After 30 years of being stationed in Padanaram, the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust is looking to relocate to the 180-year-old farmhouse on Helfand Farm.

The theme of the group’s 44th annual meeting on Wednesday night was growth — so much growth that James Bride, the group’s development and outreach coordinator, said they were “bursting at the seams” in their current office in Padanaram.

Plans are currently in the drafting stage for the new headquarters on Chase Road and were presented at the meeting. The group has launched a campaign to help them raise the $1.2 million needed for the project.

The architect working on the renovations, Will Saltonstall, said during the meeting that the idea was to create a “simple, classic farmhouse feeling” throughout the entire project while sustaining the history of the house and silo, which are located on the same property as the community gardens.

However, there was a need for a new addition to the existing property due to numerous structural problems inside the farmhouse. They plan to restore the front of the building to its original form while adding a new addition to the back.

At 1,920 square feet, the changes will give the organization needed office space, a meeting room and an outdoor patio to host events. Plans have been drafted for a 24-by-40-foot barn to store equipment necessary for maintaining the group’s 35 miles of nature trails.

Clif Rice, the organization's president, said the $1.2 million capital campaign will go toward more than new office space.

“That’s the goal, but that’s not just for the building. It’s for the building and for land stewardship and land preservation,” said Rice.

Since its inception in 1971, the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust has helped protect 5,011 acres of land, either through helping other organizations or through the 1,600 acres they own themselves.

The organization hopes that by moving to central Dartmouth, they will gain better visibility and attract interest in their mission.

Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.