In the new year, as we reflect on our values and recommit to our goals, why not include nature in your New Year’s resolutions? Our natural lands protect clean air and clean water. They provide wildlife habitat and opportunities for recreation. Connecting with nature improves our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Include nature in your New Year! Here are some possible resolutions for our wildlands…
1. Explore a New Trail
Lancaster Conservancy manages more than 60 miles of trails on our natures preserves, from universally accessible paths to challenging hikes up steep, rocky slopes. Additionally, Lancaster and York counties are home to several regional trails that pass through Conservancy preserves. Whether you’re looking for a strenuous hike or trail run, or you just want to take a stroll to admire some wildflowers, there’s a trail for you to explore! Head to lancasterconservancy.org/preserves or check out this chart to find your next outdoor adventure.
2. Volunteer
Volunteering is a fantastic way to give back to nature while connecting with our wildlands and other outdoor enthusiasts! Lancaster Conservancy volunteers help care for our nature preserves, educate our community about hiking safety and ethics, and gather data for citizen science projects. Learn more about volunteering with the Conservancy at lancasterconservancy.org/volunteer.
3. Practice Leave No Trace
The Leave No Trace Seven Principles offer guidance on exploring the outdoors safely and responsibly. By practicing Leave No Trace whenever we head outside, we can ensure that we aren’t harming the natural spaces we love (and we can help keep ourselves safe too). Learn more about Leave No Trace ethics here.
4. Read a Book About Nature
Reading and learning about our natural world is another way to connect more deeply with nature – and it’s a way to stay in touch with the outdoors even on those especially cold or rainy days that keep you inside. Curl up with a book and turn on the Conservancy’s Bird Cam for some on-theme background noise. Some of our team’s favorite books about nature include: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd; The Flow by Amy-Jane Beer; A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold; Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey; Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver; Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy; The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki; and Snorkeling Rivers and Streams by Keith Williams.
5. Join an Educational Event
The Conservancy offers year-round programming, from interpretive hikes to virtual lectures, on a variety of topics related to conservation and the outdoors. Check out our upcoming events and sign up to join us at lancasterconservancy.org/events!
6. Download an Identification App
If you want to learn more about the plants and animals around you, identification apps can be helpful tools! Two of our favorites are Seek by iNaturalist (identify plants and animals) and Merlin Bird ID (identify birds using their songs, photos, or observed characteristics).
7. Donate!
Make a difference for our forests, meadows, wetlands, and waterways by supporting Lancaster Conservancy’s efforts to protect and restore our natural lands and provide access to nature for everyone. There are several ways to give a gift for nature! You can make a one-time donation, set up a recurring monthly gift, give a gift of stock or appreciated securities, or leave a legacy gift in your estate plan. Learn more and support our work at lancasterconservancy.org/donate.
