A Retreat for Reflection on & Planning for The Future of The Nature Museum

Last Thursday, we were closed for a very special event—our board and staff retreat. The group worked to craft a specific, compelling picture of what The Nature Museum will look like in the future. We completed an exercise to help us get into forward thinking mindset. We each wrote the first paragraph of a newspaper article announcing the latest happenings at the museum—in 2024, our 35th anniversary. The takeaway from this exercise was that The Nature Museum has a bright future.

There was great energy from the group and it was well harnessed by Suzanne Welch, who we are so grateful to for volunteering to facilitate the retreat. Staff and volunteers are working hard on the public's behalf to dream big at the same time to remain structurally sound in order to provide a solid foundation for years to come.

Just look at how far we've come since 2008 when the board set their last long-range course of action, during the “Pale Blue Dot" era! Thanks for trusting me to lead the staff during the last 7 years. Environmental education and natural science education is evolving and it's an honor to work with this team and stay on top of the movement on your behalf. The retreat made me feel very proud to work for the Nature Museum.

For our next era, The Nature Museum will continue to offer hands-on experiences with nature as our guide. I feel grounded by the experience coming together with the board and staff at this retreat— and energized as well. 

Have a great weekend!

Carrie King
Executive Director