About North Lakeland Discovery Center
Our Mission
To Enrich Lives and Inspire an Ethic of Care of Wisconsin's Northwoods, Through the Facilitation of Connections Among Nature, People and Community.
Our Values
Experience, Community, Sustainability, Partnership, Lifelong Learning
Our Principles
Facilitate Well-Rounded Opportunities—We believe nature is the ultimate common ground, and should be accessible through diverse realms of experience—cognitive, physical, social and emotional.
Provide a Welcoming Atmosphere—We provide the best possible experience for each visitor by creating an inclusive and friendly atmosphere, and by maintaining safe, clean, and accessible facilities, grounds and trails.
Cooperate and Collaborate—We seek to nurture staff, board and volunteers to strengthen the organization and our collective commitment to the organization. We work with members, communities, partnering organizations, town entities and donors to further our mission.
Gather and Discover—We encourage utilization of the site by thoughtfully planning, staffing and providing the necessary resources for drop-in and unscheduled use.
Act with Integrity—We conduct our work using respect, honesty and open communication. By observing the highest ethical standards, we maintain the trust of members, donors, partners and the community.
Provide Diverse Experiences and Education—We engage people in sharing and exploring their personal and collective connections to the Northwoods environment. Through thoughtfully planned activities and a well-designed site plan, we provide spaces and resources for people to celebrate and socialize, monitor and learn, and to enjoy and experience.
Develop Infrastructure and Site Design with People and Nature in Mind—We foster an appreciation of the natural world and believe it is in the best interest of humanity to enjoy and preserve it. We incorporate care for the natural world and quality of human experience in our design plans; and encourage people to act on their conservation values through volunteer service and financial contributions to move plans into action.
Embrace Change and Challenges—We are poised to face the challenges of a changing organization, to adopt stronger focus and to give up areas of focus that are causing dissipation of energy and resources. We commit to increasing the role of earned revenue in our operations to provide for greater stability into the future, and using our mission as a guide.
Over the past year, the Discovery Center has been in the midst of an extensive process directed at strategic plan development. We started with a member survey, brought in nature center administrators from around the country for a review, and moved into staff, board, and community planning sessions. These efforts were aimed at gaining perspective and insight into the Center’s operations and future as a regional destination center. As a result, we now have a board-supported strategic plan and vision. Our work continues, with a goal to enrich lives and inspire an ethic of care for our natural world, through the facilitation of connections among people, nature, and community.