Campaign for Kids, Conservation, and Community
We are expanding opportunities for children, ensuring climate resilience, and furthering our ability to serve as a community resource for the region.
For Generations to Come
Hale’s Campaign for Kids, Conservation, and Community will expand programs, improve facilities, protect land in perpetuity, and establish a sustainable endowment. We’re collaborating with our local communities, The Trustees of Reservations, the Dover Land Conservation Trust, and the Westwood Land Trust to permanently protect several hundred acres from future development.
Hale’s century-long commitment to reimagining learning and building community has never been stronger. Our work has impacted millions of lives and continues to be rooted in the belief that nature, education, and recreation inspire us to learn, empower us to lead, and challenge us all to create a world in which people, place, and purpose are united. It’s with that in mind that we pursue this campaign to impact:
- Children—We’re expanding our nationally recognized camps and summer learning opportunities, growing a year-round outdoor academic academy, and educating more children about climate resiliency.
- Facilities—We’re updating, improving, and constructing 20+ facilities that support programs for children and families.
- Conservation & Sustainability—We’re protecting 700 acres of land from future development and investing Hale’s resources to support long-term sustainability.
Hale is raising $20MM from private sources including individuals, foundations, and corporations to support programs, facilities, and conservation. As of January 2024, donors have committed $15MM+ to this effort. Additionally, the Town of Dover is considering a $10MM investment to support a conservation restriction on 700 acres of Hale’s land in Dover. Hale and Westwood have also rekindled conversations about how Westwood can participate. To learn more about conservation restrictions, see “What is a Conservation Restriction?” in the FAQs below. To learn more about the Dover community’s efforts, visit votehale.org.
Given the timeline of other activities at Hale, including the search for Hale’s next executive director, the campaign will conclude by the end of June 2024. To learn more about the urgency of this effort, see “Why Now” in the FAQs below.
While Hale’s land is priceless, its monetary value is not incalculable, and people are often surprised to learn that it is not protected from development. In the 1950s, our board of directors was forced to consider selling most of the property—much of it to be turned into a gravel pit—to sustain a struggling organization. As recently as three years ago, the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program spared it from a similar fate during the pandemic.
With this in mind, Hale’s current board of directors has offered to permanently protect the property with a conservation restriction if the land’s financial value can be realized through the campaign’s fundraising efforts.
Current conservation efforts focus on land in Dover given the Town of Dover’s interest in providing the financial backing necessary to protect it. Partnership with the Trustees of Reservations will guarantee the land will never be developed. Renewed conversations with the Town of Westwood may result in land being protected in that community as well.
You Can Help
There are two ways you can act now.
- Serve as an ambassador for the campaign.
- Share information on social media to raise awareness among friends and neighbors—share buttons are at the top of this page.
- Invite friends to Hale’s upcoming events.
- Host a gathering in your neighborhood.
- Contact us to share your ideas about ways we can fund conservation.
- Visit votehale.org and sign up to get involved.
- Financially contribute to this effort.
- Hale needs to raise $4.5MM to complete the campaign. Your support matters! Email giving@hale.education if you’d like to support this campaign with a multi-year pledge.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Information Sessions
Hale offers information sessions periodically—see our Events Calendar for the latest.
Other events are being hosted at private homes. If you are interested in hosting an information session for your friends or neighbors, contact us to learn how you can help spread the word about our conservation efforts and what they mean for Hale’s programs and property.
Visit votehale.org to stay up to date on the latest news and events regarding the Town of Dover’s support for this project.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Conservation Restriction (CR) is a legal tool that permanently limits how privately owned land can be used. CRs typically restrict the development of large parcels of land. A landowner grants a CR to a qualified holder, which can include a Town and/or conservation nonprofit. The CR holder is responsible for enforcing the CR.
Conserved land preserves the character of communities. It protects natural open spaces that include watersheds, wildlife habitats, and forests that offer carbon sequestration and mitigate climate change. Outdoor recreation, and the social and physical health benefits it offers, also boosts quality of life.
Private donors (individuals, corporations, and foundations) are supporting the campaign with multi-year gifts. Their gifts expand and improve programs, make facility improvements possible, and support Hale’s long-term sustainability. Their gifts also contribute to the overall financial model for this campaign.
Hale’s 700 acres in Dover would command $35MM if they were to be sold for development (based on an appraisal conducted by the town). If that land were to have a CR placed on it, it would be worth $15MM. This means the value of the CR is $20MM.
The $10MM the Town of Dover would provide in exchange for a CR deeply discounts what Hale could earn by selling the land. As a good neighbor and proponent of protecting open space, Hale has been willing to extend this discount in exchange for a CR, provided the town commits the funding by the end of our campaign’s conclusion in June 2024.
If Dover provides funding for the CR, it is anticipated that it would do so through a debt exclusion (i.e. by taking out a bond to be paid back over time). Ultimately, taxpayers would see an increase in their annual tax bills for the life of the bond; it would not be a permanent tax increase. At this time, the town has not produced an estimate of what the cost would be for the average taxpayer.
There are many benefits to placing a CR on Hale’s property.
- Guaranteed Public Access: The Conservation Restriction (CR) will guarantee public access to over 10 miles of trails. Right now, Hale can restrict access however and whenever it wishes. That would not be the case once the CR is complete.
- Property Values: Towns with more open space have higher property values. Regardless of where you live in town, open space in your community increases the value of your property.
- Individual Health: Extensive empirical literature documents the health benefits of nature. The National Library of Medicine has reviewed how nature helps reduce stress, blood pressure, and cortisol levels; boost mood; improve attention and executive functioning; and strengthen immune systems. It has been proven, when nature is in your life, your physical and emotional health improves.
- Decreased Long-Term Costs for Towns: The CR would last forever and eliminate the possibility of residential development on the property. Residential development is known to cost municipalities and public services more than the tax revenue it generates over time. A CR decreases future costs for the town and its taxpayers.
- Enhanced Community Resource: Funding that backs the Hale CR supports a community-based organization whose mission is to provide education and recreation programs for all. The funds will provide better opportunities for the community to enjoy all that Hale has to offer.
Additional benefits under discussion include field trips and other educational programs for Dover Elementary School students for the next decade, and the opportunity for Dover residents to claim complimentary Hale Annual Memberships that offer year-round parking, program discounts, and other perks.
For decades, Hale’s land has served as a reserve fund; an endowment in the form of real estate. It has been an asset that provides financial insurance for the organization. The pandemic served as a reminder of how fragile that arrangement is, and the only way to ensure Hale’s acres never get sold is to legally protect them in perpetuity.
Progress during the past five years brings us to why this project must be completed now:
- Discounted Value: Hale has offered Dover a substantially discounted price for the CR. That same “discount” will not be possible in the future as the land’s value continues to increase.
- Decades of Investment: Hale has dedicated a substantial amount of its own fundraising and administrative resources to make the current CR structure work. Early discussions date back to the mid-1990s, but the high cost of completing such a project made it impossible to pursue. Today’s discounted price, made possible by individual donors and private sector support, has made a CR viable as part of the current campaign.
- Philanthropic Momentum: The private sector has recognized the importance of investing in Hale’s programs and facilities and the value of this conservation project. It has stepped up to do its part. The current level of commitment, and momentum gained over many years, will be lost if the campaign is not completed.
- Cooperative Landscape: Today, Hale is a cooperative landowner. Our leadership has engaged in collaborative discussion with the Towns and the Trustees of Reservations to move this effort forward, but there’s no guarantee of continued collaboration if we do not complete it—we can’t predict how future board and staff members might leverage the land.
- Leadership Transition: Hale plans to welcome a new executive director in the third quarter of 2024. To ensure a successful leadership transition, the board has agreed to make that its priority after June 30. If a CR is not complete by that time, conservation of Hale’s land will no longer be an organizational priority.
All funds will be used to support Hale’s operations and long-term educational mission. Approximately 50% will be designated for an endowment, 25% will be used to repair and upgrade existing infrastructure and facilities (e.g., repairs and accessibility improvements to the welcome center and office, and replacement of bathroom and waste systems at North Beach), and 25% will support operational needs for existing programs.
Hale’s camps and educational programs have been receiving accolades across the Commonwealth. Even as more educational institutions see the advantages of project-based learning and outdoor education, growing demand does not mean there will be an increase in the number of people at Hale at any given time, especially during the summer.
Hale monitors and limits the number of learners on the property to maintain an optimal outdoor learning environment. Hale’s future plans include spreading programs out over the calendar year by designing more learning opportunities during the fall, winter, and spring.
To implement these program objectives, we need to make some physical plant changes. This does not include new access points to Hale or entirely new camp sites. It does include upgrades to and replacement of older buildings. These older buildings are not accessible for people with disabilities, so we intend to bring them up to code while also making them more welcoming to visitors of all abilities.
The proposed Conservation Restriction (CR) has strict, specific building limits for property in Dover. Only small, designated areas can be used for construction, and the CR ensures that 99% of the land in Dover will be building-free forever. Height and building size restrictions apply to the small portion of that land that can be developed. There will be no such restrictions on Hale’s future growth on land in Westwood.
It is important to note that construction at Hale is expensive. Based on our location, the groundwater discharge permit we have with the state, and our designation as a public drinking water supply, infrastructure for all our buildings can be costly. The funds from this campaign will not provide for any substantial construction at Hale. A more detailed list of projects in the next 5–10 years includes:
- Removal and replacement of an office and old restroom at Hale Day Camp, which will enhance accessibility and provide designated space for the camp nurse.
- Removal and replacement of the Fern Valley Cabin, which will provide a more functional office and food service area to support meals for Hale Outdoor Learning Adventures.
- Removal of the “Food Cabin” at the South Shore Stars site.
- Replacement of the North Beach bathrooms with an updated, accessible restroom that includes a changing area for campers.
- Upgrades to the front entrance that will include a small, accessible welcome center, an education program space, and restrooms. In addition, the offices will be renovated to address accessibility issues, and the front entrance parking area will be reconfigured with ten parking spaces for public access to the trail network.
- Addition of a climbing tower (a challenge course element) at Hale Day Camp.
- Removal and replacement of Cat Rock Pavilion.
- Construction of a pavilion or small cabin near High Rock Lodge and the installation of restrooms.
- A small addition to the Fern Valley Restrooms that would include four showers for overnight program participants.
If a Conservation Restriction (CR) is not put on the property, the land remains vulnerable to development. Hale has made it clear that transitioning its land to an investment endowment to achieve its programmatic and financial goals is a top priority. If the proposed CR is not completed, Hale acknowledges that under new executive leadership, any unprotected land could, at some point, be sold for private development.