In November 2008, Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, awarded the Delaware Nature Society the coveted 4-star rating for sound fiscal management for the second year running! The calculations are based on an organization's ability to effectively manage and grow its finances. As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars. Charity Navigator provides donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make. Less than a quarter of the charities evaluated receive the highest rating of four stars, and only 18% receive the rating two years in a row, indicating the Delaware Nature Society outperforms the majority of non-profits in America with respect to fiscal responsibility. Click this link to go to our rating page on the Charity Navigator website.
|
Founded in 1964, the Delaware Nature Society is the pre-eminent non-profit environmental organization in the state. This position has been well earned through its long-term and consistently active preservation, conservation and advocacy programs. Delaware Nature Society is unique in the way it integrates education as a vital element in its role in preservation, conservation and advocacy. Currently, thousands of members support this important work and/or participate in programs while over 1,000 volunteers assist the 32 member core staff and interns so that annual programs continue to improve and increase.
Mission:
- to foster understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the natural world through education
- to preserve ecologically significant areas
- to advocate stewardship and conservation of natural resources
Educational Program:
- provides over 400 year-round environmental science, natural history, agricultural, and cultural history outdoor programs for all ages
- reaches 32,500 school student contacts with over 100 different day & overnight programs
- reaches under-served urban populations in Wilmington, Dover, Milford, and Rehoboth through NatureLink programs
- trains teachers and environmental professionals via five University of Delaware graduate courses
Preservation Program:
- pioneered preservation of natural areas in Delaware beginning in 1971
- through leadership of a coalition of 330 organizations achieved a permanent funding stream for open space and for farmland preservation
- created first Agricultural Preservation District north of the C & D Canal in Delaware by enrolling the Society's Coverdale Farm in the Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
- protects ~500 acres through conservation easements and deed restrictions
- promotes conservation through direct gifts, conservation easements, and land management counseling
Advocacy Program:
- works aggressively - through a scientific, fact-based approach - to protect Delaware's natural resources
- develops positions and takes actions on more than 50 issues at the federal, state, and local levels
- cultivates a network of citizen activists
Watershed Stewardship Program:
- coordinates Stream Adoption to educate individuals, families, scout and school groups about stream ecology, the threats to stream health, and their individual role in protecting water quality
- leads Technical Monitoring, a nationally recognized prototype for the acceptance and use of citizen science data by the State and Environmental Protection Agency
- certifies properties as official Backyard Wildlife Habitats in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation
Facilities:
- operates three nature education centers: Ashland Nature Center near Hockessin, Delaware, Abbott's Mill Nature Center near Milford, Delaware, and DuPont Environmental Education Center opening in September 2009 in Wilmington, DE.
- DNS manages the historic mill and grounds of Cooch-Dayett Mills for education programs
- manages the Coverdale Farm - an agricultural education facility dedicated to connecting people to the land
Land & Biodiversity Management:
- manages over 1,900 acres (620 Society owned)
- the above includes four nature preserves managed for the protection of biodiversity, research and environmental education-Burrows Run Preserve, Flint Woods Preserve, Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve, and Cedar Bog Preserve.
- Manages the forest restoration project at the New Castle County Middle Run Valley Natural Area.
Research & Publications:
- publishes books and videos promoting public awareness of land, water, and air quality; native plants and wildlife Revised 3/2009
|
|
