own conservation ethic in protecting the nature of Massachusetts.

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Drumlin Farm welcomes more than 100,000 children and adults each year as general visitors and program participants. A typical weekday may find adults with infants and toddlers visiting the animals, school groups studying environmental science, children doing farm chores as part of our family programs, and our Drumlin Farm preschoolers exploring their outdoor classroom. Outreach school and group programs allow us to integrate our messages and hands-on approach with local school science curricula in off-site settings. Weekends bring larger numbers of extended families and outdoor enthusiasts who roam our paths and trails to experience both farm life and the wilder side of nature in a peaceful setting. Summer camp and school vacation programs bring hundreds of children, many of whom return year after year, eager to learn and play with our trained staff in a challenging but safe environment. Even with up to 1,000 visitors on a warm and sunny weekend day, the farm never feels crowded and nature always offers up something new and interesting to see.

A high percentage of our visitors are Mass Audubon members who visit the sanctuary multiple times each year. To them, Drumlin Farm is their farm, a place they can return to time and again to visit old friends (both human and animal) and make new ones. We offer them, and our first-time visitors, the promise of something new to see on each visit, a chance to slow down from the pace of regular life, and an opportunity to be close to nature in a way that is unique and meaningful.

Drumlin Farm also engages a large set of regular and one-time volunteers in site-based action and service opportunities that total over 11,000 hours of volunteer time each year. An active Sanctuary Committee serves as a sounding board and visioning group for the Director and staff, provides critical support in planning and executing special events and fundraising activities, and forms the heart of the volunteer component of our Drumlin Farm community. Drumlin Farm is grateful to the large number of volunteers who help the sanctuary in so many ways. We could not do the important work we do without them.

OUR COMMUNITY

“Drumlin Farm has a proud his-tory and tradition. It is well-known and respected. It has a strong sense of place.”

–Gary Clayton, Mass Audubon Vice President

for Conservation Programs

“My strongest image of Drumlin Farm is of a teacher leading children. That interchange is what defines the farm and its programs..”

–Long-Time Volunteer

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The rich mix of resources at Drumlin Farm allow us to make connections between people, land, and wildlife. This ability resides in both our physical location and natural environment, but also in the knowledge and hard work of our dedicated staff and volunteers. This passion allows us to foster a connection to the environment in our visitors as we provide them with both formal and informal opportunities for outdoor environmental education. Responsible land use and landscaping demonstrates our commitment to farmland as important habitat while maintaining and conserving wild places. Our commitment to community-based farming

OUR STRENGTHSH

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OUR CHALLENGES

Drumlin Farm needs to employ creative strategies without sacrificing our mission or unique flavor. Some factors that continue to influence our future direction include:

n An active and growing interest in community farming and eating locally grown foodsDrumlin is already engaged in relevant programming and advocacy on this issue. We anticipate increasing demand for our work in this area.

n Growing public awareness of the importance of exposure to nature for proper development in young childrenThe rapid growth of the Drumlin Farm Community Preschool points to the demand for quality nature-based early childhood education school programs.

n An increase in the cost of fuel and travel that has people looking for local alternatives for fun and entertainmentOur recent physical and interpretive improvements to the site make Drumlin well positioned to meet this need.

n The global effects of climate change that threaten both people and wildlifeThe broadening understanding of climate change and its potential impacts presents an unprecedented opportunity to engage people in direct action to make sustainable choices to protect the environment.

To address these challenges and focus on our strengths, three major themes have emerged to structure our plan for Drumlin Farm’s future:

KNOw YOUR FOODOur “Know Your Food” program represents our efforts to promote the protection of community farms, eating locally, nutrition and health, and sustainable farming practices for both crops and livestock. The movement speaks to how we can eat and live responsibly by reducing our carbon footprint, stewarding the soil and land, conserving water and protecting water quality, raising livestock humanely, eliminating use of pesticides and other chemicals from our food chain, making healthy food choices, and supporting local sustainable agriculture. Drumlin Farm can play a leadership role in this

OUR FUTURE

Potential Capital Projects:KNOw YOUR FOOD

• Erect a Hoop House Greenhouse in Boyce Field with electric and water hookups

• Upgrade Boyce Field Road

• Create additional Root Cellar space

• Renovate the Service Barn

• Upgrade the Red Barn to ensure safety of animals and visitor enjoyment

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sustainably. Drumlin Farm’s competitive strength lies in the combination of these three dimensions – environmental education, stewardship, and community-based farming – and puts us in a unique position to have a significant impact on the lives of our visitors and program participants.

“The combination of farm and wildlife resources gives us an opportunity to tell a unique story. We want to create learning experiences for people that result in value shifts in their relationship with the natural world.” –Kris Scopinich, Education Manager

FARM/NATURE CONNECTION

Short-Term Initiatives (1-3 years): We will develop language and teaching materials to improve how we communicate the “Farm/Nature Connection” concept. New interpretive signage in Boyce Field will help visitors better understand the farming methods we use and the crops we grow. We will build on the progress already made to strengthen our birding programs for youth and adults. Native perennial demonstration gardens in our Welcome Area and on the Hill Path will help our visitors make ecologically responsible landscaping choices. Expanding the number and variety of wildlife for program use will allow us to help a larger audience understand the need to protect their habitats. We will form a Wildlife Biologists Club to more actively engage middle and high school students. We will use new technologies such as “critter cameras” to bring people closer to nature.

Drumlin Farm is a unique education center that brings farm and nature together into an integrated learning environment. We embrace the magic and wonder that spontaneous discoveries in this complex environment can generate. Our many facets strengthen and enhance one another and allow us to model the interwoven relationship of people, land, and wildlife. We aim to help the community understand and protect these interdependencies. It is the very complexity of the relationships between farm fields and hawks, pasture fences and wildlife travel, people and food that challenge us to observe, understand, and steward our resources.

Potential Capital Projects:FARM/NATURE CONNECTION

• New Education Building

• New Crossroads Barn

• New wildlife Care Facility

• New exhibit space to replace Drumlin Underground

• Outdoor Shelters for camp and other groups

• Establish an Interpretive Maintenance endowment

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Short-Term Initiatives (1-3 years): Drumlin Farm will continue to play a leadership role in protecting community farming and promoting local eating through programs, publications, and events while providing more direct opportunities to eat and learn at the farm. Interpretive signage and tasting programs at the Farm Stand will help visitors better understand our sustainable farming methods and experience the delicious results. Children and adults will learn and play at new hands-on exhibits in the Learning Garden. We plan to increase meat production by introducing more heritage breeds. Adding a Farm Educator to our staff will ensure that our education programs take full advantage of all our farm resources. Drumlin Farm will strengthen ties with top chefs in the area who support community farms and use locally produced food in their cooking.

Long-Term Initiatives (4+ years): Capital improvements such as better drainage and a second greenhouse will enhance our crops operation. We plan to explore additional uses of our land for agricultural products such as blueberries and fruit trees, and develop a long-range plan for the future of our maple sugar operation.

movement through production and distribution of our farm products, providing educational programs and materials, and modeling sustainable practices.

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“My children LOVE the preschool program. My daughter asks every day if she can go to Drumlin. The class has really had a fantastic experience.” –Preschool Parent

Short-Term Initiatives (1-3 years): We will continue to “green” our own operation through new elements for energy conservation and green building. A “green trail” will help visitors explore these features. Our newly revised Ecological Management Plan will guide habitat protection and restoration on the sanctuary. It will provide the cornerstone for increasing our citizen science projects and programs for direct participation in monitoring and managing our natural resources, from bluebirds to butterflies. We will establish a part-time Ecological Manager position to coordinate our efforts. We will develop interactive exhibits and increased programming on “green living.”

Long-Term Initiatives (4+ years): We will increase the size of our sheep and goat herd to improve invasive plant species management on our site. We will increase the Ecological Manager position to full-time to support a higher level of ecological monitoring, management programs, and projects. We will apply green building techniques and elements to renovations of existing buildings and new construction. We will seek ways to reduce Drumlin’s carbon footprint with the goal of becoming carbon neutral.

Potential Capital Projects:STEwARDSHIP

• Develop and implement a pond management plan

• Replace deteriorated fences and trails

• Upgrade Maintenance Building complex

• Update the Nature Center

• Renovate the Bird Hill Bathrooms

• Add new water fountains

On-Going Initiatives

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In addition to exploring these three strategic areas we will continue to focus on improving our day-to-day sanctuary operations. On-going operational initiatives include:

STEwARDSHIP

n Visitor Services/Membership: Deliver excellent customer service in a vibrant environment that provides for visitor comfort and safety, ensuring a positive experience and enhancing member recruitment and retention

n Education: Continue to develop and grow on-site and outreach

Long-Term Initiatives (4+ years): We hope to build a state-of-the-art wildlife care facility to house our expanded animal collection and a new mammal center to showcase our animals. Improvements to Boyce Field and the road that passes through it will make it a more attractive and informative visitor destination.

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Through our programs and our land management practices, we demonstrate ways of caring for our natural resources – land, water, air, soil, habitats, flora and fauna. With knowledge and experience gained by participating in citizen science projects, apprenticeships, volunteer projects and education programs, we empower people to act upon their own conservation ethic. We model “Green Living” through both our own operational decisions and our educational programs to bring sustainability and conservation into people’s daily lives. By maintaining a community of like-minded people with a common purpose, we can amplify our impact.

In applying these three main themes in our day-to-day work, we will focus on the following methods:

OUR PATH

n Inspire with our passion for the natural world – We have a daily opportunity to explore and protect the outdoors, and inspire our visitors to learn and do more in their own lives

n Go deeper – focus our efforts on what we already do well, and do it more comprehensively

n Create place-based learning opportunities that connect participants with the land, challenging them to become active stewards in their local community

n Develop a layered program progression that harnesses the power of youth development and helps kids and families identify with and strengthen our community

n Maintain the physical scale and welcoming quality that give Drumlin Farm its unique character

n Provide opportunities for connections to animals (wildlife and livestock) and wild places

“There are times when Drumlin Farm takes my breath away, it is that amazing. And when I think about the community of dedicated people – staff, volunteers, and other friends – who share that passion, it is truly humbling.” -Christy Foote-Smith, Sanctuary Director

“Drumlin Farm is not just a farm. The sanctuary’s ponds, fields, and forests allow people to explore nature on many levels. It’s all woven together,providing nature experiencesthat benefit visitors of all ages.” –Paula Goodwin, Preschool Director

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educational programming for all ages

n Crops: Continue the Drumlin Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, including on-site pick-up and donations of food to organizations such as Food For Free, Concord Open Table, and Boston Area Gleaners

n Animals: Continue to demonstrate responsible care and use of livestock and captive wildlife with a focus on heritage breeds and native species

n Volunteer Management: Continue to build a robust volunteer program, including increased capacity for group projects

n Marketing and Media: Utilize and improve marketing and communications tools to promote Drumlin Farm and our programs

n Our Community: Continue building a vibrant Drumlin Farm community that is broad and inclusive

n Fundraising: Continue to develop new friends and contributors while seeking out grants and other funding that complement our mission and goals

n Property: Maintain an enjoyable, clean, and safe environment for outdoor exploration, learning, volunteer and staff work

n Eco Management: Continue invasive plant controls and habitat restoration

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The year-long strategic planning process that resulted in this plan has been an unexpected source of inspiration, pride, and momentum for our staff as we have considered exactly what we do and why. During our initial assessment of Drumlin Farm’s capabilities, we heard again and again that when we focus on what we do well, we are able to do it better than anyone. Our goal then is to deepen our expertise and offerings in these strategic areas, knowing that their relevance to our community, our educational objectives, and our mission is strong. Our work will enhance and be enhanced by collaboration within the larger Mass Audubon community.

Drumlin Farm’s vibrant community of staff, volunteers, and friends is a critical component of our organizational strength and our mission effectiveness. We will continue to grow and nurture our community as an important asset by engaging new visitors, capturing their interests as program and camp participants, entertaining them through special events, and inspiring them through our own excitement and commitment to protecting the natural world.

OUR SUCCESS

Achieving our goals will require not only hard work on the part of our staff and volunteers but also funding beyond our current operating budget. As we strive to live within our means, the main focus of our funding strategy consists of:

n Continuing to maintain and build a base of ongoing individual Drumlin Farm supporters

n Identifying new grant opportunities appropriate to our goals

n Maintaining and expanding the diversity of the income streams that comprise our annual operating budget (membership, programs, farm products, rentals, etc.)

n Developing a detailed capital improvement plan in 2010 to serve as the basis for the next capital campaign.

Projects and new staff positions that can incorporate a revenue component to cover or offset expenses will be prioritized over those that cannot. Grants, foundation support, and major individual gifts will continue to be the main source of funds to pursue new opportunities.

About Mass Audubon

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Mass Audubon works to protect

the nature of Massachusetts for

people and wildlife. Together more

than 100,000 members, Mass

Audubon staff care for 34,000 acres

of conservation land, provide

educational programs for 225,000

children and adults annually, and

advocate for sound environmental

policies at local, state, and federal

levels. Mass Audubon’s mission and

actions have expanded since our

beginning in 1896 when our founders

set out to stop the slaughter of birds for

use on women’s fashions. Today we are

the largest conservation organization

in New England. Our statewide

network of wildlife sanctuaries, in 90

Massachusetts communities,

welcomes visitors of all ages and

serves as the base for our work.

n Play a leadership role in Green Living, giving people an immediate and actionable connection to sustainability and conservation in their daily lives, while working within Mass Audubon to better understand the impacts of global climate change on our sanctuary and to develop strategies for coping with those changes

n Reach out to diverse audiences – bring these connections to the people, where they live