Our Values

An accessible campus: We are proud to offer ADA-compliant facilities. Our indoor spaces, outdoor quad, and porch are universally accessible. We continue to invest in accessibility enhancements like hearing-assist devices, and are continually learning what other accessibility updates are needed.

Trail Improvements: In 2023, we installed a universally-accessible trail. This quarter-mile loop trail improves access to the meadows and forest edge for folks with mobility limitations. We have added more benches across the property as places to stop and rest, with more to come.

Welcome Kiosks: There is a real barrier to access and equity caused by an unfamiliar, unwelcoming, and uncomfortable trailhead and trail network. Lack of clear wayfinding and trail use signage perpetuates an inequitable system in which knowledge of how to use the trail is already assumed, and held by the demographic of trail users who are already the dominant user group. Our new trailhead kiosks, and their accompanying new trailhead materials, were installed in 2023 to create a more welcoming and safe experience for all users.

Programming: With dedicated staff and increasing capacity, NBNC is broadening our programs while ensuring our core offerings are welcoming to all.

In addition to more programs for those with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, and Vermont’s immigrant and refugee community, we’re also expanding program offerings to weekends and evenings to accommodate different schedules and community needs.

Similarly, we have more plans to bring North Branch programming out into the community! Our long-running ECO program at Central Vermont public schools has shown how powerful this can be, and we are always broadening the menu of NBNC offerings that public school teachers and administrators have to choose from.

We retired the phrase “Citizen Science” in favor of the more inclusive term “Community Science,” and advocated for other regional organizations to do the same. Another shift in language is seen in our efforts to recognize the varied ways folks might move around the landscape – “outings” or “explorations” are used when applicable over “walks”.

Lastly, we’ve shifted Summer Camp registrations from first-come-first-served to a lottery system to make that process more equitable. We know that Summer Camps fill incredibly fast, and that the registration time crunch exacerbates inequities. This lottery system is one way we hope to improve access to NBNC Summer Camps, along with financial support options.

Online accessibility: Our early pandemic increase in online programming revealed how virtual programming improves access for some people, while creating barriers for others. One place we are proud to have improved accessibility is our website itself – with a new accessibility widget that allows users to change elements of the page to suit their needs. We are committed to access for all, and are continually working to eliminate barriers, including by continuing hybrid virtual/in-person programming. We welcome your insight and suggestions.

Our goal is for finances to never be a barrier to participation in our core programs. We award over $25,000 annually in financial aid across many programs. Through grant funding, donations, and partnerships, we are thankful to be able to provide more financial support than ever before. We are constantly working to expand the financial support packages we can offer, and to ensure they work equitably across our community.

NBNC’s Land Acknowledgement was the first step in honoring the Indigenous Peoples whose connection to this land goes back hundreds of generations. We are continuing this work through conversation and actions, including featuring Abenaki words and perspectives on signage, supporting local Indigenous gardeners, and offering free space rentals for Indigenous community members.

Wild Harvesting: We welcome and encourage Indigenous people to collect food, medicine, and materials from the land we steward, which is within their ancestral homelands. Please contact us so that we are aware of any harvesting taking place. We will welcome other members of the public to sustainably harvest from the land once our “food forest” landscape is better established.

Community Garden: We host the North Branch Community Garden, which includes dozens of plot for local residents to grow food. This space also is home to the “Dragonfly Garden,” a community-tended flower garden and contemplative space.

Food Forests: Our ecological stewardship and restoration plans for the property are designed to provide wild resources back to our community. Since 2021, we’ve planted over 1000 trees and shrubs many of which will yield harvestable fruits or useful resources – with even more to come.

Community Fruit Orchard and Conservation Nursery: In 2022 we planted a roadside orchard of diverse fruits that are free and available to the public to enjoy. In 2023 we started a tree and shrub nursery to grow trees with edible fruit and nutes. We are excited for these projects to become a small but valuable source of food security for all central Vermont residents. Learn More

We’ve continued our work of developing real and reciprocal partnerships with affinity groups and local organizations to better meet the needs of Vermont’s diverse communities. To be a place of belonging for all Vermonters means broadening what we do, who we work with, and how we go about it all. We offer our indoor and outdoor facilities for minimal cost to BIPOC affinity groups by request.

We are grateful for our partnerships with: Capstone Community Action, local antiracism book discussion groups, the Everything Space, Community Resilience Organizations, Outright Vermont, Central Vermont Refugee Action Network, Upper Valley Services Peer Growth and Lifelong Learning, Northeast Disabled Athletics Association, Vermont Professionals of Color, AllTogetherNow!, Audubon Vermont, Partners in Adventure, and more.

Our Community Engagement Coordinator, a position created in 2023, helps North Branch Nature Center continue to cultivate these important relationships, to build even more meaningful connections, and to widen the scope of NBNC’s impact.

Professional Development: Our entire staff participates in annual trainings to recognize and start to recognize and dismantle bias within our organization. We worked with the Peace & Justice Center of Vermont on antiracism training for the staff and Board, and with Outright Vermont to learn how to better support the LGBTQ+ community. Each year brings even more opportunities for growth and training, with the creation of a robust calendar of staff learning.

Inclusive Hiring Practices: We are consciously striving to create job opportunities at NBNC with hours, salaries, and benefits that are attractive to a wide range of applicants. We are also refreshing our hiring and interview process to be more equitable and accommodating of a wide range of candidate abilities and experiences. NBNC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Moreover, as part of our commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice, we actively seek to strengthen our organization by diversifying our staff. We encourage applications from diverse candidates, including people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and People of Color. The NBNC Board Recruitment Committee is similarly working on diversifying the NBNC Board.

Strategic Planning: Equity is at the forefront of our 2025-2029 Strategic Plan: “NBNC is committed to building a strong community around the natural world and closing the Nature Equity Gap. We work with Central Vermont’s diverse communities to reimagine environmental education together, ensuring that there is a safe and welcoming place for everyone at NBNC.”

A Commitment to Diversity: NBNC staff and Board reflect deeply on our role as an organization in the perpetuation of injustices in our community, and we made a commitment to change course. Since then, we’ve reaffirmed those commitments. We listen closely to advice and guidance from experts in the field and integrating JEDI efforts across all areas of the organization. Operationalizing this growth and progress means integrating it into policy, staff responsibilities, accountability and, programming, and curricula.

A Commitment to Listen and Improve: We want to hear your suggestions on making NBNC a more inclusive community. If you would like to submit your feedback anonymously, you may use this form.