Leila graduated with a BA in International Politics from St. Lawrence University in 1986, and has worked for the past 30+ years in the field of nonprofit development, marketing and planning. After careers at AFS Intercultural Programs and Lenox Hill Hospital, she started her own consulting firm for non-profits to provide fund-raising recommendations, strategic planning and Board development for organizations seeking to improve their financing results. In 2016 she became the Executive Director of the Darien Nature Center charged with increasing the visibility, relevance, and impact of the organization. Leila will speak to us about the operations and programs of the Center, with emphasis on how they navigated 2020, and the changes necessary to meet the challenges for the new year.
Leila will be joined in her presentation by Emily Ciffone, Program Director at the Darien Nature Center. Emily received her undergraduate degree in biology from Binghamton University and her master’s degree in natural resources and environmental education from the University of Wisconsin. Her career in Nature Education started at the National Park Service, and she has also held roles at the University of Rhode Island Environmental Center and New Pond Farms. Emily has been teaching and building the unique program curriculum at the Darien Nature Center since 2013.
Arranged by Chris Filmer
Bryan Hooper’s notes on the talk:
Leila Wetmore, Executive Director of the Darien Nature Center, and Emily Ciffone, Program Director, led us through the founding of the center just over 40 years ago, the development of the project and current plans for further growth.
Leila pointed out that the majority of the nature centers in our area, such as those in New Canaan, Westport, Redding and Stamford, were established as a result of a piece of land bequeathed to the community for that purpose, but the Darien Nature Center (DNC) simply grew out of a group of interested, committed citizens with vision who were determined to “develop educational opportunities and increase public awareness of the unique natural resources of our town.” The true nature center would be regarded as the town of Darien itself.
That foundation occurred in 1980, and by 1982 the DNC had found a home at the closed-down, abandoned Cherry Lawn boarding school, where they opened the kitchen as the office for the new director in 1982. Interest in the DNC grew over the years, and in 2000 a successful capital campaign was mounted to raise $2.5 million to erect a new building designed for further growth, and it opened in 2002, with the Town of Darien charging the princely annual sum of $1 for lease of the land. Since then, the DNC has concentrated on encouraging curiosity about the environment by raising awareness of the problems faced, and increasing our interaction with nature. In 2020, during its 40th anniversary, DNC went through a strategic planning process to re-examine and revise its vision and mission statements. Their view is that the DNC “envisions a community that is deeply connected to nature and inspired to take action to preserve and protect it,” and their mission is “to inspire passion and respect for the natural world through nature education, hands-on experiences with nature, and environmental action and stewardship.”
DNC has local partnerships with companies and organizations in town, and co-sponsors environmental lectures and films in collaboration with the Darien Land Trust and the Darien Tree Conservancy, in addition to working closely with other agencies like the Darien Library to support and present nature-based programming throughout the year.
Where the DNC stands apart from other nature centers is the experience it can provide children and adults with an up-close and personal interaction with over 30 different animals, including Einstein the rabbit and Smokey the rat, both of whom played cameo roles during the presentation. As part of the implementation of their new strategic plan, the DNC designed and installed a pond ecosystem for their turtles; it proved so realistic that some turtles actually hibernated! Other planned exhibits include a naturalistic tree with nesting holes for the two screech owls in residence, along with a separate rodent habitat, plus exhibits for reptiles and other North American animals.
Finally, Leila paid tribute to the unstinting work of DMA member, Chris Filmer, for his incredible, committed service in putting action to the mission of supporting a healthy environment in Darien, and encouraging and involving others in that endeavor. To quote Chris: “It is in education that our hope lies.” The staff and supporters of Darien Nature Center are major contributors to realizing that hope.
Video recording of their presentation: https://youtu.be/2zUyaxsspAE