Wildlands Conservancy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237401326
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Emmaus, PA, USA
Phone
6109654397
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Land Resources Conservation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,158,448
Expenses
$3,374,738
Assets
$15,027,217
Liabilities
$818,028

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

36 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRISTOPHER KOCHER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTOPHER KOCHER (PRESIDENT): $167,522 total reported compensation
  • ABIGAIL PATTISHALL (VP OF CONSERVATION SCIENCES): $127,988 total reported compensation
  • DANNY GIANNELLI (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $127,761 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of wildlands conservancy is to protect and restore critical natural areas and waterways, and educate the community to create a legacy of a healthy, sustainable environment for future generations.

What it reported doing in 2025

Conservation: wildlands conservancy's conservation strategies include land planning and acquisition, stream restoration and habitat stewardship activities. Wildlands protected 2,594 acres acres through four conservation easements, one in penn and forest kidder townships, carbon county totaling 2,511 acres, and three in moore township, northampton county, individually totaling 9.63 acres, 40.51 acres, and 33.78 acres. In the stewardship realm, wildlands forwarded efforts focused on stream restoration, habitat restoration and watershed planning: completed 15 riparian buffer planting projects in four counties within the lehigh river watershed, planting 8,000 native plants. Advanced stream restoration along indian run creek in carbon county through the completion of dam removal and habiat restoration efforts. Completed stream restoration along forest hills run in monroe county. Stewardship advancements at wildlands conservancy's nature presreves include the following: completed prescribed burn and restoration at maple tract preserve in the mesic till barrens landscape. Established the 1.6 mile bloodroot trail at our south mountain preserve.continued habitat restoration, public access enhancements, and scientific research at black river sanctuary.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.9%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 74.7%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.8%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.45; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.8%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.9% of revenue deployed · 74.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 29 of 29 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $168K · 36 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $224K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.