Imagine growing up in a city where your backyard has over 650 acres of public land which is a sanctuary for birds of prey, blossoming wildlife, a majestic river, and a unique exposure to the great Colorado outdoors. Now, imagine that this was in your backyard, but you didn’t know about it. That’s one part of the story of the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center (NWDC) in Pueblo.

In February 2023, NWDC embarked on a year-long strategic planning process with support from The Civic Canopy with their Executive Director and the Board of Directors. The Civic Canopy has deep connections to organizations and communities in Pueblo through the past years of coalition & community support. A pattern that emerges often in our work in Pueblo is how little the community leaders and organizers know about the profound work they are all doing. If leaders are having a hard time making their work visible, then community members are having an even harder time being aware of the resources, tools, and groups available to them.

NWDC is a magical outdoor place for wildlife and human connection to foster and thrive. The staff of NWDC offer carefully planned programming, while rehabilitating birds of prey, visiting schools to teach about nature, organizing camps for youth, and many opportunities for families to come and enjoy the public place. The strategic problem is that not many people growing up in Pueblo feel like they have access to it or grow up ever setting foot here. So, what’s going on?

The Civic Canopy embarked on a journey to discover the answer to that question through Strategic Planning. NWDC had a mission statement but did not have a vision statement or a list of Core Values.

• Mission Statement = organization’s purpose
• Vision Statement = organization’s vision for the future
• Core Values = an organization’s guiding principles to achieve the mission & vision

The first part of the journey was to use MWDC’s purpose of the organization—“they why we do what we do” and connect it to a greater future. That meant we had to create a vision statement. The vision statement gives the organization a future to look forward to and aspire for. The mission & the vision statement inspired NWDC to understand what kind of organization they want to be to serve the mission and achieve the vision.

After the mission, vision, and core values were voted in, it was time to share with the community and receive feedback from the community about what NWDC can do in order to follow the mission and the vision fully. A community survey revealed that programming, communication, and infrastructure were of the highest concern to community members. With this information, listening sessions are planned to engage community members, city leaders, educators, and stakeholders in facilitated dialogue sessions. This will allow NWDC to understand unique perspectives around their grounds before NWDC creates goals and objectives as a part of its strategic plan.
What NWDC is discovering is that it is hard for an organization to implement a plan that has not been written yet. Strategic planning is a complex and valuable process for an organization to develop a key framework to follow. A strategic plan gives the organization a process to trust and to assess over time in reaching their short-term and long-term goals. Now that NWDC has indicators set for accessibility of NWDC in the community, they will be able to track progress, monitor pathways to achieve that goal, and allow NWDC to be a magical place for more community members to enjoy in the upcoming years.

This is part one of a case study. Part two will follow once the strategic planning process is complete.