The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge suffers from lack of awareness and diversity among visitors. A strategic plan aims to increase awareness by 50% and attendance by 50,000 people in six months through various initiatives. These include generating media coverage, distributing pamphlets at schools, handing out flyers at malls, and having staff speak at universities to promote the Nature Center's educational programs and hiking trails. Tracking metrics like program signups will evaluate the plan's effectiveness at achieving the goal of raising awareness and revenue.

1. Mini Strategic Plan
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
By Zeina Barakat

2. Situational Analysis
The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge was founded in 1964 on city-owned land.
More than 3,600-acres, it is one of the largest nature centers in the United States,
with more than 20 miles of hiking trails providing access to forests and prairies. The
FWNC&R offers a variety of educational programs for young teens, schools and
families .The Nature Center’s mission is to share the love of nature with children and
the public.
The FWNC&R suffers from lack of awareness, which impacts the park’s attendance.
According to the survey conducted by Yale University in 2010, over the past 12
months, about 63% have not visited a nature center, 29% have visited once or twice,
5% have visited 3 -5 times and about 3% have visited a nature center more than five
times. The FWNC&R is also impacted by a lack of diversity among park users. A well-
constructed plan to increase the awareness and attendance would keep entrance
fees low, pay wages to dedicated staff and create new ideas that would benefit the
FWNC&R in the long run.
Media Audit
Local Star-Telegram covers Fort Worth Nature Center’s 50 years celebration
anniversary in 2014. According to the Star-Telegram, the Nature Center marks their
50 years as ‘outdoor laboratory’. Fort Worth Star-Telegram also covers a herd of
bison marking 40 years at the Nature Center. In March 2015, Star-Telegram selects
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge as a place where people can go both indoor and
outdoor activities during spring break.
Research
There is a big difference in the participation of recreational activities among racial
and ethnic groups. According to the 2014 Outdoor Recreation, African Americans
have the relatively low levels in motorized activities and activities such as hunting
and fishing. Hispanics have rates of participation that are similar to, but lower than
Whites. American Indians have by far the highest rate of participation in hunting
and fishing activities.
According to the Outdoor Foundation:
Outdoor Participation
 49.2 percent of the U.S. population has participated in an outdoor activity at
least once since 2013.
 Almost one-quarter of all outdoor enthusiasts participated in outdoor
activities at least twice per week.

3.  Walking for fitness is the most popular crossover activity. In 2013, 53
percent of outdoor enthusiasts walked.
 Running was the most popular outdoor activity for all ethnic groups.
 The biggest motivator for outdoor participation was getting exercise.
 46 percent of outdoor participants are females while 54 percent are males.
Participation in outdoor activities by ethnicity:
 70 percent were Caucasian.
 11 percent are African American.
 8 percent are Hispanic.
 7 percent are Asian.
 4 percent are other.
Youth
 Youth who did not participate in outdoor activities were simply not
interested.
 Participation rate among children and adults rose by one percent. However,
teenagers maintained the same participation rate.
 Among adults who are currently outdoor participants, 74 percent had
physical education and 41 percent enjoyed outdoor activities in elementary
school.
According to Nature.org, 603 adolescents between the ages 13 and 18 were asked
about their attitude towards nature. Results from the poll conducted stated:
 80 percent find it uncomfortable to be outdoors due to the heat and bugs.
 62 percent does not have transportation to natural areas.
 61 percent do not live near natural areas.
Competitor Analysis
 Joe Pool Lake
o 7,400-acre lake in Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex
o Great for fishing, skiing and relaxing
o Includes three major parks:
 Cedar Hill State Park
 Offers overnight camping
 Loyd Park
 Offers overnight camping
 Lynn Creek Park
 Offers a nice beach with swimming area on the lake

4.  On the water dining at the Oasis Restaurant
 River Legacy Park
o 12,000-square foot nature center, with no admission fee.
o Offers interactive exhibits, aquariums, terrariums and nature trails.
o Host special events such as the Cardboard Boat Regatta
o Offers a variety of educational programs for children and adults.
 Fort Worth Botanic Garden
o 110-acre beautiful land with a variety of exotic plants.
o Offers catering, wedding packages and activities for both children and
adults.
o Programs for adults and schools; including middle and high school.
o Garden restaurant.
 Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
 Admission is a lot more affordable at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.
 The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge grounds are open everyday. (Except
Christmas and Thanksgiving)
 Fort Worth Nature Center has a higher rating on Facebook than the other parks.
Program Goals & Objectives
 Increase number of visitors by 50,000 in six months.
 Increase number of class sign up by 25 percent.
 Distribute 400 flyers every two months to increase the number of volunteers.
 Increase awareness of the programs that are being provided by 50 percent.
 Place advertisements on local radio channels three times a week.
 Send staff members every month to a variety of schools and universities to
talk about the Nature Center and its programs.
Key Target Audience
 Families
o With annual household income $34,000 – $50,000
o With annual household income $60,000 – $100,00
o With children under the age of 12
o With children ages 13 – 18
 Hikers
 Runners
 Canoers
 Birdwatchers
 Outdoor enthusiasts

5. Key Messages
 The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is one of the largest nature centers in
the United States.
 More than 20 miles of hiking trails providing access to forests and prairies.
 A variety of affordable programs are offered for families, birders, hikers and
other outdoor enthusiasts every month of the year.
 The staff is also heavily involved in Land Management techniques to ensure that
the natural history of North Central Texas is preserved.
Programming
 Generate media coverage for the Center and the programs provided.
o Write pitches about the summer and what activities can be done
outdoors to go along with news stories to intrigue reporters and
engages journalists.
o Write a press release about the programs and include quotes from
customers and employee to convey a positive message.
o Invite reporters to a special event and thank them afterwards.
o Maintain a good relationship with reporters by setting up a Twitter
page which reporters can follow to generate story ideas.
 Distribute pamphlets to a variety of schools and universities.
o Send out a crew to hand out 200 pamphlets to a couple of schools in
each district.
o Pamphlets could include pictures and information of the Nature
Center and the programs it provides.
o A Street Team can take Wildlife Ambassadors with them to visit
schools during end-of-day pick-up as a prop when they hand out
brochures to parents.
 Hand out flyers to mothers and families at malls, retail corporations and
convenience stores.
o Whether at malls or at retail corporations such as Wal-Mart, hand out
flyers to mothers and families and give them a brief idea what the
Nature Center has to offer.
o Host a game where parents and kids answer trivia questions about
nature and if they win, they spin the wheel for a selected prize.
 Build relationships with customers.
o Being friendly with customers.
o Offer any service that they could possibly need.
o Allow volunteers/staff members to offer a tour to families around the
Center.

6. o Hold a photo spot where the Nature Center offers the service of taking
pictures with Wildlife Ambassadors by a professional photographer
with a backdrop featuring the organizations logo. As well as getting
permission from customers to upload their pictures on social media
such as Facebook.
 Sending staff members to a variety of schools and universities to talk about
the Nature Center and the programs.
o Speaker’s Bureau to speak with the kids about the fun experiences as
well as different types of animals and plants.
o Staff members can hand out some day passes to each child for
listening.
o Display a PowerPoint to the kids so they can have a more visual image
of what the Nature Center has to provide.
o Some volunteers could come dressed up as some Wildlife
Ambassadors.
o Speakers can play a trivia game about animals and their habitat to win
prizes and candies.
 Conduct surveys from a variety of individuals of the Nature Center.
o Hold a small tent with volunteers giving families and couples short
surveys about their experience at the Nature Center.
o Surveys could include what they enjoyed the most and least and
suggestions that they hope the Nature Center could consider.
o Give out small gifts such as wristbands, caps, pencils or pens and T-
shirts to individuals who do the survey.
Evaluation
In order to measure the effectiveness of this plan, create a spreadsheet that
documents and keeps track of you goals in order of priority. Also add to the
document, who will be responsible for collecting and reporting the data as well as
the strategies and tactics that were implemented.
Rationale
The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge’s main goal is to increase awareness.
Increasing awareness will lead to an increase number of visitors and program sign-
ups. This well constructed plan to increase attendance will benefit the Nature Center
by raising revenue. An increase in revenue would keep entrance fees low and allow
staff members to be paid. Generating media coverage will attract reporters and will
engage journalists to write about the Nature Center, which overall leads to the main
goal, increasing awareness. Distributing pamphlets, flyers and speaking to students
at schools also increases awareness.