Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
Your Place in the Wild
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Conservation
Cedar Run engages in ecologically-based land management on 171 wooded acres on the edge of the New Jersey Pinelands.
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Cedar Run operates a Federally and NJ State licensed hospital facility that cares for more than 6,000 injured, orphaned or displaced native wildlife each year.
Education programs
Environmental education programs include on-site, off-site, groups, schools, scouts, and adults. There is always something going on with our award winning educational programs.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animals rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
In 1957 Jim and Betty Woodford began the critical work of clearing a pathway to preservation
of New Jerseys wildlife and habitats, when they founded Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge
(Cedar Run), a 171-acre non-profit wildlife refuge, Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital, and Nature
Center on the edge of the New Jersey Pinelands. In 1997 Cedar Run was preserved, in
perpetuity, with a Green Acres grant.
In the years since, Cedar Runs pathway has widened, with more and more visitors seeking
open spaces, experiences of nature, and engagement with animals and birds in rehabilitation,
and an increase in the number of sick and injured animals brought to the Wildlife Rehabilitation
Hospital. This growth can be attributed to Cedar Runs outreach and reputation as a trusted
resource for wildlife in New Jersey, providing quality care with the goal of safely releasing as
many animals as possible back into the wild.Increased human-wildlife interactions due to land
development and wildlife displacement have also contributed to the growing needs provided
by Cedar Run.And yet, expanding the capacity to meet this remarkable growth remains a
challenge.
In honor of Jim and Betty Woodfords initial stewardship and in celebration of 70 years of dedication to Pinelands preservation, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation, Cedar Run will launch Pathways to Conservation, a comprehensive campaign that will open up new pathways for meeting Cedar Runs mission, both now and for future generations. This investment in the future of Cedar Run will strengthen all aspects of the visitor experience, enhance educational programs, and provide the infrastructure and facilities needed to better care for the many thousands of injured and orphaned wild animals brought to Cedar Run each year.
Pathways to Conservation: A vision for the future of Cedar Run
With great success comes great responsibility, and that is the challenge before Cedar Run today. Visitor numbers, demand for educational programs, and the need for expanded facilities to treat sick, injured and orphaned animals, have experienced tremendous growth and success. Cedar Run is excited to rise to the challenge of supporting the increased needs arising from this growth. The Pathways to Conservation campaign is centered around three new pathways that reflect the heart of Cedar Runs mission and address the critical challenges resulting from the
tremendous growth of the past decades.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Many facilities for injured or orphaned animals will close their doors when they reach their pre-set capacity due to spacing and funding. Cedar Runs staff, on the other hand, works hard to find ways to accommodate all the animals brought to them, even overflow animals from closed centers. Staff at Cedar Runs Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital will never turn away a New Jersey native wild animal in need. It is Cedar Runs goal for the public and wild neighbors
to always have a resource in the area when they are in need. This is accomplished by the staff working as efficiently as possible and maximizing every inch of space available at the facility while ensuring the best quality of care. To accommodate the large increase in animals now treated and sheltered at Cedar Run, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital has expanded via outbuildings.Multiple sheds and barns have been constructed to expand animal care space to accommodate the growing needs of the community.In addition to needing more space for animals, Cedar Run now requires more staff, volunteers, and interns to care for all of the animals that are there for rehabilitation.
Through this first pathway in Pathways to Conservation, Cedar Run seeks to convert an existing 2,500 square
foot structure into entirely new hospital space equipped with temperature control, plumbing, appliances, and medical care supplies. Construction of an expanded Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital would allow Cedar Run to consolidate many of the animals into one facility, thus leading to more efficient oversight of volunteers and interns,
increased communication among all parties, and more space to care for the growing number of
animals needing care and shelter. Utilizing the Woodford Nature Center as home base, Cedar Run offers a wide variety of hands-on, engaging educational programs for visitors of all ages and abilities, on topics ranging from
wildlife rehabilitation to habitat conservation to environmental protection. These programs not only represent on-going source of revenue for Cedar Run, but provide the primary means by which Cedar Run is able to serve as a community resource on environmental conservation. The Nature Center has a classroom and Pinelands exhibits, an outdoor Wildlife Housing Area with nearly sixty resident wild animals, and a covered Picnic Pavilion. Field trips to Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge complement the New Jersey State learning standards and numerous Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas, and are easily adapted to cover coursework at private schools, homeschools, youth groups, and adult audiences. The heartbeat of Cedar Runs mission is protecting and enhancing healthy ecosystems for all.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Today, our staff and board members continue Betty and Jims work, along with their daughter, Jeanne, who is Cedar Runs Co-Founder. Cedar Run has been a vital force on all matters related to wildlife and habitat for more than 60 years. Our work with individual wild animals has a positive impact on wildlife populations and habitats well beyond our borders. Cedar Run also serves as a trusted resource to a wide and varied community in central and southern New Jersey on all wildlife, habitat, and environmental protection-related questions and issues, and a valuable member of the local community. As an organization, our vision is that the treatment and rehabilitation services that Cedar Run provides to injured and/or orphaned wildlife in New Jersey serve to educate, inspire, and instill a sense of stewardship in youth and residents throughout the region, leading to increased protection of our natural resources.
Cedar Run currently has a staff of 13 full-time professionals and several part-time employees, along with over 250 dedicated volunteers who provide a combined total of more than 65,000 hours of volunteer service annually.
Cedar Run invites like-minded partners to join us as we ideate, innovate, and create in ways that will exceed our individual imaginations. A plan has been researched and crafted to launch the Pathways to Conservation comprehensive campaign to fully fund and shape the future of Cedar Run. Cedar Run is leading a due diligence process, identifying building contingencies and financial models to support the growth outlined above.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the late summer of 2023, Dunleavy & Associates was engaged by Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge (Cedar Run) to conduct a Feasibility Study to assess the scope and potential for a successful fundraising effort that would transform how Cedar Run delivers its mission to preserve New Jerseys wildlife and habitats through education, conservation, and rehabilitation. The work included: developing a Statement of Intent [SOI] in coordination with Cedar Run leadership; conducting confidential prospect/stakeholder interviews; testing campaign messaging and proposed fundraising goals with stakeholders during the study interviews in preparation for the development of a full Case for Support; and delivering findings surrounding campaign goals and recommendations based on those findings.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 01/20/2024
Ted Rosenberg
Jeanne Woodford
Khaleel Watkins
Kristin Groark
Al Finkelstein
Russell Batdorf
Scott Sutton
Tina Solak
Rose DiMeo
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/19/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.