Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, Inc.
LP&CT creates community through conservation
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
LP&CT seeks to ensure equitable access to and the protection of Lowell's natural resources.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Environmental Education: Lowell Leaders in Stewardship
The Lowell Leaders in Stewardship provides after-school and out-of-school time STEM-based environmental education programs for students in grades 1-12+. The program is offered in partnership with the Lowell Public Schools and Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. Programming is offered 1-3 times a week (1-1.5 hours each session), depending on the program site, at three locations every afternoon. A team of two teacher-naturalists works with up to 20 students for each program, offering programs in a nearby outdoor classroom (riparian area, canal, school ground, local park). All programs are offered at schools which primarily reach underserved students in Lowell's diverse immigrant community. For details on current programming: https://lowelllandtrust.org/what-we-do/environmental-education/The “Stewardship Through Leadership” program has been recognized with a statewide award, a Congressional citation, and a by the Secretary’s “Excellence in Environmental Education” Award (MA EOEEA, 2009); Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (Congressional Citation, 2012) for their “hard work, dedication, and stewardship projects on Lowell’s rivers and special places;” and, by the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River Stewardship Council with the River Steward Award (2013).
Concord River Greenway
Please see: https://lowelllandtrust.org/concord-river-greenway/
Land Protection
https://lowelllandtrust.org/explore-the-properties/
Urban Forestry
Please see: https://lowelllandtrust.org/what-we-do/urban-forestry/
Spalding House/Historic Preservation
Please see: https://lowelllandtrust.org/spalding-house/
Where we work
Accreditations
Land Trust Alliance 2014
Awards
Affiliations & memberships
AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals)
Associated Grant Makers
River Network
New England Museums Association (NEMA)
Land Trust Alliance
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children participating in after-school STEM programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Environmental Education: Lowell Leaders in Stewardship
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of free participants of guided tours
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Participants in all public programs, excluding youth after-school programming.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
LP&CT works to improve the quality of life for the people of Lowell through education and through the creation, conservation, and preservation of parks, open spaces and special places.
This mission is carried out through increasing the city's urban forestry canopy, providing STEM-based environmental education programs to Lowell's most under-resourced schools, through land conservation, historic preservation (c 1760 Spalding House), and through a variety of conservation programming (anadromous fish conservation, park clean-ups, trail connectivity, bird conservation, etc.)
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
As an example of one program strategy: LP&CT provides after-school environmental education programming at thirteen schools within Lowell, year-round. Staff are provided professional development at least three times/year. In 2023 we reached 1,020 students, K-12, through the Lowell Leaders in Stewardship Program.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
LP&CT is staffed by 6 employees.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2023 we reached 1,020 students, K-12, through the Lowell Leaders in Stewardship Program.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
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.
Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/16/2024
Dr. Sheila Kirschbaum
Tsongas Industrial History Center
Term: 2019 - 2025
Mark Romanowsky
retired primary physician
Sheila Kirschbaum
Tsongas Industrial History Center
Sopheap Theam
Light of Cambodian Children, video producer
James O'Hearn
O'Hearn Insurance, formerly with Enterprise Bank
Jonathan Geer
retired state employee
David Braslau
NORESCO
Amanda Flores
Gallagher & Cavanaugh
Laura Watts
Lowell Housing Authority
Diane Tradd
retired, former City of Lowell Asst City Manager
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
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
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/26/2024GuideStar 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 employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- 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.