Land&People, Vol. 28, No. 2 - Fall/Winter 2016 by Trust for Public Land

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 16 A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS OF THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

Why we believe in the

10-minute walk

+ YOSEMITE GAINS 400 ACRES + A TRIBE RETURNS TO THE COAST + TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS ON TELLING THE WHOLE STORY

From famous landmarks to hidden backcountry, our public lands are the pride of the nation. But in statehouses and the halls of Congress, powerful politicians are working to convert this public property to private proﬁt. The Trust for Public Land believes the agenda to dismantle our public lands is out of step with the needs of everyday Americans. If you agree, take action now.

WRITE YOUR OFFICIALS

SIGN THE PETITION

SUPPORT OUR WORK

SPREAD THE WORD

contents

n ich o l as l ea b r u n o

“Activity begets activity. It’s infectious.” ~ s t a cy s a x f i t n es s in s t r u c t o r , a t la nt a

42 Home at Last ............................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 After more than a century, the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians returns to the California coast.

Great Strides ............................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Imagine a city where no one lived more than a 10-minute walk from a park. Now build it.

How the West Is Won .................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 As the development pressure mounts, how can communities protect the

shaw nielsen

adair f reeman r u t l edg e

F EAT U R E S

places that matter most? T P L. O R G · 1

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D E PA RT M E NTS

Board Spotlight · 13

kel ly fo rt en er

#KeepItPublic

t h eo st ro o mer

From the President · 11

contents

Stephen W. Baird

Contributors · 14 Mailroom · 15 First Look · 17 Home-court advantage, a bridge to everywhere, and an expansion at Yosemite National Park

Terry Tempest Williams on putting the power of the national parks into words

Year in Review · 61

robb hirsch

Insight · 26

Member Center · 62 Ofﬁces · 63 Trail’s End · 64

o n t h e cover How close is your park? Turn to page 42 to learn about our effort to put a great park within easy reach of every person in America. photo: anna kuperberg

JOI N U S ON FAC EB O O K Scan the QR code with your mobile device to stay tuned to the latest news, videos, contests, and more. facebook.com/tpl.org

20 T P L. O R G · 3

ke lly forte n e r

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GLEN HELEN NATURE PRESERVE, YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO Just a half hour from Dayton, this lush forest is home to one of the Midwest’s first environmental education centers. For decades, it’s played host to kids’ first ecology lessons, night hikes, and wildlife encounters—it’s a place for exploration and reflection. And thanks to you, it’s protected for generations to come.

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T P L. O R G · 5

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WILLIAM CRAMP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Students jumped for joy at the opening of their new schoolyard — and Principal Deanda Logan was just as excited. “If you could see what it looked like before, this ugly, cracked, concrete expanse … to have that transformed into a playground like this is so beautiful. Now we’re a school that clearly says, ‘Welcome, we’re glad you’re here, we value you, and we think so much of you.’”

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SADDLE ROCK, WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON From a distance, land-use issues in the American West can seem intractable: development pressure is growing, and the politics of public land have rarely been so contentious. Take a closer look, though, and you’ll ﬁnd communities where creative conservation efforts are rising above the fray.

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T P L. O R G · 9

our mission:

e d i to ria l director Eliza Sarasohn

art director Matt Mullin

m a naging edito r Alia Salim

p h otogra ph y coordinator Elyse Leyenberger

e d i to ria l a ssistant Skye Alexander

w r i ters Julia Busiek Allie Ferguson

m a rketing Kristen Anderson

d i g ita l pro d uction Carrie Gotch Adele Wilson-Hamaker

co n tributing editor Bill Poole

A GREEN ER READ Land&People is printed in the United

THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND CREATES PARKS AND PROTECTS LAND FOR PEOPLE, ENSURING HEALTHY, LIVABLE COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. how you can help: Our work depends on the generous support of people like you.

States on chlorine-free, 30 percent postconsumer recycled paper and manu™

factured using Envirotech ink, which contains a high percentage of ingredients derived from renewable resources. Printed by Quad/Graphics Inc., Wisconsin.

donate: Use the envelope inside this magazine, or visit tpl.org/donate for other easy ways to give. learn more: Get timely updates on our park and conservation work near you. Sign up for our e-newsletter at tpl.org/enews. share: Help us make the case for parks and open space. When you’ve ﬁnished reading this issue, pass it on!

Land&People, LandVote, Northwoods Initiative, Our Land, Parks for People, ParkScore, The Trust for Our Land, The Trust for Public Land, TPL, and The Trust for Public Land and LandVote logos and all other names of The Trust for Public Land programs referenced herein, as well as their logos, are registered or common law trademarks of The Trust for Public Land.

1 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

Land&People magazine is a beneﬁt to members of The Trust for Public Land.

from the president

“America’s Best Idea.” It’s no accident that we talk about our national parks and other public lands with such superlatives. Aside from protecting some of the world’s

elyse leyenberger

#KEEPITPUBLIC

greatest natural wonders, our system of public lands is profoundly American—reﬂecting not only our deep and compelling relationship with the land, but the democratic principles by which we share it. Whether it’s the park down the street or a remote Alaskan wilderness, public lands afford us a connection with nature and protect the places that honor our heritage. These are the places that remind us of who we are as a people and of where we came from—hallowed ground, from the childhood neighborhood of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Civil War battleﬁelds and the view

We are all the “public” in “public lands.” It’s time to do our part to protect the lands we cherish.

from George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Our network of public parks, forests, and

lands to states, and for the removal of restric-

wildlands is the envy of the world. In this cen-

tions on mining and oil exploration. They are

tennial year of our National Park Service, it’s

also blocking the permanent reauthorization of

worth reﬂecting on all they offer us as individu-

the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which

als, as communities, and as a nation. It’s a time

uses money from oil and gas leases to protect

to be thankful for the foresight of those who

and expand parks and natural areas.

came before us—who safeguarded the land for

Now more than ever, the rest of us must

future generations. It’s a time to celebrate our

speak up on behalf of our public lands. After

successes—like the restoration of oceanfront

you’ve read the stories in this issue, please visit

land to native people forced inland more than a

tpl.org/publiclands and make your voice heard.

century ago (page 30); the steady improvement of Atlanta’s city park network (page 42); and the

Let’s not let America’s best idea become a sad memory.

establishment of Stonewall National Monument (page 19). Most of all, it’s a time to do our part. We must renew our commitment to protecting and stewarding the public lands we cherish: because, make no mistake, they are under threat. We are all the “public” in “public lands.” But a small, vocal minority is opposed to the idea of

Will Rogers president and ceo

sharing the land. Today, a number of elected officials are calling for the transfer of federal

T P L. O R G · 11

BE A LEADER. Connect more people to nature by becoming a Conservation Champion today. With your annual leadership-level contribution of $2,000 or more in general support you will receive invitations to special events and insider updates on our park and conservation strategies.

Learn more about the impact you will have as a Conservation Champion. Call Haley Nielsen at 415.800.5189.

co ns er vat i o n ch ampi o ns t pl . o r g/ c h a m p ions | cham p ions@tp l.org

O F F IC E R S

Stephen W. Baird

pre s i d e n t an d c hie f exe c ut i ve o ffi c er

Will Abberger s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t a n d dire cto r o f c i t y park dev elo pm en t

sarah cozol in o

William B. Rogers vic e p re s i d e n t an d d i re cto r of co n s e rvat i o n fi n an c e

board spotlight

Get to know

Stephen Baird is president and CEO of Chicago real estate ﬁrm Baird & Warner. A dedicated advocate for open space, Stephen has served on The Trust for

Adrian Benepe

Public Land’s national board since 2008,

s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t an d d i vi s i o n d i re cto r

leads our Chicago advisory board, and

Raymond Christman

has been president of Chicago conserva-

s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t a n d dire cto r o f co n s e rvat i o n st rat eg i es

tion groups CorLands and Openlands.

Ernest Cook

He is also on the boards of the Morton

vic e p re s i d e n t an d d i re cto r of pro g ram d e ve lo p men t

Arboretum and Children’s Memorial

Jad Daley

Hospital, and is past president of Chicago

s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t an d d i vi s i o n d i re cto r

Public Radio. A Harvard graduate, he

Jeff Danter

is co-chair of the Harvard Schools

vic e p re s i d e n t an d dire cto r o f fe d e ral affa i r s

Committee in Chicago. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University.

Kathy DeCoster s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t , ge n eral co un s e l, an d sec reta r y

D. Malcolm Carson

I JOINED THE BOARD BECAUSE … I was

mapping and conservation planning—

s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t an d c hi e f p hi lan t hro p y o ff i c er

familiar with The Trust for Public Land

and we bring them together so well.

Margie Kim

from my work with Openlands, and

vic e p re s i d e n t an d dire cto r o f g i s an d p l a n n i n g

Breece Robertson s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t , c h i ef f in an c i al o ffi c e r, an d t rea su rer

Cynthia Scherer vic e p re s i d e n t an d d i re cto r of lan d p rot e ct i o n

because my father served on the board for

I SUPPORT THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

many years. I’ve always had a lot of respect

BECAUSE … I believe the work changes

for the organization’s work, and I wanted

lives. Whether in cities or the wilderness,

to help with land conservation on a larger

parks are where people connect and com-

and more varied scale than just in Chicago.

munity is built. The Trust for Public Land

But mostly it was because I was asked—

is helping create a healthier, more open

which I consider a great honor.

environment where children have parks

Brenda Schick vic e p re s i d e n t an d dire cto r o f human re s o u rc es

close to home, which is critical to building MY PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A

a healthier, more open society.

Barbara Smith

BOARD MEMBER WAS … the opening of

s e n io r vi c e p re s i d e n t an d c hi e f o p e rat i n g off i c er

and trail. I’ve also enjoyed building up

FOR PUBLIC LAND IS … ﬁguring out how

Tim Wohlgenant

the Chicago office.

to do more with limited resources—both

The 606, Chicago’s new elevated park

THE KEY CHALLENGE FACING THE TRUST

within the organization and within the THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S WORK IS

B OA R D OF D I R E CTOR S Page Knudsen Cowles (Chair), Stephen W. Baird,

communities we serve.

UNIQUE BECAUSE ... we have a saying: “but for The Trust for Public Land”—as in,

I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NATURAL

it couldn’t have happened without us. We

WORLD … at birth. I have always loved

bring a unique range of skills to conserva-

the outdoors. My family took me camping,

F. Whitney Hatch, Ignacia S. Moreno, Caroline P.

tion challenges across the country—every-

skiing, ﬁshing, and hiking from an early

Niemczyk, Michael E. Patterson, Thomas S. Reeve,

thing from land acquisition, conservation

age. Nature continues to inspire me and

Jeffrey A. Resnick, Laura Richards, Roy Richards Jr.,

ﬁnance, and community building, to GIS

bring me joy.

George Bell, William J. Cronon, Douglas Durst,

William B. Rogers, Lex Sant, Sheryl Tishman, F. Jerome Tone, Ana Valdez, Susan D. Whiting T P L. O R G · 13

contributors

Maria Dolan

Josh Green

Shaw Nielsen

story:

How The West Is Won

Great Strides

Seattle-based writer Maria Dolan is a regular

Josh Green is an award-winning Atlanta-based

Illustrator Shaw Nielsen’s work has ap-

contributor on environment and science

freelance writer and ﬁction author whose

peared in magazines, advertising, posters,

topics for Seattle magazine. She has contrib-

work has appeared in publications such as At-

and newspapers around the world, including

uted to national publications including Slate,

lanta Magazine, Indianapolis Monthly, The Atlanta

Communication Arts and 3x3, the Magazine of

Sierra, and smithsonian.com, and authored

Journal-Constitution, The Los Angeles Review, and

Contemporary Illustration. Nielsen has been

two outdoor guidebooks. When not writing,

The Baltimore Review. Accolades include top

honored by the Alliance of Illustrators and

she likes to garden, hike, dance, and enjoy

prizes in 2010 (for feature writing) and 2012

the Art Directors Club. He lives in Colorado

the Seattle art scene.

(for investigative reporting) among major

with his family.

follow her on twitter @mariaidolan

Georgia newspapers.

shawnielsen.com

follow him on twitter @joshgreen1234

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support land for people

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1 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

mailroom

adam al ex an der

JOI N OUR COMMUNI TY Members like you helped us hit 100,000 Facebook fans this year— with new friends joining us every day. Follow us on social media and be a

rach id dah n oun

part of the conversation.

BRIGHT IDEA

Neighbors lit up the night at a community event on Chicago’s 606 park and trail.

If you’ve got thoughts on the stories in this issue of Land&People, we want to hear from you! You can reach us by mail, on Facebook, or at mailroom@tpl.org.

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 16 A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS OF TH

E TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

For kids, by kids

trees and ﬂowers and basketball

Our schoolyards-to-playgrounds

courts and green-roofed gazebos.

story won your hearts.

The stories are very inspiring. Keep up the good work!

I’m a Trust for Public Land

Patricia Rose, via the blog

member and I love your maga-

20 YEARS OF NEW YORK CITY PLAYGROUNDS + OUTDOOR AFRO’S RUE MAPP + THE PEOPLE’S MONUMENT + OUR NEWEST URBAN WILDLIFE REFUGE

zine. After I’ve read it from

After helping a friend this afternoon,

cover to cover, I take it to my

I came home tired and ready for a nap.

veterinary clinic and put it in

I stopped to pick up my mail—most of

the lobby for other people to

it went right into the recycling bin—but

read. The Spring/Summer issue

there was Land&People. Opening the

was spectacular, with wonder-

magazine, I saw the gorgeous photo

ful before-and-after photos of

of LaCima Charter School playground

schoolyards in inner cities where

and was hooked. I kicked off my shoes,

concrete has been transformed

stretched out on the sofa with the

into beautiful green space with

T P L. O R G · 15

an dy r ich t e r

an drew f eder man

mailroom

Thank you for letting my voice be heard and to everyone ﬁghting to #KeepItPublic #AmericatheBeautiful

olympic pentathlete margaux isaksen took a break from the rio games to tweet her support for our push to

P.S. 65, Brooklyn, New York

protect america’s public lands.

magazine, and read every word of the green schoolyards article. The more I read about the playground projects, the happier I was that I’ve

Real-life creatures have superpowers,

More allies for alleys

too! We got in on the Pokémon Go craze

Readers were inspired by our effort to

at tpl.org/parkpokemon.

turn miles of unused alleyways in Los Angeles into green community spaces.

supported The Trust for Public Land for several years, as modest as my support

Car-free? Yes, please!

was. I come from a family of teachers; I

Chattanoogans are rejoicing over

This gives me hope. As a former

keep thinking about what a wonderful

our latest addition to their greenway

diabetes counselor, I would often advise

project remaking a schoolground would

system — learn more on page 21.

a 20-minute walk after a meal to lower blood sugar. Many of my patients had

be. It would include just about all of the subjects I taught to sixth graders for

What a joy it was to ride my bike safely

no safe place to walk. The Equipo Verde

many years.

on this new trail instead of risking my

is lucky to create such a place. Mary Reynolds, via the blog

And the kids are right: when they

life navigating the intense traffic on

help and the community knows the

Wisdom Street at Amnicola Highway.

new park is for them as well, everyone

Thank you to The Trust for Public Land

I love to see our people getting involved

will take care of it. What a wonderful,

for making our community safe,

in making our neighborhoods cleaner,

inspiring story! Thank you.

walkable, hikeable, and bikeable!

greener, and safer for our families. This

Laura Shaida, via email

Leslie Tarvan, via Facebook

is a great project on many levels—I’d

mark gillila nd

love to see it spread throughout Los Angeles. Pa’lante! Querido Galdo, via the blog WATCH THE VIDEO @

TPL.ORG/VERDE

South Chickamauga Greenway, Chattanooga, Tennessee

1 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

LAND&PEOPLE IS LISTENING! Send letters to the editor or change your mailing address: mailroom@tpl.org.

i took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees. h enry dav id t h oreau

“Coney Island of the West” in Waconia, Minnesota, was once a private resort destination. Thanks to your support, we helped conserve it for the public.

t u r n t h e pag e fo r … ho m e -co u rt a d va n tag e · a b r id g e to e v e r y w h e re · ex pa n si o n at yo s e m it e n at io n al par k T P L. O R G · 17

A taste of the Americas

edible conservation

rio grande farm park, alamosa, colorado

The Rio Grande traces lazy curves

district. Today, it’s land where families

vision: a permanent farm on the banks

through Alamosa, a town in southwest

like the Lucases can grow vegetables to

of the Rio Grande, just blocks from the

Colorado’s San Luis Valley. On a quarter

bring home to relatives and neighbors.

center of town. The Trust for Public Land

acre of rich soil along the meander-

It’s more than a hobby garden.

worked with the San Luis Valley Local

ing river, Francisco Lucas has planted

Though the San Luis Valley is one of

Foods Coalition to buy the land for the

enough vegetables to stock a farmers

the most productive farming regions in

public and help local residents make a

market for weeks: “We’re doing corn,

Colorado, almost 90 percent of the food

plan for their new space. This spring, the

green beans, lettuce, onions, cauliﬂow-

grown here—mostly potatoes, wheat,

ﬁrst seeds were planted in the ground

er, cilantro, pumpkins … plus, all kinds

and barley—is shipped elsewhere.

that is now the Rio Grande Farm Park.

of vegetables from Guatemala—I don’t

Despite living in the state’s breadbasket,

Lucas says the farm has already grown

know their names in English.”

many people in Alamosa struggle to ﬁnd

into a source of affordable, healthy food

and afford fresh produce.

for people who need it. It’s also a place

Lucas and his wife, Lucia, immigrated

So when the school district decided

to pass on the traditional recipes and

Like many members of the large but

to sell the property about ﬁve years ago,

farming practices he learned as a boy in

close-knit Guatemalan community here,

locals like Lucas saw an opportunity.

Guatemala.

he and his family have put down roots—

The site had garnered interest from a

“We’re happy with everything that

literally—in the fertile ground of a 38-

developer who planned to build an RV

we’re growing,” he says. “Now, we’re

acre property once owned by the school

park, but the community had another

just waiting for the harvest.” theo stroomer

to the San Luis Valley from Guatemala.

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buzzworthy

Ensalada de chiles asado (Charred pepper salad) SALAD O

6 sweet bell peppers

1 yellow onion, peeled, halved lengthwise

1 tbsp. ﬂat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

DRESSING O

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. roughly chopped garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Char bell peppers on a grill, turning fre-

The Trust for Public Land helped the City of New York transfer property for the new monument to the National Park Service.

LEARN

“I believe our national parks should reﬂect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always deﬁned us. That we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one.”

MORE @

TPL.ORG/ STONEWALL

quently, until skins blister—5-8 minutes. Let them cool slightly, then peel and julienne.

—President Barack Obama

Char and cool onion, then julienne. Combine dressing ingredients in blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if

This summer, the president declared a

necessary.

national monument at the Stonewall Inn,

In a medium bowl, toss the julienned peppers and onions with dressing and chopped

site of the 1969 riots widely recognized as

parsley. Let sit 20-30 minutes before serv-

the spark that ignited the modern LGBT

ing. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

rights movement. F I R ST LO O K · 19

Yosemite gains a lush mountain meadow Ackerson Meadow is a bright island of open grass in a sea of shady forest. It’s a gentler landscape than the imposing gran-

good news

Why is Ackerson Meadow home to so much life? It all comes back to water.

ite cliffs of Yosemite Valley, a dozen miles to the east—but in

“Ackerson Meadow holds on to a lot of water,” says

many ways it’s just as impressive: at 400 acres, it’s part of the

Yosemite wildlife biologist Sarah Stock. “Insects love wet

largest ecosystem of its kind anywhere in the Sierra Nevada.

areas, so they do really well here. Those insects feed spiders,

This year, The Trust for Public Land helped add Ackerson

birds, bats, and small mammals, which in turn feed hawks,

Meadow to Yosemite National Park.

owls, and coyotes.”

The mid-elevation meadow is the largest addition to Yosem-

Stock says it’s rare to see so many species in such a

ite in nearly 60 years—and it’s thriving. “Birds, squirrels, bear

small area in the Sierra. Her crew has even spotted a pair

sign everywhere, rare plants, and ﬁelds full of wildﬂowers in

of willow ﬂycatchers—sparking hope that these endangered

spring and summer,” says Markley Bavinger, project manager

songbirds might nest in the park for the ﬁrst time in more

with The Trust for Public Land. “I’ve been all over the Sierra

than two decades.

robb hirsch

and I’ve never seen a place so rich.”

During the 2013 Rim Fire, wildlife found refuge in Ackerson Meadow: the ﬁre burned all the way around it, but wet soils here helped hold the ﬂames at bay. 2 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

mar k g il l il an d

buzzworthy

The new segment leaves just three miles to go in the full South Chickamauga Greenway. When complete, it will be a 23-mile car-free corridor—with four public canoe launches.

BRI D G I NG T HE

GREENWAY GAP The latest addition to Chattanooga’s greenway system is by no means the longest we’ve completed. But if you ask the neighbors who turned up for the grand opening this year, they’ll tell you this stretch of trail has something that matters more than mileage: a bridge, linking the South Chickamauga Greenway to the Tennessee Riverwalk. Longtime resident Walter Hodges lives adjacent to the new trail segment. Before, if he wanted to use the Riverwalk, he had to drive to it. Now, he’s among the 25,000 people who live within a 10-minute walk of the South Chickamauga Greenway—so he can get there on foot or by bicycle. “My family can now ride from our home to the downtown area, staying on the greenway entirely and avoiding congested roadways,” says Hodges. For a city with ambitious climate change goals, greenways are a critical part

“You walk on the land, and you don’t have to pray. You look around and the beauty of it all lifts your spirit.” —Sister Veronica Mendez to the Nyack News and Views For more than a century, the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine — also known as the Marydell Sisters — tended to 30 acres of woods and meadows on the Hudson River north of New York City. The sisters wanted to ensure their peace-

of the effort to reduce the number of cars on the road. Jonathan Gibbons heads

ful refuge would outlive them, so this

the city’s efforts to promote bicycle commuting and other alternative transpor-

year they worked with The Trust for Public

tation. “The South Chickamauga Greenway will connect thousands of residents,”

Land to add the property to the state

he says. “What could be better than going to work or picking up groceries sur-

park system.

rounded by Chattanooga’s natural beauty?” F I R ST LO O K · 21

what counts

meet our staff

kel ly fort en er

t eg ra ston e n uess

“We do our homework.”

DEE FRANKFOURTH THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S WESTERN DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION

100,000 … visitors per year to Glen Helen Nature Preserve, a half hour from Dayton, Ohio. Home to one of the Midwest’s ﬁrst environmental education centers, this forest retreat was

FINANCE GETS THE LAND WE LOVE ON THE BALLOT

What is conservation ﬁnance? We work with town, city, county, and state officials to help them create funding for land and water conservation. Sometimes that means working on legislation, but our stock-in-trade is placing funding measures on the ballot and getting them approved by the voters. It’s a little counterintuitive that a nonproﬁt like the Trust for Public Land can do this kind of advocacy work, but we’ve been at it for 20 years, and we win more than 80 percent of the time.

permanently protected this year with help from The Trust for Public Land.

How did you get into this line of work? I started my career as a biologist, but in the mid-1970s I got involved in an

SEE MORE PHOTOS @

effort to protect new parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas in Alaska.

TPL.ORG/LPDIGITAL

I helped organize dozens of community meetings in the state; then I moved to Washington, D.C., and spent three years lobbying Congress. Finally, on December 2, 1980, President Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act—protecting 100 million acres at the stroke of a pen.

2 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

That must have been especially meaningful for you as someone who grew up there.

with people and listening and understanding what their needs are. You have

What victories stand out in your memory?

to have the political experience to see

The era of 100-million-acre opportunities

Alaska really shaped who I am and what

the big picture, but the ﬂexibility to

like we had in Alaska is over, but there

matters to me. It was just an amazing

zero in on the details.

are still really important wilderness

place to grow up: so much opportu-

areas that need to be purchased and protected. The wins that stand out are

suspect my Girl Scout days were quite a

How do you help make sure conservation measures succeed at the polls?

bit more rugged than they would have

We do our homework. First we research

we hoped for and we were challenged

been anywhere else. We needed Army

the available funding mechanisms and

to bring our full skillset to bear. Like in

trucks just to get to our camp-outs!

nity, so much wilderness, and so much freedom. I was outdoors all the time—I

the tough ﬁghts—when we might not have had all the support or resources

timelines. Then we contract with some

2011, in Arapahoe County, Colorado: we

I will be forever grateful for my role

of the nation’s top pollsters to ﬁnd out

were working to renew a sales tax to

in that scrappy Alaska lands coalition.

what people want: is it a skate park,

fund local conservation. We didn’t even

It showed me what I really wanted to

a natural area, water features, more

expect to make it onto the ballot, since

do. After the campaign, I stayed in the

trails? How much money is the commu-

it was the middle of the recession. But

political arena as an advisor to candi-

nity willing to spend? With poll results

it passed.

dates and ballot measure campaigns and

in hand, we make a recommendation to

nonproﬁts, which is how I came to join

the elected officials and work with them

What motivates you?

The Trust for Public Land.

to design a ballot measure.

I want to help communities realize

You can only move the needle of

their own potential and fulﬁll their own

What does a typical workday look like for you now?

public opinion so far—especially since

ideals. That’s something that happens

our campaigns are run on a shoestring.

through voting on public ﬁnancing for

Our team is quite lean—everybody does

But if we have a strong coalition on the

conservation that doesn’t happen any

everything. So today I worked on an

ground and the support of a passion-

other way.

engagement strategy for an upcoming

ate elected official, that’s when we can

Time and again we’ve found that

ballot measure in Los Angeles County.

catch the wave and get a measure on

voters are willing to devote more fund-

Then I turned around and edited a ﬂyer

the ballot. We can empower locals with

ing to conservation at the polls than

for a different campaign. I make a lot of

the tools they need to win dedicated

officials can or do as part of an annual

cold calls. I like mixing it up, engaging

funding for conservation.

budget—and that that funding is more

isaac lane koval

stable. It comes straight from the people and goes straight to the landscapes they love, which is an incredibly meaningful and powerful statement for a community to make. The least we can do is get that option onto the ballot so the voters can choose to pay for what matters for them, and for future generations. It’s incredibly gratifying work.

Lower Deschutes River Ranch, Oregon.

F I R ST LO O K · 23

I GIVE TO …

what counts

why we give

dan mah on ey / okct h un der.com

jen n a stamm

play it forward “Getting to see the smiles on all of your faces is what it’s all about.” dion waiters, philadelphia, pennsylvania

WATCH THE VIDEO @

TPL.ORG/ PHILLYPLAYGROUNDS

He may play for the Miami Heat, but NBA star Dion Waiters’s heart will always be in Philly. Waiters attended Stanton Elementary School on the

15,000 … Philadelphia residents live within a 10-

city’s southwest side, and as he puts it: “Every chance I got, I would climb over the fence and spend hours shooting hoops. This is where it all started, right here on this court.” That court, though, could use an upgrade. So at a press event in March, Waiters presented the school with a $10,000 check to help revitalize his alma mater’s barren asphalt yard. His message to the students looking on: dream big.

minute walk of William Cramp Elementary

“I came from nothing,” said Waiters. “I remember sitting in the same

School, whose revamped playground is

seats as you are today—and look at me now. I want you all to continue to

open to the community after the last class

go to school, have fun, enjoy life no matter how hard it is, and never let

bell rings. Awarded a grant from the National

anybody tell you what you can or cannot become.”

Endowment for the Arts, the new schoolyard—

Waiters told a rapt audience of neighborhood kids that trouble seemed

complete with a track, garden, and perfor-

to follow him everywhere when he was young—but teachers’ support and

mance area—is a point of pride in a neighbor-

a passion for basketball set him on a course for success. “The basketball

hood where safe places to play are scarce.

program here at Stanton is how it all started. Spending time in this yard changed me.” Waiters’s generous gift will help The Trust for Public Land refurbish the

SEE MORE PHOTOS @

TPL.ORG/LPDIGITAL

court and transform the Stanton schoolyard into a vibrant gathering place for the whole community. Through a participatory design process, the students themselves will create a design incorporating green infrastructure features that do double duty managing stormwater runoff.

2 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

Double your impact today! This year, an anonymous donor will generously match your gift—dollar-for-dollar—if you send it before December 15. Your donation will go even further to help The Trust for Public Land protect more parks, gardens, and other natural places. That’s one good thing made that much better.

ﬁg. 2

good.

better.

Give your EarthShare.

800.714.5263 donor.outreach@tpl.org tpl.org/match

An EarthShare payroll deduction is one simple way to donate to The Trust for Public Land or more than 400 other environmental and conservation charities. Many corporate and government employers support EarthShare payroll giving. If yours doesn’t, ask them to start. If they do, simply decide on a single deduction or a recurring small one from every paycheck. Then designate us, member number 11440, as one of your conservation charities. For more information visit earthshare.org or email donor.outreach@tpl.org.

T P L. O R G · 25

alex diekmann

ﬁg. 1

insight

the

storyteller

a conversation with

terry tempest williams

2 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

z o e ro dr ig u e z

“Beauty is not optional. It is a strategy for survival.”

still argue that nature is worth defending simply because it’s

You’ve spent time in beautiful places all over the country. Why did you choose to write this book about national parks in particular?

beautiful? Terry Tempest Williams doesn’t hesitate.

Our national parks embody the soul of the nation. At a time

in a modern debate over public land—crowded with political, economic, and ecological concerns—can anyone

“Beauty is not optional. It is a strategy for survival.”

when public lands are under siege—with some politicians

As a writer, naturalist, and educator, Williams has spent her

calling for “the disposal of federal lands”—national parks

career advocating for the land. Her dreamy, lyrical prose in-

are the most accessible gateway into the conversation. Many

vites readers into her explorations of the natural and cultural

people may not understand what our public lands represent,

legacies of the American West—challenging perceptions of

but if something changes you say, speciﬁcally, “Imagine what

some of our most storied landscapes. She’s been called the

America would be without the national parks.” They under-

“natural heir” to Wallace Stegner.

stand what we would be left with would be a self-made world

Williams’s latest book is The Hour of Land: a Personal

devoid of our natural heritage.

Topography of America’s National Parks. It’s a 12-stop tour of

letters, casual conversations, and poems capturing the diver-

You write that national parks provide “breathing space for a society that’s holding its breath.” What do you mean by that?

sity and complexity of the places the American people have

An example: I was in Washington, D.C.—suffocating in the

chosen to save. As the Park Service marks its centennial year,

humidity of summer and saturated by the politics of the place.

The Hour of Land is a timely reﬂection on the relevance and

Then a friend offered to take me to Great Falls National Park,

signiﬁcance of our public lands.

in McLean, Virginia, 15 miles from the capital. When I walked

our national parks, from the iconic (Wyoming’s Grand Tetons) to the obscure (Iowa’s Efﬁgy Mounds)—a mix of ﬁeld notes,

“I thought I was writing a book about America’s national

to the overlooks and saw the magniﬁcent, cascading waters

parks,” Williams told us. “But it became clear very quickly that

of the Potomac River being funneled through Mather Gorge—

I was actually writing a book about America. And this was a

well, I gasped. The impact on me in that moment was equal to

daunting task.”

when I ﬁrst saw Yosemite Valley. I couldn’t take my eyes off of

I N SI G H T · 27

the rapids. And I could breathe again, literally and metaphori-

United States can receive a free park pass for their family is a

cally. My friend said, “This is how I can live in D.C. This place

great step toward building future advocates for our national

keeps me sane. It’s my sanctuary.”

parks.

What can be done to make sure that national parks like Great Falls can survive — and matter — for another hundred years?

staff. They are passionate about what they do, and they do it

I also have a real soft spot in my heart for the interpretive well. They are our storytellers—and at our big western wilderness parks, they may provide many visitors with their ﬁrst

I would like to see an endowment that would provide a per-

or only exposure to environmental education and ecological

manent source of funding for our national parks and monu-

literacy. I see the national park naturalists as true heroes and

ments. This to me is a much more sustainable idea than open-

heroines. I love them.

ing the doors to corporate America to fund our parks. I don’t want to see billboards or ads on buses, or natural wonders named after banks and businesses like sports arenas.

Given its limited resources, what does the National Park Service do well?

You’ve written about the history of tribes removed from land that became national parks. How do you reconcile the beneﬁts Americans derive from the parks with this legacy of displacement? This country has a complicated history, a shadowed history—

I think the Park Service has done a terriﬁc job of highlighting

beginning with the tribes. With the enslavement of African

the centennial and expanding the national conversation about

Americans, with migrant workers. American history within

public lands. Both Park Service Director Jon Jarvis and Secre-

our national parks has not focused on people of color. It’s only

tary of the Interior Sally Jewell have made a conscious and

been in the past decade or so that one could go to Gettysburg

compelling effort to reach out to more diverse audiences and

and hear the word “slavery” even mentioned.

communities. I think the fact that every fourth grader in the

2 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

We must not avert our gaze from the multiplicity of stories

“You cannot stand on the rim ticular place. I am a strong believer in the power of grassroots

of the Grand Canyon at dawn

activism and advocacy within local communities. Larger organizations can help these groundswells grow to reach people of

and not realize there is

national inﬂuence with the power to make conservation law. The Trust for Public Land is a beautiful example of this kind of

something far older and wiser

leadership, rooted in the stories of the land.

than we are. It is a sense of

future, it is going to be even more difficult to keep them. Our

It is an arduous process to establish a national park. In the public lands are our public commons: to maintain the literal

profound humility.”

open space of democracy will require our ongoing love and vigilance, patience and perseverance, and acts of imagination. We must be both ﬁerce and compassionate, at once.

behind our national parks. For example, to look only at the

You write a lot about family members, many of whom work in energy development. Is your relationship with the natural world much different from theirs?

geologic history of Glacier National Park—and not include the

It is true that my father and I disagree on most everything

cultural history, the betrayal of the Blackfeet Nation—is to

politically. But when it comes to land itself and its intrinsic

deny the visitor the full experience of the complexity inherent

value, we see through a very similar lens: it is a spiritual issue

to each place.

for him and it is a spiritual issue for me. Where does this spiritual connection come from? I believe it comes from spending

Do you think we’re making progress toward offering visitors that kind of experience?

a lifetime outside in wild places. You cannot experience the

Yes. Wallace Stegner said that the national parks are our “best

ting chills, or stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon at dawn

idea.” I would argue that they’re an evolving idea. President

and not realize there is something far older and wiser than

Obama has contributed to the evolution of what the parks and

we are—that we are not the center of the universe, nor are

monuments look like—from the establishment of the César E.

we the only species that lives and breathes and loves on this

Chávez National Monument, to the Harriet Tubman Under-

planet. It is a sense of profound humility.

bugling of elk in the fall at the base of the Tetons without get-

ground Railroad National Historic Park, to the Stonewall Inn National Monument that honors the struggles and triumphs of the LGBT community.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the threats to the natural world that means so much to you?

We have broadened, deepened, and expanded our notion of

Of course. Issues like climate change and the loss of our wild-

national parks in the past hundred years as our consciousness

lands more than concern me. Love and grief are my constant

of America’s diverse histories and peoples has expanded. The

companions. Joy and resistance fuel me. When I am ﬁlled with

National Park Service is honoring their unique contributions

despair and wonder how to move forward, I am aware of the

to our identity as a nation.

limits of my own imagination. But imagination shared creates collaboration. Collaboration creates community. And in com-

What does it take to protect land in the modern era of conservation?

munity, I truly believe anything is possible.

Each one of our national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges,

what we love, to employ our gifts in the service of something

and wilderness areas has been protected because someone

larger than ourselves. If we can commit to restoring and

loved them, cared about them, and knew them—because

protecting wild nature together, I believe wild nature will

someone spent time developing a relationship with that par-

take care of us.

Engaging with others empowers us to act on behalf of

I N SI G H T · 29

Home AT L A S T

A F T E R M O R E T H A N A C E N T U RY , T H E K A S H I A B A N D O F P O M O I N D I A N S R E T U R N S TO T H E CA L I F O R N I A C OA S T .

BY : M A RY CAT H E R I N E O ’ C O N N O R P H OTO G R A P H Y : N I C H O L A S L E A B RU N O & T E R R AY S Y LV E S T E R 3 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

T P L. O R G · 31

C “

lose your eyes” instructs Reno

“I don’t know how else to explain it: it’s like a home I’ve

Franklin. Chairman of the Kashia

never been to before, but I can feel. I know this is where I

Band of Pomo Indians, Franklin

belong,” says Billyrene Pinola, a Kashia, her voice breaking

wears his long black hair pulled

with emotion. Later, Pinola will don traditional dress to per-

into a loose ponytail. He’s address-

form a ceremonial dance alongside her granddaughter Laila;

ing a crowd gathered to celebrate

now she’s standing and marveling at the scene around her.

the creation of the new Kashia

“This is not just a piece of land to us. It’s family. If you don’t

Coastal Reserve.

know your cultural history, your language, your land, you lose

“Close your eyes,” he repeats.

“Close your eyes….” As the

your identity. This property brings us back home.” Once, the Kashia thrived here. In colder months the tribe

audience complies, a smile plays

lived in upland villages, hunting and gathering in the abun-

across his face.

dant forests and grasslands. When the seasons turned, they

“Think back 200 years, when thousands—not hundreds,

moved their camps closer to shore to ﬁsh and harvest abalone,

but thousands—of Kashia people walked on this land. Literally

mussels, urchins, seaweed, and salt. They made jewelry from

right where you’re standing. That is where we are.

shells and wove grasses and ﬁbers into intricate baskets. The

“Two hundred years ago, the Russians came. The ‘Undersea

People.’ Why did we call them that? Look.” He gestures to the

surrounding ocean, forest, and hills were their grocery, their pharmacy, and their university.

sweeping Paciﬁc, stretching to the horizon behind him. “That

“Twelve thousand ﬁve hundred years,” says Chairman

view had stayed the same for thousands of years. Until a mast

Franklin. “Archaeological records show that’s how long

appeared, and then a boat. The Undersea People. From that

Kashia were on this land. And in the last 200, after the

day forward, everything changed for us.”

Russians and Europeans came, our people suffered. We died, we were murdered, we were put into slavery, forced to work in gold mines.”

Years of negotiations, fragile alliances—built, destroyed,

The arrival of the colonists forced the Kashia people inland,

repaired—and the hopes and dreams of a people have led to

where they ultimately settled on a small, water-poor res-

this day: the transfer of nearly 700 acres of Northern Califor-

ervation—40 acres, with no direct access to the coast. “My

nia coastal prairie and redwood forest back to the Kashia, its

grandmother was moved to the rez when there were no

historic caretakers.

homes there,” recounts Billyrene. “The government said they

On paper, the deal was closed last December. But today—a

were going to provide housing, but they didn’t—so she and

windy Saturday in June 2016—marks the tribe’s ceremonial

the others had to build their own brush houses to live in. Back

return to the coast. Hundreds of people, Kashia and non-

then, the coast was their primary food source. But when my

Indians alike, have congregated here along a quiet, rural

dad wanted to ﬁsh or to gather, he had to ask permission from

stretch of Highway 1 in northern Sonoma County to dance,

the landowners. They never told him no, but it really bothered

pray, and mark a deﬁning moment 150 years in the making.

him that he had to ask.

It’s hungry work, and Kashia volunteers have prepared a tradi-

“My grandmother and my father taught me how to gather,”

tional feast for the guests—some of whom have traveled hours

she continues. “I raised my children on the 40-acre reserva-

to join the celebration.

tion, and I taught them how to live off the land. It’s a big asset for our tribe to be able to access the ocean, because that’s where we get our food and our culture.”

“12,500 years. That’s how long Kashia were on this land.” RENO FRANKLIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE K AS H I A BA N D O F P OMO I N D I A N S

3 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

T P L. O R G · 33

ill Richardson adjusts the curved brim of a red baseball cap low over his forehead. It’s embroidered with a feather and the words “Native Pride.” With the hat and sunglasses concealing his eyes, it’s hard to read his expression. “My emotions are mixed,” he says, haltingly. We’re gazing out over the family ranch his grandparents ﬁrst purchased in 1925—coastal prairie of

purple needlegrass and oatgrass thrumming in the brisk summer wind, million-dollar views of the Paciﬁc as it pummels the base of the cliffs, 70 feet high, across Highway 1. Not one morning of his life, says Richardson, has he walked out his front door without ﬁnding himself awestruck by the beauty of this land. Under the terms of the agreement he and his siblings have

brokered with the Kashia, Richardson explains, he won’t have to give up the view: their arrangement includes the provision that he’ll live out his days in his family home. As we talk, two Kashia men walk up behind him and tap his shoulder. Richardson turns—“Hey!”—and greets each with a hug. Divided by ancestry, the Richardsons and the Kashia are bound by the land they both call home. When tribal members wanted to gather seaweed or harvest abalone or perform a ceremony, it was the Richardson family who granted permission. Bill Richardson and his two sisters grew up here, attending the tribe’s one-room schoolhouse just up the road on the Kashia reservation. Their playmates were Kashia kids, too. So it was more than a decade ago that the Richardson siblings ﬁrst began talking with the Kashia about selling their land to the tribe. But the Kashia could not assemble the considerable resources needed to make the purchase. A deal remained a distant hope until 2013, when the tribe’s legal council called The Trust for Public Land. The organization had a long history of working with native peoples, restoring more than 200,000 acres to tribal ownership since the late 1990s. Could they help? “From a conservation standpoint, this property was obviously important because it’s a large stretch of beautiful, undeveloped coastline right next to a state park,” says The Trust for Public Land’s Brendan Moriarty. “But when we understood the signiﬁcance of the land to the Kashia, we knew we wanted to help. Everyone involved—including state and local public agencies, the tribe, and the landowners, the Richardson family—we all wanted to see something happen.”

3 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

bill richardson’s grandparents bought the ranch in 1925; he grew up on the property and attended school on the kashia reservation.

T P L. O R G · 35

3 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

b i l l y r e ne pi no l a , member of the kashia tribe

partnering with local agencies, The Trust for Public Land

state,” says Nina Hapner, who directs environmental planning

devised a plan that would return the land to the Kashia while

for the Kashia. “It’s traditional management by native people.”

allowing for an addition to the California Coastal Trail (CCT)—

As Hapner explains, the tribe will harvest plants for

a network of public footpaths hoped to one day span the 1,200

traditional uses: yerba buena and Labrador for tea; equise-

miles from Oregon to Mexico.

tum, madrone tree bark, and angelica root for medicine and

Then came the details: hashing out the terms of a conserva-

ceremonies. In accordance with the easement, tribal members

tion easement to permanently protect the land from develop-

will also harvest young trees, using proceeds to pay off the

ment and to ensure sustainable stewardship. “We and the

loan secured to help acquire the land. As the smaller trees and

tribe agreed the goal was to try to rehabilitate the forest,”

undergrowth are cleared, lowering the risk of wildﬁre, the for-

says Moriarty.

est will regain much of its pre-colonial character. “In 50 years,

Under the terms of the easement, the Kashia must follow

we’ll have healthy old-growth forest,” says Hapner.

a restorative forestry plan. “It’s a different kind of timber management,” Moriarty explains. “In other timber harvest plans, the goal is to cut the largest redwoods. But in this rehab approach, you go in and thin trees to allow remaining trees to grow bigger, with the goal of improving forest health.” “People often call what we’re planning a ‘demonstration forest,’ but we consider it returning the forest to its natural

T P L. O R G · 37

eanwhile, The Trust for Public Land is

and look inland, it’s all towering redwood forest. You’re cross-

collaborating with the county parks

ing over a number of creeks that run across the terrace before

department on plans to build the

dropping off into the ocean. So it’ll be pretty dramatic—espe-

new California Coastal Trail segment.

cially in winter, when the water is ﬂowing.”

The extension—which could open to

Plans for the trail include the creation of educational dis-

the public as early as 2018—will run

plays to share Kashia history. “We’ve considered doing guided

along the Kashia Coastal Reserve’s

hikes with tribal docents,” says Franklin. “We’re also talking

west side, linking up to Salt Point State Park.

about dedicating the trail to the veterans in our tribe. We’d

“For much of this stretch of the property, there’s no forest

call it ‘The One Who Was Warrior Way.’” As Franklin notes,

cover—it’s a coastal terrace of open grassland,” says Brendan

many members of the tribe fought in the United States mili-

Moriarty. “So as you’re walking along, you have this unimped-

tary, and one was even part of Theodore Roosevelt’s famed

ed view of the endless Paciﬁc Ocean in front of you, and you

Rough Riders.

can see Salt Point to the south in the distance. As you turn

3 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

THE HARDEST PART OF YOUR WORKOUT

The Trust for Public Land thanks Under Armour, proud supporters of our effort to ensure that every person in America lives within a 10-minute walk of a great place to get outside and get moving — like The 606, Chicago’s new elevated park and trail system. Learn more at tpl.org/10minutewalk. T P L. O R G · 39

“my g r an dma cr ied when w e g ot this lan d. a happy ki nd of cr y,” says kashia chri s elliott, ag e 13. “on ce i hav e my own kids, i will b ri ng them her e so they can se e this beautif ul p l ace .”

4 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

fter prayers and food, we walk up the hill to a meadow, where a small ﬁre marks the center of a dance circle. I fall in next to a man named Jonathan Toste, a local open space advocate who was keen to show his support by attending the ceremony. “The coast is a mosaic of undeveloped and devel-

oped land,” he tells me. “What the Richardsons have done [by selling this ranch] is to create a balance: protecting the land from people while still allowing them to come to the land. The Kashia aren’t the only ones who come out here to pray. To see the coast, the birds and plants, that is a deep prayer for me.”

Gathered around the ﬁre, Franklin and other Kashia lead

tribal dancers in song, keeping the beat with hand-hewn clapper sticks. Eight men, wearing feathers and mimicking a bird’s gait and gaze, enter the circle from the west, followed by seven women. In the distance, osprey soar over the coastline, searching for their next meal. Kashia children gather plants in the cool shade of a young redwood grove. At the foot of the driveway into the ranch, an agave Americana plant stands in full bloom. The ﬂowers topping its 30-foot stalk signal the end of the plant’s life cycle—a moment of transition. This plant will die, but more will emerge from its roots, both replacing and propagating their predecessor. “I feel so thankful to have had the opportunity to work on this project with the Kashia,” says Moriarty. “It’s not just a story of important environmental conservation. It’s also an important social justice story—an opportunity to do right, and do well.” Chairman Franklin nods his head in agreement. “This

“This is a historic day.

Soak it in.”

experience has been not only beneﬁcial but healing for us. We stand in this place today a complete people. We are at a moment that all of us prayed for, that we fought for, and our elders guided us through. “This is a historic day,” he adds. “Soak it in.”

T P L. O R G · 41

Imagine a city where no one lived more than a 10-minute walk from a park.

Now build it. story : josh gre e n · il l ustra tion: sha w nie ls en

4 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

Before the Atlanta BeltLine was green, it was pure academic theory. Atlanta’s most ambitious park plan began as a nebulous, fantastical idea dreamed up in a graduate thesis. As a Georgia Tech student in 1999, Ryan Gravel wrote a paper that launched the effort to repurpose defunct rail corridors encircling the city — then struggling with sprawl — into a network of trails, parks, and, eventually, light-rail transit. To many officials, it all sounded too extensive and too expensive for serious consideration. Gravel himself told Atlanta Magazine this year: “I never really imagined anything like the BeltLine was going to happen…. We were proposing an ambitious, transformational project on railroads that the city didn’t own.” But the BeltLine had its champions, too. In 2004, The Trust for Public Land commissioned renowned park planner Alexander Garvin to produce a feasibility study. Community advocates went neighborhood to neighborhood rallying grassroots support. Over the ensuing years, various park and conservation organizations got to work. The Trust for Public Land acquired 33 properties for the Atlanta BeltLine, negotiating deals and transferring land to the City of Atlanta one acre at a time. And in 2010, construction began.

T P L. O R G · 43

construction in May 2016. From City Hall to the front porches of the Old Fourth Ward, there’s a growing conﬁdence that the project will deliver on its promise to boost public health, civic pride, and local economies. In the coming years, feasibility studies predict the BeltLine will create 30,000 jobs, connect 45 neighborhoods, and boost Atlanta’s green space by almost 40 percent. Behind my old condo, the BeltLine already hosts joggers, walkers, bicyclists—and one lady who diligently practices the violin. Many of my eldest daughter’s stroller rides and ﬁrst steps took place on this winding ribbon of pathway, this stitch joining neighborhoods long cut off from each other by abandoned railway tracks and the accompanying blight. For my family, the trail has validated our optimism for Atlanta’s future—while literally showing us sides of the city we’d never seen. WHAT MOTIVATES a city to make this kind of long-term commitment? The potential payoff is huge. Atlanta has long been notorious for sprawl and ON PAPER, it seems a long, slow

That was 2011. Just three years after

light on parks, and what green space it

ride from concept to reality. But on the

my lizard encounter, the Atlanta BeltLine

has is not equitably distributed—factors

ground, Atlanta residents can see the

was named the best environmental reha-

contributing to its rank as only 51st in the

pace of change quickening. My own

bilitation project in the world, receiving

nation on the ParkScore index, a ranking

family used to live in a building that

the International Real Estate Federation’s

of urban park systems published by

butted up against the rail corridor. For

prestigious Prix d’Excellence award at a

The Trust for Public Land. The BeltLine

much of that time, the proximity was

ceremony in Luxembourg. And it’s not

begins to address that: when complete,

not exactly an asset: I can remember

even done.

it will provide access to green space

stomping out of the condo’s ground-

The full 22-mile loop remains many

within a 10-minute walk of more than

access gate, angrily searching for my

years from completion. But the net-

stolen mountain bike, and encountering

work is growing steadily: a three-mile

a wasteland—encampments, discarded

segment on the west side of Atlanta

factor matters. Easy access to green

truck parts, rampant kudzu, and, once, a

is scheduled to open in 2017, and an

space contributes to the quality of life

horrifyingly huge black lizard.

extension on the city’s east side began

that’s key to attracting and keeping

4 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

50,000 people. For park planners, that convenience

residents and businesses. Plus, it’s a public health issue: research has shown that people who regularly use parks get more and better exercise than people who don’t. A park close by can improve the well-being of everyone from a child managing ADHD to a senior recovering from hip surgery. That’s because, even for people who

The trail has validated our optimism for Atlanta’s future.

love getting outside, there’s a big difference between a park down the street and one across town. If a trip to the park means waiting for the bus—or packing the family into the car and sitting in traffic—a day on the couch can start to sound more appealing. But having green space in the neighborhood opens up possibilities: a quick jog before work, a picnic lunch break, or even sending older kids out to play on their own after school. Since its founding during the heyday of the environmental movement, The Trust for Public Land has advocated for nature in easy reach of city-dwellers—its land-for-people mission setting it apart from other groups centered on wilderness or wildlife. Four decades later, the organization is readying for a new nationwide campaign: to push American cities to commit to putting a park or other green space within a 10-minute walk of all residents, regardless of the neighborhood they live in. As the campaign gets underway, other cities weighing new investments in park infrastructure will look to the bellwether of the BeltLine. They’ll compare budgets and blueprints, read the studies and run the projections—as well they should. But in the end, no document can speak to a park’s worth as well as its neighbors.

T P L. O R G · 45

4 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

“I travel around the country looking at projects like this,”

KIT SUTHERLAND is a longtime

side. Back then, his impressions of the

resident of Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward.

corridor were as unsavory as mine.

It’s an up-and-coming neighborhood

“My original experience with the

with a vibrant history—the birth and

BeltLine was walking out back of the

burial place of Dr. Martin Luther King

building into an overgrown area and en-

Jr.—but one that has struggled with high

campments,” he says. “To now see all the

crime rates and poverty in the past. A

shops, restaurants, and activity has been

community liaison for the neighbor-

pretty amazing to watch. The BeltLine is

hood’s business association, Sutherland

where everyone my age wants to live.

has been pulling for the BeltLine since

It’s going to be the driver of everything

says architect Markham Smith.

the early 2000s, back when the project

going on in Atlanta from here on out.”

He’s a founding principal with

was still a pipe dream.

Darch himself is putting money on it.

the architecture ﬁrm Smith

“Atlanta doesn’t have a waterfront, or

Dalia, which has designed

a port—but now it has the BeltLine and

bungalow in the Grant Park neighbor-

more than 75 projects on the

the associated parks,” Sutherland says.

hood, ﬁve houses up the street from a

BeltLine corridor.

“Those urban amenities aren’t going

future BeltLine extension.

“There aren’t many with as signiﬁcant an impact as the BeltLine.

anywhere, so people feel comfortable

Local businesses are watching the

putting time, energy, and money into

transformation of rail to trail as eagerly

the surrounding communities.

as homeowners. Stacy Sax, general man-

Three years ago, he bought a 1920s

It’s amazing how it has altered

“The BeltLine and Historic Fourth

ager of FitWit Old Fourth Ward, opened

people’s attitudes about what it’s

Ward Park are prompting investment—

her company’s third gym in a building

like to live in Atlanta; it’s chang-

physical as well as psychological—in

alongside the BeltLine in 2015. She hosts

ing not only what we see around

communities that might have languished

frequent group workouts on the trail and

us, but how we live our lives.”

otherwise. People want to believe in

free yoga classes in the park.

community. They will care about and

From her perspective, scenes like

nurture their surroundings if they mean

these are good for everyone, not just

something to them personally. We’re

ﬁtness enthusiasts. “Those that live in

seeing this phenomenon play out in

the community or those just passing

the Old Fourth Ward and surrounding

through see people exercising, playing

neighborhoods.”

recreational sports, playing in the park

Sutherland has always been a BeltLine believer, but most Atlanta residents have

with their kids,” she says. “Activity begets activity. It’s infectious.”

needed some convincing. Luke Darch, 27, used to work near the BeltLine’s east

T P L. O R G · 47

PRINCESS WILSON, 68, was born

out the railroad tracks to put the BeltLine

ments and services,” she says. “Everyone

and raised in the Old Fourth Ward. As a

in. We’d hold cleanups on Saturday

deserves nature near their home. If

board member with the Historic Fourth

mornings, and even after we’d emptied

we want to make that happen, it’s not

Ward Park Conservancy, Wilson helps

all of the mattresses and debris, we

enough to build one or two showcase

oversee upkeep and plan events at the

never thought it would look like this. To

parks. Cities have to listen to the needs

park—built in part on property protected

see how it has materialized, how every-

of the whole community—then think

by The Trust for Public Land. Historic

thing has come together, the beauty of

holistically about how to meet those

Fourth Ward Park was among the ﬁrst

it — it’s wonderful.”

needs.”

elements of the BeltLine to reach

Even so, Wilson says, success can

Atlanta, at least, is making a start.

completion, but its 2011 debut remains

be a double-edged sword. As the Old

When planning for the BeltLine, officials

recent enough that Wilson and I can

Fourth Ward grows more desirable—as

aimed to mitigate rising housing costs

both remember what preceded it: a

trendy as its nickname, “O4W”—she’s all

by directing some bond proceeds to-

bleak, post-industrial expanse of weedy

too aware that the park’s transformation

ward 5,600 units of affordable housing

parking lots and lumpy earth covering

from eyesore to amenity is contributing

near the BeltLine over the course of 25

construction waste.

to higher rents and home prices.

years. Another incentive effort, the At-

Today, you’ll ﬁnd a sweeping, 17-acre

“Any neighborhood improvement

lanta BeltLine Housing Initiative Program

space featuring two large lawns, an

project can have ripple effects through-

(HIP), offers eligible homebuyers up to

amphitheater, a wonderland of play

out the community,” says Nette Comp-

$45,000 toward a down payment for

equipment, and Atlanta’s ﬁrst public

ton, who studies equity and inclusion

housing alongside the BeltLine’s trails,

skate park. The manmade lake is my

issues for The Trust for Public Land. “On

parks, and future transit lines.

daughters’ favorite spot for tossing

the one hand, rising property values can

Meanwhile, the city’s Department of

breadcrumbs to the ducks—but it’s also

give cities a stronger tax base for social

Parks and Recreation acquired 171 acres

a “detention basin,” helping prevent

programs. On the other, they can dis-

in 2014 for a total of 14 new parks—boost-

ﬂooding. The sewer system in this low-

place the very people the infrastructure

ing the percentage of residents within a

lying neighborhood used to become

was intended to serve.”

half-mile walk of green space from 50 to

inundated after periods of heavy rain—

For Compton, concerns about dis-

64. Now, Mayor Kasim Reed has charged

so badly that stormwater would blow

placement underscore the importance

the agency with expanding the park sys-

manhole covers into the streets. Now,

of citywide projects like the Atlanta

tem so that every Atlantan is within walk-

the lake is designed to handle runoff

BeltLine — and The Trust for Public Land’s

ing distance of green space, committing

from hundred-year storms.

push for a universal 10-minute-walk stan-

$3.5 million in the last ﬁscal year to the

Wilson lives just a few minutes’ walk

dard for park access. “We can’t control

effort. In 2017, the city is prioritizing new

away and makes frequent trips to the

all the factors inﬂuencing local econo-

park developments and acquisitions in

splash-pad with her grandkids. Asked

mies, but we can empower residents

communities where existing green space

if she imagined the park’s success a

to get involved in comprehensive park

is limited.

decade ago, she’s emphatic. “Absolutely

planning—which in turn strengthens their

not. I remember when they were taking

ability to advocate for other improve-

vine city resident tillman ward believes in the value of a park.

“Even for people who don’t go to church, they buy homes near churches because you assume they’re good people. Same can be said of a park where people are healthy, where people exercise.”

4 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

YOUR LEGACY

Protecct th Protect the he places you love by making a gift to The Trust for Public Land in you your o r es esta estate ate plans. By naming The Th he Trust Trus Tr u t for Public Land as a beneﬁciary of your will, living trust, trust st, orr rretirement etirement account, you can n make m ke a visionary gift that will conserve land for generations ma genera ge rati tions to come. For more information, infforma mati tion on,, pl pplease ease contact Gardner Gardn dner er Trimble Trimble b at 415.800.5208. t pl . o rg /pl ann ed g i v i n g · p la n n ed g i v i n g @ tp l.org rg/pl

The Trust for Public Lan Land d

T P L. O R G · 49

5 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

AT THE TOP of that list is Vine City, a

the neighborhood being what it is,” said

working-class neighborhood on the

Ward. When I ask him what he’s looking

with low-density housing, and when

western fringe of Midtown.

for in a park, he’s ready with speciﬁcs.

you’re talking about new apartment

“We’d like to see some goldﬁsh some-

buildings and all these Millennials com-

where. A natural pond, a waterfall.

ing in, 5,000 more toilets ﬂushing, well

On a scorching day in June, I join Vine City residents gathering at the site of the future Mims Park — currently a seven-

“People are excited,” he adds. “Anxiety

“The system is already overwhelmed

…” Brown paused. “I love all the con-

block stretch of vacant land left behind

comes in when people don’t know what

cepts. But I’ll feel better when they show

when ﬂooding destroyed hundreds of

it’s going to look like.”

what they’re going to do to sustain it all.”

homes in 2002. Girding the hilly ter-

Jay Wozniak, who directs The Trust

The city has tapped The Trust for

rain are the surviving structures, a mix

for Public Land’s city park projects in

Public Land to spearhead the search for

of houses, crumbling retail buildings,

Georgia, agrees. That’s why gatherings

solutions. Roughly half of the park’s con-

large church properties, boarded-up

like this one—part of the “participatory

struction costs will go toward a stormwa-

apartment complexes, and one weath-

design” process—are at the heart of the

ter retention pond similar to the one at

ered green shack with “HELP US …

organization’s approach to creating

Historic Fourth Ward Park. That portion

Tear Down Please!” scrawled in black

parks. “Getting the whole community in-

will be funded by the city’s Department

spray-paint across its façade. Nearby,

volved doesn’t just make for better and

of Watershed Management—a nod to

the cranes and skeletal framework of the

more sustainable parks,” Wozniak says.

the future park’s dual role as a recreation

half-built Atlanta Falcons stadium rise

“It makes for better and more sustain-

space and green infrastructure—while

like a gargantuan, deep-sea crustacean.

able neighborhoods.”

The Trust for Public Land continues to

Despite the heat—the mercury has

Participatory design is especially im-

raise private funds for the remainder. If

hit 100—neighbors have turned out

portant in vulnerable communities like

the organization is successful, construc-

in droves for a community meeting

Vine City, which have borne the brunt of

tion may begin as early as 2017.

organized by The Trust for Public Land.

poor infrastructure planning in the past.

Sheltering in the shade with her

As a DJ spins dance music, they cir-

The Environmental Protection Agency

infant grandson, swaying to the DJ’s

culate through a collection of tents to

has designated the neighborhood an

beat, Vine City resident Angela Scott

view renderings of proposed designs,

Environmental Justice Community of

is ready. She points to her apartment

placing stickers to mark the features

Concern — one with a “disproportionately

across the street.

they want — soccer ﬁelds and basketball

high burden of adverse environmental

courts, splash-pads and sculptures.

conditions.”

Tillman Ward, whose family has lived

Furniture salesman Zane Brown’s

“Every day I see this empty ﬁeld. They don’t have anything over here for the kids—nowhere to go, nothing to do,” said

in Vine City for several generations, is

former house was damaged in the 2002

Scott. “This will give them something

among the attendees. He’s seen previ-

ﬂoods. The front porch of his new home

nice, where they can play, run around,

ous attempts to revamp the park sputter

overlooks the roughly 16-acre park site.

have fun. And me, too! I’ll be over there

out for lack of funds, but he remains

He likes the park’s prospects—especially

every day.”

optimistic. “With great minds working

plans to integrate education about the

on this project, this should offer ecologi-

site’s ecology — but is concerned that

cal balance and economic balance for

stormwater issues have never been

those who stay here, who contributed to

properly addressed.

T P L. O R G · 51

5 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

H OW T HE W ES T I S W O N .

AS THE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE MOUNTS, HOW CAN COMMUNITIES PROTECT THE P L A C E S T H AT M AT T E R M O S T ? STORY: MARIA D O LA N PHOTOS: ADAIR F REEMAN RU T LED GE

T P L. O R G · 53

5 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

IN THE COURTYARD OF A COMMUNITY CENTER IN WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON, THE FIESTA EN EL JARDIN IS IN FULL SWING.

eighbors are gathered around a

At an adjacent craft table, a father

funding measures at the polls. Their

long banquet table covered with

and daughter are painting decorative

children, listening in as they dream

a plastic tablecloth and crowded

ﬂowers that The Trust for Public Land

of their new park, are the community

with platters of chimichangas and taco

will use to adorn the park site during

organizers of tomorrow.

salad. The conversation’s ﬂowing. Misael

its upcoming renovation. They’re cut

Fajardo-Perez, a young Lutheran min-

in the shape of balsamroot blossoms,

me and for my family,” says Angelica

ister and volunteer with The Trust for

wildﬂowers that blanket the Wenatchee

Figueroa. “I like that it’s strengthening

Public Land, is chatting with Angelica

foothills each spring. As the girl swirls a

my ties with my neighbors. When the

Figueroa and her daughter Olga—asking

paintbrush in a bucket of water, her dad

new park opens, I hope it’s a place we

how they’d improve the playground at

throws in a little art education: “Look

can get to know each other even better.”

Kiwanis-Methow Park.

at this,” he says, dipping his own brush

The park has its limitations, explains Angelica. Her kids love the wading

“This park renovation is exciting, for

A lot can come of getting to know

into blue and yellow paint. “If you mix

your neighbors—and The Trust for

these together, you’ll get green!”

Public Land is banking on it. In a time

pool—especially during north-central

Gatherings like this one—humble as

of rapid and contentious change here

Washington’s hot, dry summers—but

they are—could form the foundation of

in the Wenatchee Valley and across the

it’s closed on weekends. The play

a new community of conservationists.

West, the simple act of bringing the

structure is too close to the street to be

The neighbors discussing their local

community to the table may have

unfenced, adds Olga; it feels unsafe. And

park today over potluck dishes are the

the power to shape the landscape for

there’s just not enough fun stuff to do.

voters who’ll weigh critical open-space

generations to come.

T P L. O R G · 55

erez and the Figueroas are sharing

If these efforts are successful, many

supply of water ﬂowing down from

ideas about one neighborhood

conservationists contend, the impacts

the snowcapped Cascade Mountains.

park, in one community, in one

could be severe and irreversible—both

By the 1990s, the same conditions so

small corner of north-central Washing-

for natural resources and for the quality

ripe for agriculture had begun to attract

ton. But their conversation takes place

of life in Western communities like

an inﬂux of newcomers: the Wenatchee

at a critical moment for conservation

Wenatchee.

Valley’s beauty, climate, and affordabil-

across the entire region.

“The Disappearing West ﬁndings

ity is an enticing alternative to rainy

Every two and a half minutes in the

paint a dark picture,” says Jason Cor-

Seattle, just two hours west. As old or-

American West today, a football ﬁeld’s

zine, Colorado-based director of com-

chards of apples, cherries, and pears fell

worth of natural land is lost to develop-

munity conservation for The Trust for

to cookie-cutter housing developments,

ment. That’s among a series of disheart-

Public Land. “But the project also identi-

people saw the landscape they knew

ening ﬁndings of The Disappearing

ﬁed a trend that we’ve been seeing for

disappearing out from under them.

West, a project that measures and maps

the past several years: a groundswell of

human impact on land in 11 states:

conservation leadership emerging in the

many residents had met past conserva-

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,

American West, especially in small-town

tion efforts with skepticism. If there

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,

America, where connections to the land

were a land-use solution to be had in

Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. A

run deep.

Wenatchee, it would have to be home-

collaboration between Conservation Sci-

“In these communities, when we talk

But in a region that values autonomy,

grown. In 2007, local officials turned to

ence Partners and the Center for Ameri-

about The Trust for Public Land’s mis-

The Trust for Public Land to host a series

can Progress, the report identiﬁes urban

sion to ensure that everyone has access

of neighborhood meetings designed

sprawl and energy extraction as the two

to safe, green spaces for exercise and

to identify and map the community’s

most powerful drivers in the depletion

play, we’re ﬁnding that locals are ready

conservation priorities. The goal: a

of open space across the region—which

to step up. They’re willing and eager to

plan made by residents, rather than for

between 2001 and 2011 lost more than

make their voices heard.”

them.

4,000 square miles of natural land.

Both these trends—the threat to the

Out of that 2007 planning process,

As development consumes land

landscape and the grassroots response

explains Jason Corzine, came a critical

that’s not protected, powerful political

to it—are playing out in the Wenatchee

consensus: that preserving quality of life

forces are posing new threats to land

Valley.

in Wenatchee meant thinking ahead,

that is—or rather, has been. Bills before

It’s a region with a long rural

setting aside places where the grow-

Congress propose the wholesale transfer

tradition. If you’ve eaten an apple

ing population would always be able to

of federal holdings to individual states,

recently, chances are it came from

get outside. The Trust for Public Land

which could then lease or sell them to

here. Wenatchee Valley growers have

moved quickly to conserve high-priority

private interests. State legislators want

supplied the majority of the American

properties in the foothills. By 2013, the

to expand drilling, mining, and logging

apple market since the 1920s, thanks

effort had doubled the community’s

on public lands—closing them off to

to plentiful sunshine and a ready

public open space to 6,000 acres.

everyday Americans. In states where voters have gone to the polls to approve taxpayer dollars speciﬁcally for conservation, officials are diverting the money for other purposes. And politicians are moving to dismantle the nation’s most important source of conservation funding, the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

5 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

ONCE PEOPLE GET OUT HERE, THEY CAN’T HELP BUT CARE ABOUT IT.

T P L. O R G · 57

5 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

he success of the campaign for

and earlier this year even brought his

nity needs more safe places to exercise

the foothills didn’t just put new

87-year-old mother along.

within walking distance of home. East

parkland on the map—it altered

It was her ﬁrst time getting out

Wenatchee has a population of 13,000

the community’s human infrastructure,

there, despite having lived in the area

and counting. But the newest city park

too. From a small group of volunteers,

for a half-century. She couldn’t have

was built in 1969, when the population

the local Chelan-Douglas Land Trust

picked a better day, Woods remem-

was fewer than 1,000 people.

transformed into a formidable force of

bers—it was spring, the hills blanketed

advocates, able to mobilize hundreds of

with purple lupine and yellow arrowleaf

needs will take an infusion of funding—

members across the region.

balsamroot.

and The Trust for Public Land is work-

Rufus Woods is among them. He worked with The Trust for Public Land

“Once people get out here, they can’t help but care about it,” he says.

Catching up to the community’s

ing to ensure the city ﬁnds it. In East Wenatchee, the organization is helping

to co-chair the $8 million fundraising

local officials apply for grants and craft

push that made the community’s con-

a bond measure to fund parks and rec-

servation plan a reality.

reation. Polling conducted earlier in the

“For generations, people thought of

Another partner in the campaign for the

year showed potential for widespread

the foothills as a kind of wasteland,” he

Wenatchee foothills, Columbia Valley

support for the measure—signiﬁcant in

says. He’s walking along the Horse Lake

Community Health (CVCH), is work-

a place where similar requests to voters

Reserve trail, a newly established route

ing to make more such introductions.

have often fallen ﬂat.

through the foothills that’s open to the

A nonproﬁt healthcare provider with

With an eye to expanding its patient

public. It’s the height of summer and

seven area clinics—serving patients

programs in parks, CVCH is doing what

the hills have an austere and uniquely

regardless of their ability to pay—CVCH

it can to support the effort, joining a se-

Western beauty—dried wildﬂowers and

staff saw a unique opportunity to con-

ries of Trust for Public Land community

golden, windswept grasses.

nect Wenatchee residents to their newly

festivals promoting health and wellness.

Woods knows the land through and

protected trail system: they started a

One potential site for a new park in East

through; a fourth-generation Wenatchee

popular program to take patients on

Wenatchee sits next door to a CVCH

resident, his great-grandfather was

guided hikes.

clinic. It’s a neighborhood with a high

among the founders of the City of

“People often have the will to

Wenatchee and its local paper, The

make the changes we recommend to

Wenatchee World, which Woods still

their diet and exercise,” says CVCH’s

publishes today. For most of the city’s

Patrick Bucknum. “But particularly

history, Woods says, residents took open

with low-income patients, there can be

space for granted, thinking of the hills

a lack of either access to or knowledge

Back at the community center ﬁesta,

as an ever-present backdrop—if they

about healthier foods, or where to get a

the vision for Kiwanis-Methow Park is

thought of them at all.

reasonable amount of exercise without

starting to take shape. Trust for Public

a gym membership. That can be what

Land program manager Cary Simmons

holds them back.”

is acting as a scribe, writing attendees’

“But today is different,” he explains. “Today, a lot of folks care about this

incidence of childhood obesity and no parks—yet.

land, and they’re interested in preserv-

Bringing patients to the foothills—a

suggestions on sticky notes and posting

ing it for generations to come. We seem

gym open to everyone—can be the push

them to a board. “Sledding hill,” reads

to have a real community ethic—not

they need. “We’ve got some great stories

one note; the next, “special-needs play

just ‘what’s in it for me?’”

of people who hiked up and down for

area”; another, “kiosko”—bandstand, a

Thanks to his neighbors’ proactive

the ﬁrst time and they were sore and

classic feature in parks throughout Latin

approach to the foothills, a 10-minute

sweaty,” Bucknum says. “But they kept

America.

ride on his mountain bike is all it takes

going back, and now they’re running

for Woods to get from his front door

10Ks.”

“It’s not easy to design a park that people will truly love and embrace,”

near downtown Wenatchee to a trail-

But to scale this “park prescription”

says Simmons. “For us, the most impor-

head. He visits the foothills regularly,

approach, says Bucknum, the commu-

tant planning tool is humility: we don’t

T P L. O R G · 59

assume we know what people need;

and good for the tree, too.”

ity—of warring factions dug into their

instead, we ask them directly. The more

The neighborhood won’t have to

neighbors who weigh in on the design,

wait much longer for a place to make

conservation efforts in the West look

the better.”

these connections—with the natural

tenuous, at best.

trenches—can make the future of

A mother with three school-aged

world and with each other. Once out-

Take a look at ground level, though,

children walks up to the board. One, in

reach, design, and site engineering are

and the picture is more complex—and,

glittery sneakers, follows gripping the

complete, groundbreaking could take

The Trust for Public Land’s Jason Cor-

hem of her mother’s skirt. She likes

place as early as 2018. A community

zine believes, more promising.

slides, she tells Simmons. He points to

ﬁxture since the mapping meetings and

“The past decade-plus in Wenatchee

a poster of some play equipment. “We

foothills campaign, Trust for Public Land

has proven there are things we can do

can build a really fun slide in the new

staff will stay on to facilitate community

to help communities strike a balance

park,” he assures her.

engagement and manage the park’s

between growth and conservation,” Cor-

construction.

zine says. “But it takes a depth of exper-

Looking on is Manuel Santos, who lives across the street from Kiwanis-

“Needs in this community can

tise: mapping conservation priorities,

Methow. He lived in Acapulco, Mexico,

often feel overwhelming,” says Misael

securing the land, talking to neighbors,

before moving to the States and play-

Fajardo-Perez, the local minister. We

designing the parks—and ﬁnding the re-

ing semi-professional soccer—so he’s

have poverty and drug problems, and a

sources to support each step. It requires

glad to see the proposed park design

lack of good infrastructure. But the park

a facilitator—one that’s committed to

includes a pitch.

improvements are bringing people into

making sure the community owns and

“I grew up kicking a ball in the dirt,

the process, giving residents a sense

drives the process.”

jumping from tree to tree, even mak-

of power and ownership. They see the

Fajardo-Perez agrees. “This is about

ing toys from the natural world,” he

park renovated, and it gives them hope.

helping people voice who they are,” he

says. That kind of childhood gave him

They ask, what’s next?” he says.

says. “You have to bring people together

a connection to nature he feels is lost

The answers for the region as whole

and honor their culture.”

in cities—but can be at least in part re-

are uncertain. In the abstract, land-

That’s no small undertaking, to be

claimed in parks. “If you touch a tree or

use issues across the West are often

sure. But put the task to someone from

if you roll in the grass, you feel it,” he

portrayed in terms of controversy, as

Wenatchee and they may ﬁrst ask you:

says. “Something comes back and forth.

if residents are either for conservation

have you met your neighbors?

When you hug a tree it’s good for you

or against it. That sense of intractabil-

6 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

Year in review This year, we protected

We helped pass

62,134 ACRES That’s the equivalent of more than 129 football ﬁelds a day.

2016

The Trust for Public Land

… generating more than

$329,396,000 in public funds for parks and natural spaces.

state and local ballot measures …

We completed

We created 8 Fitness Zone® exercise areas in communities from Los Angeles to Miami, bringing our total to

HAPPY

128

projects.

b i r t h d ay

to the national park service!

(that’s about one every 3 days)

Sources of funds PROJECT FEES + OTHER FUNDS · 16% CONTRIBUTIONS OF LAND VALUE · 11%

DONATIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS, FOUNDATIONS + CORPORATIONS + OTHER GIFTS · 73%

created since 2008.

From the Appalachian Trail to Zion National Park, we’ve protected a total of 204 places throughout the national park system.

We completed

Uses of funds FUNDRAISING · 10% MANAGEMENT + SUPPORT · 13%

strategic conservation plans, using gis-based analysis to provide communities with a long-term vision for parks and green space.

PROGRAM SERVICES · 77%

Thank you to the

453,966 members, friends, and volunteers who donated or took action to support The Trust for Public Land in 2016.

We couldn’t do this work without you. T P L. O R G · 61

Member Center When you become a member of The Trust for Public Land, you join a community of committed conservationists who care deeply about protecting the places that make our country special—from small neighborhood parks to vast wilderness escapes. As a member, you’ll receive beneﬁts including: • Insider updates on our work in your community and beyond • A full-color wall calendar ﬁlled with beautiful photos of places protected with your help • A subscription to Land&People, the awardwinning magazine for people who love the land Join or renew your membership today!

Ways to give Monthly giving Support The Trust for Public Land’s mission with convenient, automatic, and secure monthly giving. Visit tpl.org/

contact us For questions about our work or to change your Land&People subscription address, call 415.495.4014, or email donor.outreach@tpl.org.

monthlygiving, call 800.714.5263, or email donor.outreach@tpl.org.

Charity ratings The Trust for Public Land is a registered

Conservation Champions

501(c)(3) public charity. We’re among the

Donate $2,000 or more annually and

nation’s most efficient nonproﬁts, conserv-

receive the recognition due a champion.

ing $4 worth of land for every $1 donated.

Visit tpl.org/champions, contact Haley

Charity Watch (formerly the American

Nielsen at 415.800.5189, or email

Institute of Philanthropy) gives The Trust

champions@tpl.org.

for Public Land an “A” for efficiency for putting 83 cents of every dollar donated

Gift and estate planning

directly into our land conservation

Please let us know if you have remem-

programs.

bered The Trust for Public Land in your will or estate plans so we can welcome you

For all our charity ratings, go to

to our Stegner Society of legacy donors.

tpl.org/efﬁciency.

Contact Gardner Trimble at 415.800.5208 or gardner.trimble@tpl.org. See more giving options at tpl.org/ways-to-give.

6 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

CHARITABLE SOLICITATION DISCLOSURE A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained by writing to The Trust for Public Land, 101 Montgomery, 9th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. Telephone number (415) 495-4014. The Trust for Public Land has been formed to facilitate the transfer of privately held land into protective public and not-for-profit ownership, and to promote other ways to ensure healthy livable communities for generations to come. If you are a resident of one of these states, you may obtain financial information directly from the state agency: FLORIDA—A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, 1-800-435-7352 (800-HELPFLA) WITHIN THE STATE OR VISITING www.800helpfla. com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida Registration number CH104; GEORGIA—A full and fair description of the programs of (The Trust for Public Land) and our financial statement summary is available upon request at the office and phone number indicated above; MARYLAND—For the cost of copies and postage, Office of the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401; MISSISSIPPI—The official registration and financial information of (The Trust for Public Land) may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-888-236-6167. Registration by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement; NEW JERSEY—INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHARITY DURING THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD THAT WERE DEDICATED TO THE CHARITABLE PURPOSE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING (973) 504-6215 AND IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/charfrm.htm. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT; NEW YORK—Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271; NORTH CAROLINA— FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION AND A COPY OF ITS LICENSE ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE SOLICITATION LICENSING BRANCH AT 1-888-8304989. THE LICENSE IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT BY THE STATE; PENNSYLVANIA—The official registration and financial information of (The Trust for Public Land) may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement; VIRGINIA— Virginia State Office of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218; WASHINGTON—Charities Division, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Washington, Olympia, WA 98504-0422, 1-800-332-4483; WEST VIRGINIA—Residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; WISCONSIN— A financial statement of (The Trust for Public Land) disclosing assets, liabilities, fund balances, revenue, and expenses for the preceding fiscal year will be provided upon request. Registration with any of these state agencies does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by any state.

Offices florida

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pennsylvania

Northwest Field Ofﬁce

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18 North Wenatchee Ave.

illinois

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tennessee

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Also serves: Nevada

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Also serves: Delaware, Kentucky,

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T P L. O R G · 63

trail’s end

BULLY FOR PARKS! the white house, washington, d.c. february 16, 1907. It is with regret that I must refuse your kind invitation to speak at your annual banquet. I have noted with pleasure the good work that your

especially set aside for them, and, since play is a fundamental

association has done in promoting playgrounds for the

need, playgrounds should be provided for every child as much

national capital. I am especially pleased with the prospect of

as schools.

Congress granting this year an appropriation for the purchase

This means that playgrounds must be distributed over the

of playground sites. I trust that the bill will go through so that

cities in such a way as to be within walking distance of every

you may be able to secure sites in the various quarters of the

boy and girl, as most children cannot afford to pay carfare. In

city now, while open spaces still exist and before the price

view of these facts cities should secure available spaces at once

upon them becomes prohibitive. I regard this as one of the

so that they may not need to demolish blocks of buildings in

most important steps toward making Washington the model

order to make playgrounds, as New York has had to do at a

city that we all feel that the capital of this nation should be.

cost of nearly $1,000,000 an acre.

I have been pleased to see also that there is a new interest

Neither must any city believe that simply to furnish open

in play and playgrounds all over the country, and that many

spaces will secure the best results. There must be supervision

cities that have not previously taken up the movement in a

of these playgrounds, otherwise the older and stronger chil-

systematic way have made a beginning this year.

dren occupy them to the exclusion of the younger and weaker

The new appreciation of the value of play in the develop-

ones; they are so noisy that people living in the neighborhood

ment of children is shown in many ways. Physical trainers

are annoyed; they are apt to get into the possession of gangs

have put a new emphasis on the importance of play and are

and become the rendezvous of the most undesirable elements

giving a larger place to it in their work. The Public School

of the population; and moreover, in all cities where the experi-

Athletic League of New York has organized athletics along

ment has been tried, it has been found that such playgrounds

sane and helpful lines for thousands of schoolchildren, and a

are not well attended.

number of other cities seem to be about to take up this movement. I hope that soon all of our public schools will provide,

Sincerely yours,

in connection with the school buildings and during school hours, the place and time for children’s recreation as well as their study. If we would have our citizens contented and lawabiding, we must not sow the seed of discontent in childhood

Theodore Roosevelt

by denying children their birthright of play. City streets are unsatisfactory playgrounds for children because of the danger, because most good games are against the law, because they are too hot in summer, and because in crowded sections of the city they are apt to be schools of crime. Neither do small backyards nor ornamental grass plots meet the needs of any but the very small children. Older children who would play vigorous games must have places 6 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · FAL L /W I NTER 2016

this letter to the head of the washington branch of the national playground association was reprinted later that year in another magazine, the forum, whose editor at the time wrote: “of course, there is president roosevelt. he does not hesitate to express his views. … this letter is so full of sound advice that i give it here almost in full for the good it may do for the cause of health and vigor.”

andy richter

we hope you enjoyed this issue of land&people.

Thank you. Thank you for all you do for parks and conservation in your community — and for your ongoing support of The Trust for Public Land. As a Trust for Public Land member, you’re a leader in the effort to save the places we all love — from neighborhood parks to national parks. For 40 years, we’ve worked with members like you to protect more than 3 million acres from the inner city to the wilderness, and to generate nearly $60 billion in public funds for healthy land and water. Today, millions of Americans live within a 10-minute walk of a park, garden, or natural area created with your help, and millions more visit these sites each year.

the trust for public land c reating pa r ks a n d p rot e ct i n g l and for p e op l e

nonprofit us postage

National Ofﬁce 101 Montgomery St. Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94104

paid

andy richter

the trust for public land

Conserve land … and your retirement.

charitable gift annuity rates by age A charitable gift annuity with The Trust for Public Land can provide you with income for life while helping to conserve

4.7%

5.1%

5.8%

6.8%

7.8%

9.0%

land for generations to come. Here’s how: 1. Make a gift to The Trust for Public Land. 2. Receive a charitable deduction. 3. We invest your gift. 4. We pay you a percentage of the original gift for the rest of your life. 5. We apply the remainder toward achieving our mission of creating parks and protecting land for people.

To learn more, please contact: Gardner Trimble, Director of Planned Giving 415.800.5208 or plannedgiving@tpl.org