Land&People, Vol. 30, No. 1 - Spring/Summer 2018 by Trust for Public Land

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 18 A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS OF THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

RE TU R N

T H E

COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

+ EVERYDAY ADVOCATES BRING PARKS TO THE POLLS + COMMUNITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN NEW ORLEANS + CYCLISTS PUT IN THE MILES FOR PUBLIC LANDS

adair f reeman r u t l e dg e

two easy ways to

ensure your values live on.

Two simple and powerful ways to support our mission:

to learn more,

• Name The Trust for Public Land as a beneficiary of your retirement plan or life

please contact:

insurance policy. You can review and adjust beneficiary designations anytime. • Those 70½ years or older can give up to $100,000 from your IRA annually,

(East) Colleen Spivey at 207.619.8054,

without paying income taxes on the money. If you have not yet taken your

(West) Dana Thomas

required minimum distribution for the year, your IRA charitable rollover gift can

at 415.800.5278, or

satisfy all or part of that requirement.

plannedgiving@tpl.org

F EAT U R E S t er ray sy lv est er

b r yan tar n o w sk i

contents

“The water is your friend. You can’t just ﬁght it.” ~ s i st er j oan la p lace in ta ki n g o n water

I V

ED I VOT

Want a win for parks and conservation? Look beyond the Beltway.

te o V

Taking On Water .................................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 A ﬂood-prone neighborhood in New Orleans becomes a proving ground for climate resilience.

TED I

Vote Local ........ ............................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

VO T E

IV ot ed 投了 Yo 票 Vo té 我

I VOTED

I Vo

ted

Foresight ......... ............................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 A generation after the controversial effort to protect it as a national scenic area, we revisit the Paciﬁc Northwest’s Columbia River Gorge. T P L. O R G · 1

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APR

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OCT

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Help conserve land for people every month of the year. It’s easy, automatic, and secure. Join today.

tpl.org/monthlygiving

D E PA RT M E NTS

court esy of w omen on w h eel s for w il d l an ds

A journey of discovery

darcy k ief el

From the President · 11

contents

Board Spotlight · 13 Sheryl Crockett Tishman

Contributors · 14 Mailroom · 15 First Look · 17 A falcon takes ﬂight, a garden gives back, and a father’s legacy lives on

Insight · 26 the land they love

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

jay dash

Four friends putting in the miles for

Sometimes we are blind to the beauty of this world

o n t h e cover It’s been more than 30 years since the battle to protect the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border. Was it worth it? Learn more on page 54.

JOI N U S ON FAC EB O O K Stay tuned to our latest news, videos, contests, and more. facebook.com/tpl.org

T P L. O R G · 3

mi ke schi rf

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contents

KOLOB TERRACE ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH Utah’s deserts draw millions of visitors each year with endless vistas and striking geology. But the state’s public lands are also the site of controversy: when President Trump announced his intention to shrink national monuments at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase– Escalante, Trust for Public Land supporters like you made their voices heard.

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contents

LONDON AVENUE CANAL NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA “New Orleans is a ﬂoating city,” says architect David Waggonner. As the low-lying metropolis grapples with the effects of a changing climate, he and other planners are joining forces with community advocates and The Trust for Public Land to rethink how parks and green space can help keep residents safe.

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LATOURELL FALLS GUY W. TALBOT STATE PARK, OREGON More than 30 years ago, the communities in the Columbia River Gorge stood at a crossroads between two models for growth. In one direction: unchecked development. In the other: an ambitious attempt to balance growth and conservation. A controversial law set them on the path less traveled—and that has made all the difference.

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T P L. O R G · 9

OFF IC E R S pre si d e n t an d chie f exe c ut i ve o ffi c er

Diane Regas vice p re s i d e n t an d d i recto r of co n s e rvat i o n fi n anc e

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

Adrian Benepe s e n i o 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 s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t a n d directo r o f co n s e rvat i o n st rat eg i es

Ernest Cook s e n i o 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

Jeff Danter vice p re s i d e n t an d directo r o f fe d e ral affa i r s

Kathy DeCoster vice p re s i d e n t an d d i recto r o f phila n t hro p y p ro g ram s

Jeff Hauk

our mission:

THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND CREATES PARKS AND PROTECTS LAND FOR PEOPLE, ENSURING HEALTHY, LIVABLE COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

vice p re s i d e n t an d d i recto r o f park d e s i g n an d d e ve lo pm en t

Jennifer Isacoff s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t an d c hi e f p hi lan t hro py o ff i c er

Margie Kim s e n i o 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

Ann Morgan vice p re s i d e n t an d directo r o f g i s an d p l a n n i n g

how you can help: Our work depends on the generous support of people like you. donate: Use the envelope inside this magazine, or visit tpl.org/donate for other easy ways to give.

Breece Robertson vice p re s i d e n t an d d i recto r of lan d p rot e ct i o n

Brenda J. Schick s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t an d c hi e f marke t i n g o ff i c er

Shannon Morgan Stearns s e n i o 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 o ff i c er

Tim Wohlgenant

1 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

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

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY Access to the outdoors for all—all ages, all abilities, all interests, all communities. Since its

plus m productions

from the president

founding in 1972, The Trust for Public Land has publisher Shannon Morgan Stearns editorial director Eliza Sarasohn

remained focused on safeguarding places for people to get outside and experience the natural world. This work—our “land for people” mission—is what draws so many supporters to the organization, whether as staff, partners, or donors. And

art director Matt Mullin

it’s what motivates me as I take the helm as The Trust for Public Land’s new president and CEO.

managing editor Alia Salim staff writer Julia Busiek media production manager Elyse Leyenberger senior designer Rachel Wuerstlin digital production Carrie Gotch Adele Wilson con tributing editor Bill Poole

© 2018 The Trust for Public Land. All rights reserved. Conserving Land for People, Conserving Nature Near You, Creating Parks and Protecting Land for People, Fitness Zone, Land for People, 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

My own life and work have been profoundly

parks. In a time when our country can feel more

shaped by connection to place. As a child grow-

divided than ever, this is work that Americans

ing up in the foothills of the Rockies, I hiked,

everywhere—in red states and blue—whole-

ﬁshed, and hunted with my family. My mother,

heartedly support.

passing along the wisdom she’d inherited from her mother and grandmother, taught us how

But the fact remains that everyone’s life is shaped by place, and in too many cities and

to forage for wild mushrooms and berries and

towns, entire communities—more than 100 mil-

which plants could be used to make tea. These

lion people—don’t have a park within a 10-min-

formative experiences in nature led me to a

ute walk of home. How can we expect future

career in advocacy for a cleaner, greener planet,

generations to protect our planet if they never

ﬁrst at the Environmental Protection Agency

experience the magic of being outdoors?

and then at Environmental Defense Fund. And

That’s why I’m so excited to join The Trust

I raised my three children cycling, picnicking,

for Public Land. Over the next year, I will travel

stargazing, and camping, hoping to inspire in

across the country getting to know the commu-

them the same connection to the wild that so

nities we serve, experiencing the parks and land-

inspired me.

scapes we’ve protected, and collaborating with

The beneﬁts of time spent outdoors have

members like you to build on this organization’s

been conﬁrmed by science in study after study.

phenomenal momentum. I invite you to join me

Research shows that people are healthier and

on this journey of discovery. Grab a friend, lace

happier when they can stroll through a grove

up your hiking boots, and let’s head outside!

of trees, gaze out of a window on a forest or meadow, or just relax on a park bench. Parks and green spaces boost local economies. And they improve air and water quality and make communities more resilient to the effects of

Trust for Public Land programs referenced herein, as well as their logos, are registered or common-law trademarks of The Trust for Public Land.

climate change. Members like you have helped The Trust for Public Land create more than 5,000 treasured

Diane Regas president and ceo

places, from neighborhood parks to national

T P L. O R G · 11

M EET YO UR MATCH

This year, an anonymous donor will generously match your gift—dollar-for-dollar—if you send it before May 31. 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.

Give your EarthShare.

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.

terray sylvester

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

board spotlight

Get to know

Sheryl Crockett Tishman Sheryl Tishman has served on the board of

ab iral rai

B OA R D OF D I R E CTOR S

The Trust for Public Land since 2010, and is also a trustee of Telluride Mountainﬁlm and her family foundation. Sheryl formerly served on

chair

Thomas S. Reeve

the boards of the Open Space Institute, the

Stephen W. Baird

National Audubon Society’s Expedition Institute,

George Bell

Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Teton Valley Ranch Camp, the George Mitchell Scholarship

Page Knudsen Cowles

foundation, and The Meade School. She has

William Cronon

taught at the National Audubon Society’s Douglas Durst

Expedition Institute and the Weymouth House. F. Whitney Hatch

Sheryl is an avid outdoorswoman who enjoys Christopher G. Lea

travel with her husband and two sons.

Ignacia S. Moreno Caroline P. Niemczyk Michael E. Patterson Diane Regas Jeffrey A. Resnick Laura Richards Roy Richards Jr. Lex Sant Sheryl Tishman F. Jerome Tone Ana Valdez Susan D. Whiting

I SUPPORT THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND BECAUSE …

and healthier. From city parks to iconic landscapes,

my greatest teacher has been and continues to be

The Trust for Public Land’s work enhances people’s

the natural world. I feel honored, as well as respon-

exposure to the natural environment.

sible, to do what I can to enable future generations to have nature in their lives. The Trust for Public

THE KEY CHALLENGE FACING THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC

Land’s professional staff has created hundreds of

LAND IS … a worsening shortage of federal funds

parks in urban areas and protected lands and water-

available to assist with projects. It is very encouraging

ways throughout the United States. The ability to

that thousands of private citizens, believing in the

get projects done and bring communities together

critical need that we all have for public lands, have

at the same time is remarkable.

come forward in wonderful, philanthropic ways.

MY PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A BOARD

I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NATURAL WORLD

MEMBER WAS … the protection of two special places.

WHEN I WAS… growing up in a small town in

The ﬁrst was at Katahdin Lake in Maine, where we

Maine. I was camping and climbing mountains,

added 4,000 acres of beautiful land to Baxter State

swimming in lakes, canoeing rivers, and skiing

Park. Also, The Trust for Public Land transferred a

throughout the winters for as long as I can remem-

14,000-foot mountain near Telluride, Colorado, to

ber. The most connected place for me is on top of a

the U.S Forest Service, so its trails could once again

mountain. I have been lucky enough to have these

be open to the public.

experiences throughout my life. I know what John Muir meant when he said, “The mountains are call-

THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S WORK IS UNIQUE

ing and I must go.”

BECAUSE ... although many environmental advocacy organizations do amazing work, what sets The Trust for Public Land apart for me is its focus on the belief that all people have the right to experience the natural world every day—making our planet stronger

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Tell us how you connect with nature. Join the conversation on Facebook: facebook.com/tpl.org T P L. O R G · 13

contributors

Julia Kamari Drapkin

Heather Hansman

Terray Sylvester

story:

Taking On Water

Foresight

Julia Kumari Drapkin is the CEO and founder

Heather Hansman is a Seattle-based freelance

Terray Sylvester is a freelance photographer

of ISeeChange, a community-sourced climate

writer who covers science, the outdoors,

whose work has been published by outlets

reporting platform. Drapkin created

and the way people interact with the world

ranging from Orion magazine to Reuters.

ISeeChange after more than a decade report-

around them. Her work has appeared in

In 2015, he was awarded a fellowship from

ing on climate. She consults for Resources

Outside, The Guardian, California Sunday, and

the Human Rights Center at the University

for the Future and NASA, and is a board

Sunset; her book about the Green River and

of California, Berkeley, to document housing

member for the National Federation of

water in the West will be published in 2019.

shortages in Native American communities

Community Broadcasters.

heatherhansman.com

on the middle Columbia River.

ISeeChange.org

terraysylvester.com

EVEN MORE LAND&PEOPLE Did you know you can view this issue—and past issues— of Land&People magazine online? The digital edition includes all the stories you love in high resolution, plus bonus content like video, search tools, easy social media sharing, and instant links to learn more. Access the digital edition at tpl.org/lpdigital. Whenever you see the pointer symbol below, you’ll ﬁnd bonus content in the digital edition. Go online to dive deeper into the story.

learn more @ TPL.ORG/LPDIGITAL

1 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

mailroom

james wat k in s

JOI N OUR COMMUNI TY We’re a one-stop shop for inspiration and information, too: we’ll keep you up to speed on political developments

rach id dah n oun

that may affect the lands you love.

COME OUT AND PLAY!

San Francisco turned out to celebrate the grand opening of the Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds in February. More than 3,600 kids live within a 10-minute walk of the new park.

We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think about the stories in this issue of Land&People, or tell us about the parks and playgrounds in your community. You can reach us by mail, on Facebook, or at mailroom@tpl.org.

Mysteries of the pueblo F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 17 A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS OF TH

E TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

+ Santa Fe and the environs grabbed my

A story about ancient ruins

heart when I was six years old, traveling

at Burnt Corn Pueblo in New

on train from Ohio to our new home

Mexico piqued many readers’

in California. I have visited whenever

curiosity.

I could since our train stopped there

+ When I was a kid, I wanted to

and looked at so many photographs. But

in 1952, have walked wherever I could,

EVERYONE . DESERVES A PARK

+ BOSTON’S CAN-DO TAKE ON CLIMATE READINESS + PUTTING PARKS TO WORK FOR PUBLIC HEALTH + THE UNFINISHED PICTURE OF AN INCLUSIVE OUTDOORS

be an archaeologist. I don’t know

the pictures you sent with this article

that I was cut out for the tedious

have struck so deep in me. That spot,

work; however, I still ﬁnd this

those rock drawings. Life pouring out

fascinating. Thanks for the work

from there right into my soul. Ancient

you do!

stirrings. Thank you for revealing this

Kelly Warner, via the blog

to all of us lucky enough to read your article, and for all the work you do. May you receive the aid you need to preserve this somehow-sacred site. Mary Teuter, via the blog T P L. O R G · 15

loren z o daw k in s

mailroom

intricate galaxy of vast chambers and labyrinthine tunnels, at turns lavish and spooky, always damp, always cold. It’s often silent enough to hear the gentle drip of water. The formations are extraordinary: spires and spikes and curtains and chimneys and gentle ruffles, dramatic towers, fragile folds, and gnashing, waxy teeth. Charlotte, via Facebook + O Zion! Would that we could stroll along your valley trail, together again, as the sun crested the rain clouds. Footsteps and tire marks in the loam as the frogs awakened and began their ancient song. Michelle Carbon (@ladolcevitaone), via Twitter

Learning the ropes

The land we love

Students at Environmental Learning

We asked our social media community

for Kids in Denver joined The Trust for

for love letters to parks—and the results

Public Land and our partners at

were poetic.

The North Face to brainstorm park designs—and get their climb on.

+ I’m always asked when the best time to visit the Grand Canyon is. And while

+ In Montbello, not a lot of people go

the answer is “anytime,” there’s always

out much. Having a park there with a

something I like to add: hope there’s

rock climbing wall is going to get their

a storm. I don’t care if it’s a winter

interest up and they will be able to try

snowstorm or late summer monsoon.

it. Once you do it, you will want to do

A couple inches of snow or an afternoon

it more.

of lightning. There’s something magical

Daisy Madera, 15, speaking with CBS 9News

about watching a storm miles away

Everyone should have a #10minwalk to a public park! This awesome campaign supports access to parks for all!

matt jo hnso n

in its entirety, slowly moving up the canyon. Maybe you’re above it. Maybe

singer-songwriter carole king

you’re stuck in the middle of it. The

(@carole_king) joined the chorus

light changes constantly. The smell

of our campaign for close-to-home

changes. The feeling changes.

parks for all. learn more at

Matt Johnson (@twoeightnine),

tpl.org/10minutewalk.

via Instagram + Carlsbad Caverns: From the road,

LAND&PEOPLE IS LISTENING!

you’d have no idea that beneath those

Send letters to the editor or change your mailing address: mailroom@tpl.org.

unassuming limestone hills sprawls an 1 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

In Philadelphia, we’re helping renovate schoolyards and recreation centers—like this one at 37th and Mt. Vernon—into great places to get outside and play.

i would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.

jenna stamm

f ra n ces e. w i lla rd

turn the page for … campfire songs handshake deals generous harvests T P L. O R G · 17

coogan farm, mystic, connecticut

denison pequot sepos n at ure cen t er

At 400 years old, a farm still feeds the hungry

edible conservation

Growing food at coogan farm in Mystic, Connecticut, is nothing new: the rich soil here has been providing produce to locals since at least the mid-1600s. These days the property is home to the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, which worked with The Trust for Public Land to purchase and protect more than 30 acres as a park and preserve on the banks of the Mystic River in 2013. Since securing the quiet woods and picturesque meadows for the public, staff and volunteers have given a lot of thought about how best to continue Coogan Farm’s legacy of sustainable agriculture. “Hunger is a growing issue globally, but we also know that 23,000 people face food insecurity right here in New London County,” says Maggie Jones, executive director at the nature center. “We decided that Coogan Farm should be part of the solution, so we launched Floyd, the Giving Garden’s full-time

The fruit and vegetables grown at

farmer. Floyd’s family has been farming

the Giving Garden are distributed at 90

along the Mystic River since the early

food banks across New London County.

1700s, so he brings generations of local

Though it spans less than an acre, the

know-how with him to Coogan Farm.

garden is punching above its weight:

“Folks are pretty happy to take home

last year, volunteers picked and pulled

our spinach, kale, tomatoes, or carrots,”

15,000 pounds of produce here.

says Floyd. “There’s a big need in our

“Food banks typically distribute shelfstable food, so it’s important to also provide fresh, healthy, in-season vegetables to our neighbors in need,” says Craig

1 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

area, and the Giving Garden is helping meet it.”

Last year, volunteers harvested more than 15,000 pounds of produce from the Giving Garden for local food banks. Jerry Monkma n

the Giving Garden.”

WE GIVE TO ... share, just as Dad would have wanted

why we give

Easy tomato gazpacho With each delivery from the Giving Garden to the food banks, Farmer Craig includes printouts of seasonal recipes like this one. Ingredients O

2 large tomatoes, peeled

1 large cucumber, peeled and

A generous, gregarious man, Oran “Bud” Baker wasn’t one to keep a

“We decided we couldn’t keep the farm, but we knew we didn’t want it to turn into a subdivision.”

halved

good thing to himself. As residential

1 onion, peeled and halved

neighborhoods spread toward the Ohio

1 bell pepper, seeded and

farm he’d bought back in the ’60s, he

quartered

welcomed his new neighbors to explore

24 oz. can tomato juice

his land whenever they wanted—even

¼ cup olive oil

putting gates in the fence every hun-

¹⁄ ³ cup red wine vinegar

dred yards to make access easy. Families

Belpre Township to permanently

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

came to hike and wander, or sit and

protect the land. The new park on the

¼ tsp. black pepper

watch the river from benches Bud built

Little Hocking River will offer public

Dash of hot sauce

access to the water for kayaking, swim-

1 clove garlic, minced

along the banks.

¼ cup chives, ﬁnely minced

Blend tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, and half of the tomato juice until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add remaining tomato juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and

We worked with Bud’s family and

When Bud passed away in 2015, his

ming, and ﬁshing—rare in a region

daughter Terry and her siblings were

where most of the riverbank is walled

faced with a dilemma. “We decided we

by high bluffs.

couldn’t keep the farm, but we knew

“I wanted my grandkids to be able to

we didn’t want it to turn into a subdivi-

see the farm the same way I had,” says

sion,” Terry says.

Terry. “If we’d sold the land to some

“That was when my younger brother

developer, that wouldn’t have been a

found out about The Trust for Public

possibility. Since it’s a public park, I

2 hours. Before serving, stir in garlic

Land. Their mission matched with our

can take the boys out there anytime.

and sprinkle with chives. Leftovers

mission: to preserve the farm exactly

“And it’s a great way to remember

keep 5 days refrigerated.

as it’s always been, and make sure that

Dad. It’s what he would’ve wanted.”

hot sauce. Cover and chill for at least

anyone who wanted to enjoy it would Recipe courtesy Giving Garden

still be welcome.”

volunteer Sherrill Janerio F I R ST LO O K · 19

lafayette street school, newark, new jersey

a n toin e smit h / ads ph otog raph y

Dreams take wing at a green schoolyard

good news

The mural at Lafayette Street School is one of many eye-catching works by artist Gera Lozano—also known as GERALUZ. See more at geralozano.com.

in Mr. McMahon’s class,” she remem-

big. “Even if I didn’t want to be an artist,

to create a mural at Lafayette Street

bers. “When I turned in my painting, he

just knowing that someone from my

School in Newark, a falcon design was

said, ‘Geraldine, you know you’re an art-

school had gone on to an established

a natural choice. Today Lozano is well

ist, right? You have to keep making art.’

career doing what they loved, and then

known in the world of street art, but it

So I call him my ﬁrst angel.”

came back and shared that with their

wasn’t so long ago that she was a stu-

Today Lozano—who goes by the name

dent here—wishing, at times, that she

GERALUZ—creates works on city streets

had wings of her own.

perfect complement to the new school-

her family from Peru to the Ironbound

yard at her alma mater, completed in

District of Newark, a dense, diverse

November with help from The Trust for

neighborhood along the Passaic River.

Public Land. The renovation transforms

She remembers struggling to ﬁt in—but

a barren asphalt lot into a lively space

it was also here at Lafayette Street

with gardens, a jungle gym, and a run-

School that she was ﬁrst encouraged to

ning track.

“We were learning to use watercolors

2 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

inspired by that?”

and walls. Her bold, colorful style is the

At nine years old, Lozano moved with

consider a future in the arts.

neighborhood—how could you not be

Watching over it all is Lozano’s falcon: a reminder, she hopes, to dream

antoine smith/ad s photograp hy

When artist Gera Lozano was asked

word watch

whispering hills, yucatan township, minnesota

Where camp memories linger

savannah c ummin s

court esy g irl sco u t s r iv er val l ey s

good news

On a cool fall day, dozens of alumnae gathered at Camp Whispering Hills in Minnesota to honor its transition from Girl Scout retreat to public open space. Women came from as far as California and England to share scrapbooks full of photos, pins,

crag (n.) `kræg

and badges. They sang their favorite campfire songs and lowered the flag for the last time. The 840-acre property is beloved by generations of campers from around the Midwest. But after heavy flooding damaged the facilities, the Girl Scout council made the difficult decision to sell.

In rock climbing, a cliff or other collection of routes. North Face athlete Anna Pfaff has scaled

“That’s when The Trust for Public Land came to the table to help us make

some of the planet’s gnarliest crags, even

sure the property was protected,” says Tisha Bolger, CEO of the Girl Scouts

venturing to Antarctica this past winter.

River Valleys. “If we can’t hold on to it, we’re at least happy to see that

But you shouldn’t have to go to the ends

people will be able to enjoy it.” Now managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the former camp is open to everyone as the Yucatan Wildlife Management

of the earth to try a new sport: that’s why Pfaff and The North Face are partnering

Area—creating much-needed recreation opportunities in a part of the country

with The Trust for Public Land to bring

where only ﬁve percent of the land is in public ownership.

the crag to the city, building free outdoor

“I was sad to hear that camp was closing because it’s such a special, beauti-

climbing walls in public parks.

ful place,” says camp alumna Allison Walker. “But I’m relieved to know that other people will now be able to experience it, and I know they’re going to love it like we do.”

learn more @ TPL.ORG/ANNAPFAFF

f u n din g wa s p rovid ed by the minnes ota ou t door heritage fu nd as re com m en d ed by th e l ess ard- s ams ou t door heritage cou ncil. F I R ST TLO P L. OORK G · 21

meet our staff

buzzworthy

christopher t. ma rtin

t h eo st roomer

“In my line of work you live and die by your reputation.”

“The very essence of this neighborhood tells the story of the struggle of the civil rights movement.” —Representative John Lewis

WADE SHELTON THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S LONGTIME COLORADO DEALMAKER FINDS RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN NOT.

How do you describe what you do? It might surprise people to hear it put this way, but my job is a lot like being a commercial real estate agent. The transactions are complex, negotiations can last for years, and the price tags can be in the tens of millions of dollars. But instead of buying land to build a mall, or a gas station, or

Georgia congressman John Lewis honors

condos, or a hotel, we buy land so it can become or remain public open

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace, the

space for everyone’s beneﬁt.

Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta. it’s one of several places protected by

You work mostly in Colorado. Is protecting land there all about the mountains?

The Trust for Public Land included on the

That’s just one aspect of it. In ten years at The Trust for Public Land, my

new U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

work has run the gamut from the city to the wilderness. In Denver, we

Now preserved as a national historic site,

helped create New Freedom Park, now a gathering place for the neighborhood’s refugee communities. I’ve also worked with ranchers in places like learn more @ TPL.ORG/CIVILRIGHTSTRAIL

Chaffee County to preserve open rangeland. Or I’ll partner with the federal government to protect sites within iconic landscapes like Rocky Mountain National Park. One day I’ll show up to work in a suit and tie to meet with city officials, and the next, I’ll be in my cowboy hat and boots!

2 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

Is it hard to be effective in all these different kinds of places?

What are some of the biggest hurdles you face in that process?

relying on your relationships—but it

The longer I do this job, the more I

It’s not uncommon to encounter some

takes a long-term commitment. I’m at

realize how much urban and rural com-

skepticism, initially. It makes sense that

a place now where if I meet with a new

munities have in common: they both

people are going to ask, “Who is this

landowner in the Upper Arkansas Val-

Point being, over time, you can start

face challenges that access to parks and

random guy out from Denver sitting in

ley, I can say, “Don’t take my word for

open space can help address. I think

my kitchen telling me he wants to help

anything. Ask Joe Cogan, ask Geraldine

about our work on the Rio Grande Farm

preserve my land?” A lot of ranchers

Steel, ask any of a half-dozen of your

Park in Alamosa, a town in rural west-

are accustomed to being approached by

neighbors—they’ll tell you if I’m full of

ern Colorado. The community chose to

people who want to buy their property,

crap or not.”

create a public farm instead of a private

but usually those people come with a

trailer park because they knew their

proﬁt-driven offer—not for the express

kids have the same need for access to

purpose of conserving the land and

healthy food and a safe place to play as

keeping it in the family.

In my line of work you live and die by your reputation. If you treat everyone

kids in Denver do.

So, your basic approach is the same no matter where you work.

What makes you successful at the work you do?

How do you overcome that skepticism?

as equals, tell the truth, and follow through—even if it takes years to get

I’ll never forget my ﬁrst deal in the

the job done—you’ll become part of

Whether I see mountains, barns, or

Upper Arkansas Valley. I was working

the family. A few years ago I had back

skyscrapers on the horizon, it’s my ﬁrst

with a rancher, Joe Cogan, and at the

surgery, and the people most concerned

job to listen, and then to ask questions.

end of our conversation he stuck out his

about me outside of my immediate fam-

I don’t have all the answers, but I can

hand and said, “I’ve been living in this

ily and friends were all ranchers I work

be a partner with a playbook and

valley my whole life, and a handshake

with. They called me up to check on me

a certain expertise. That process of

is good enough for me.” I said, “Thanks

… and to rib me a little bit, of course,

building trust with people is critical

Joe—that means a lot to me. But I’m

because a lot of them had had the same

from the East Coast, so … I’m going to

surgery themselves. They told me to just

need something in writing!”

suck it up, get tough, and I’d be back in

no matter where you are.

andrew e. russell via flickr

the saddle in no time.

Our work in Colorado runs the gamut from city parks and family ranches to national parks.

F I R ST LO O K · 23

“Timber is our heritage up here” rick alger reckons that when he

Mike Galuszka, another longtime resi-

good news

milan community forest, milan, new hampshire

community forest could bring in reve-

arrived in the New Hampshire town of

dent. He and other local leaders started

nue to support the town. “Our eventual

Milan in the mid-1960s, up to two-thirds

looking to surrounding communities for

goal is ﬁve to ten thousand acres,” says

of his neighbors worked in the timber

ideas—and found that many were taking

Galuszka. “And when we harvest, we’re

industry. Alger himself decided to do it

the forest into their own hands. In small

employing local loggers and truckers,

a little differently than most: he used

towns like Randolph and Freedom, tracts

and selling to local mills. If we treat the

draft horses to harvest “the old-timey

of timberland were in public ownership,

land right, we can have the goose and

way”—dragging felled trees out of the

harvested sustainably, and open to every-

the golden egg.”

forest on a sled instead of a truck.

one for outdoor recreation.

He and the horses still work in the

Alger says that with Milan’s proud

“We had the idea that this could really

history of forestry, you’d be hard-

woods, but since he began logging, Alg-

make a difference for our town,” says

pressed to ﬁnd a community more up

er has seen the region’s once-ubiquitous

Galuszka, who along with Alger jumped

for the challenge. “I have dozens of

mills shuttered one by one. As corpora-

to volunteer for Milan’s community for-

friends still in the timber industry, and

tions buy up much of the surrounding

est committee. “But we needed a lot of

every one of them has as strong a con-

land, access to favorite trails, campsites,

help.” So they called The Trust for Public

servation ethic as anyone,” says Alger.

and ﬁshing spots is put in jeopardy, and

Land—old hands at helping communities “We care about the forest, and it’s an

timber proﬁts are funneled away from

protect working forest—to help plan and

informed caring. We know how a forest

the community.

acquire the ﬁrst several properties.

ebbs and ﬂows, how it can be ruined,

“The past few decades have dealt a

With timber practices that support

tough economic blow to Milan,” says

clean water, wildlife, and recreation, the

2 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

and how we can help it thrive.”

buzzworthy

jay dash

what counts

In December, President Trump announced his decision to drastically downsize two national monuments in Utah. The two-million-acre reduction is the largest in history, shrinking the Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by half. But as the debate over the future of these and other national monuments continues, those aren’t the only numbers that matter. Between July 2017 and March 2018, Trust for Public Land supporters sent more than …

168,384 letters

“It’s important to bring in new, younger, and diverse voices to keep the conservation movement relevant and vibrant.” —Will Rogers, Trust for Public Land President Emeritus After two decades at the helm, Will Rogers

… by email and fax to government ofﬁcials, urging them to protect Bears

retired as president and CEO of The Trust for

Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, defend the Antiquities Act, and pro-

Public Land in March. He leaves a legacy of

vide critical support in the federal budget to the Land and Water Conser-

parks and protected land across the country,

vation Fund—the lifeblood for parks and open space across the country. If

as well as the Will Rogers Fellowship—a new

you’re passionate about public lands, take action today.

program to recruit and train the next generation of conservation leaders.

learn more @ TPL.ORG/TAKE - ACTION

F I R ST LO O K · 25 T P L. O R G · 25

photos courtesy women on wheels for wild lands

insight

N AN AGE WHEN CROSS-COUNTRY TRAVEL NEED BE NO HARDER THAN A RED-EYE, it’s easy to forget just how big America is. But the jour-

ney from sea to shining sea by bicycle reveals the landscape for what it is: vast, varied, and … deﬁnitely not ﬂat. That’s what cyclists Ariana Amini, Alex Benjamin, Hannah Field, and Katie Ledermann found when they took the long way across the country last fall. Friends from summer camp

and their high school ski team, the four young Minnesotans share an appetite for a good challenge and a lifelong love of the outdoors. Calling themselves the Women on Wheels for Wild Lands, they plotted a route through some of the most loved—and most contested—parks in America: a 5,312-mile pedal-powered journey in the heat of a national debate over the lands we share.

KATIE: So we tried to meet with land management personnel, conservationists, and volunteer groups at all the parks we passed through. And as the trip went on, we started talking

When did you ﬁrst decide to bike across the country?

to anyone we could reach—like people we met on the trail, or

ARIANA: We were all staring down our college gradua-

people at campgrounds and restaurants where we stopped.

tions and wanting to do something big before we went on

As often as we could—when we weren’t totally worn out

to the next thing. And we wanted to use that time to make

from moving ourselves and our gear by bike every day—we

a difference, not just do something totally for ourselves. So

tried to share what we were learning and seeing on Facebook

we started texting each other about doing a bike trip to raise

and Instagram, and by pitching our story to local media ev-

awareness for a cause—then we had to decide what exactly

erywhere we went. That was a big priority, because we didn’t

that cause would be.

want to just preach to the choir through our own personal channels. We wanted to reach people who don’t already know

So why public lands?

about threats to public lands.

HANNAH: Wilderness has always been an important part of our lives. We’re all big on paddling, biking, skiing, and

ALEX: One theme we heard from just about everyone we

backpacking. As our trip was coming together last summer,

talked to was that one of the best ways to support and protect

Congress was talking budget cuts, national monuments were

public lands is to get out and enjoy them, and be good users

up for review by the Department of the Interior, and there

and stewards. We were lucky to be able to do that ourselves,

was this growing movement to transfer federal lands to state

every day, for 94 days.

control. A cross-country ride through the places being affected seemed like a good way to engage with all those issues.

Did you get sick of riding all day, every day?

What did you hope to accomplish?

get into a rhythm. But mentally, you learn so much about

ALEX: Our mission was to raise awareness of the value of

yourself: how you function with other people, how you han-

public lands in America and the threats that they face. That

dle obstacles and solve problems. There were deﬁnitely times

being said, once we were actually out on the road we realized

when we were all so fed up with each other that the biggest

we didn’t know exactly how we would do that!

challenge was just remembering to be a good person, even

HANNAH: Physically, you get used to it—after a while, you

I NT SI P L.G OH R GT · · 27 27

ARIANA: In Louisiana, one of our bikes started making some strange noises—we found out why when the rear derailleur snapped clean off! That’s the part that shifts the chain through the gears, so it was pretty debilitating. On the side of the road, we did a quick ﬁx good enough to get us to the next town. Then a guy in Opelousas gave us a derailleur from an old road bike—which worked well enough, once we got it attached—that held up all the way to the end of the trip. It turns out bikes don’t necessarily need perfectly functioning parts to work. Sometimes they just need a certain amount of care and some creativity to keep them pedaling.

You met so many different people on your trip. How did they react to you and your message? HANNAH: Everyone we met was helpful, kind, and supportive, and almost everyone was ﬁred up about protecting public lands. I say “almost” … there was one evening we were invited to dinner by a family of ranchers in Utah. Toward the end of the meal we ended up talking about our mission, and when you’re cold, wet, hungry, tired, or in the worst

one gentleman was pretty ﬁerce in his opinions. He believes

mood ever. I like to challenge myself, and this trip was the

the national monuments are a government overreach, and

ultimate challenge. I loved every second of it … even when

asked how we’d feel if people from outside tried to tell us

it was terrible!

what we can and can’t do on our home turf.

ARIANA: In Minnesota I guide wilderness canoe trips, so being outside, using my body, and growing stronger every day by traveling and carrying everything I need has become an important part of my life. Traveling with a small group of women is one of my favorite things in the world. And biking in particular is the perfect way to see this country—you’re not going too fast to appreciate the beauty and the details, but it also won’t take you a whole year to get across.

What about your bikes? How did they hold up? KATIE: We got pretty good at fixing flats. Here’s a neat trick: if your tire rips open and you don’t have a spare, you can fold up a dollar bill, put it between the inner tube and the tire wall, and it’ll serve as a patch until you make it to a shop. We didn’t have a major breakdown until West Texas, when one of Hannah’s spokes snapped. None of us had replaced a spoke before, so it was a learning experience. Thankfully, we were well stocked with spare parts and tools, and it was a pretty straightforward fix.

2 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

ARIANA: We don’t agree with him, but at that table it was

the towns that remain all have something special and remark-

our turn to listen and understand where he was coming from.

able about them that have allowed them to make it through

Especially these days, having difficult conversations is so

challenging years.

important. It can be uncomfortable, but it forces you to open your mind and see things from other perspectives, instead

HANNAH: I loved Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

of putting people in a box based on what the media tells you.

National Monuments. The landscape is insanely varied, which

That was one thing I loved about the ride: seeing the incred-

makes the biking really fun. And we were there in October,

ible diversity and breadth of experience that informs people’s

during the height of the Department of the Interior’s review

beliefs and values in this country. You can’t really experience

of national monuments. We rode right into the heart of that

that unless you go see it for yourself.

controversy, talking with people on all sides. It was a crash course in all the disciplines and issues that affect public

We won’t ask you to play favorites ... but what were the most memorable parks on your route?

lands: religion, history, archaeology … scientists ﬁnding dinosaur skeletons, ranchers running cattle, rock

ALEX: I was really surprised by West Texas. The mountains

climbers … there’s so much happening there. Everyone

around Big Bend National Park are gorgeous, and also the

wants a piece, and everyone wants something different from

hardest climbing we did on the trip. And there were all these

the same landscape.

little roadside signs—like the one pointing out a rock that looked just like Abraham Lincoln in proﬁle—random things

KATIE: That made it all the more personal later when the

that aren’t on Google and you’d never notice unless you

administration announced it was cutting those two monu-

passed at bike speed. It’s also a region that suffers from eco-

ments by more than half. That news came the day before

nomic depression: we passed through a lot of ghost towns. But

we ﬁnally reached the Atlantic Ocean. The timing was really weird and heavy.

I NT SI P L.G OH R GT · · 29 29

How did that make you feel? ARIANA: My heart sank when I saw the headline on my phone. We’d talked to so many people who live there, and the administration’s decision felt to me like the voice of the people wasn’t heard. The decision to reduce these monuments was made high up by people who want to open the land up for energy exploration, even though the vast majority of the land’s owners—that’s all Americans—don’t want to see that happen. ALEX: I think it was in that moment that I truly realized how much we take public lands for granted in this country. We think because parks and monuments have been here for as long as we can remember, they’ll always be here—but the farther we rode and the more people we talked to, the more we realized that’s just not true. It was heartening to discover this huge community of people all across the country who dedicate their lives to keeping these places safe and healthy. The trip gave me a great understanding of the work that goes on behind the scenes of our public lands—so the decision to slash the monuments felt like an attack on everyone we’d met and everyone who’d supported us.

What’s next for you? HANNAH: We have a ton of momentum from this trip. There’s interest from park personnel and other advocates for us to engage around issues at home in Minnesota—like the controversy around mining in the Boundary Waters. The state’s Department of Natural Resources wants us to do a ride through Minnesota’s public lands, and we’re talking with people at parks way up in the northern part of the state about doing a ride there from the Twin Cities. KATIE: The national monuments controversy just makes it clear that even though our ride is over, our real work is just beginning. I don’t know what I’m going to do next, but I know this issue—protecting public lands and making it easier for people to experience them—is something I’ll always care about and ﬁght for.

3 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

co l in co o ke

Everyone deserves a park.

thank you prudential! With your support, we’ve created 13 new parks across Newark, New Jersey, putting more than 95,000 people within a 10-minute walk of a great place to play, exercise, relax, and connect to nature—and each other. Together, we’re building a greener, healthier, and more equitable Newark for generations to come. Learn more at tpl.org

rachid dahnoun

BE A LEADER. Become a Conservation Champion and help The Trust for Public Land connect even more people to nature. With your annual leadership-level contribution of $2000 or more, 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

OTE

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IV YO VOT

OTE

D OTE

VOTE LOCAL IV

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我投

了票

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I Voted

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Want a win for parks and conservation? Look beyond the Beltway.

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ted I Vo 了票我投 é Vot Yo

INTERVIEWS BY JULIA BUSIEK

h e 2 011 6 ele e ctt io o n c ha a n g ed d t he e co o n v ersatt i on n

the importance of parks and open space—the idea that a

a bo o ut pu u bll ic c la a nd d s i n a m e r ic c a , ushering in an

shared love of the land can transcend even the deepest

administration that would soon roll back environmental

political divisions in this country. But it also speaks to the

protections and begin an unprecedented review of national

understated power of local advocates for conservation. If

monuments.

all politics is local, the real change-makers may not be the

But something else happened at the polls that November.

politicians whose names you see in the headlines, but your

Across the country—in red states and blue, in cities, suburbs,

neighbors—the small-business owner who donates supplies

and rural communities alike—voters in that very same election

for a park cleanup, the parents who knock on your door with

approved more than $6.9 billion in public funds for parks,

homemade cookies and a campaign ﬂyer, kids in tow.

conservation, and restoration. Though those results may seem at odds, parks’ success at

Since 1996, The Trust for Public Land has helped everyday advocates raise more than $68.2 billion in funds for

the polls in 2016 ﬁts a longtime trend. Given the opportunity,

everything from playground renovations and trail-building

people of all political persuasions will choose to invest in the

to establishing community forests and protecting water

health and livability of their own communities. In fact, state

supplies. We’re proud to stand with the local advocates

and local conservation measures have enjoyed a 76 percent

making a difference for parks and open space in their

passage rate since 1988.

communities—no matter what happens in Washington, DC.

That ﬁgure reﬂects Americans’ broad recognition of

T P L. O R G · 33

OTED

CHRISTINE DENNY

co-founder and president, first magnitude brewing co. gainesville, florida

on the ballot

3 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

passed with 60% approval a drienne fletc her

An extension of the half-cent Alachua County Wild Spaces and Public Places sales tax, which supports land conservation, parks, and recreation

matt h ew w ro b l ew sk i

I Voted 我投了票

TED

VO D I

oté

I VO

Yo V

I VOT

Yo Voté

ur business’s connection to conservation

“We want our customers springs—those with the highest ﬂows—anywhere on Earth. to have a great experience, When we founded the brewery four years ago, we made a commitment to support local environmental causes: we want but it’s important that we our customers to have a great experience and drink great beer, but it’s important that we give back, too. give back, too.“ One way we do that is by making our tasting room available is right in the name: north-central Florida is home

to the highest concentration of ﬁrst magnitude freshwater

for events put on by local conservation groups. We hosted information sessions during the campaign and teamed up

I think our low-key, laid-back vibe helped the campaign reach

with a local land trust to throw a “Wild Spaces, Public Places”

people who otherwise wouldn’t necessarily have voted for

Halloween Ball, complete with themed costumes. It’s one of

the measure. You might feel like you’ve got all this momen-

our biggest parties of the year and we had a ton of people that

tum, and then discover at the polls that there were huge

night, mostly just because it’s fun. But they got a chance to

swaths of people that you didn’t engage, and whose concerns

learn about the beneﬁts of the ballot measure along the way—

weren’t addressed. Having a space for those conversations is

right before the election.

important, and we try to make the brewery welcoming and appealing to all different kinds of people. Beer brings people together. Everybody loves to gather over a pint. I think the success of this measure is going to be good for our bottom line. For one thing, we brew using City of Gainesville water, which is very clean, thanks in part to the protections around our freshwater springs. But more than that, the fund supports wildland and urban parks—the kinds of things that make Gainesville a healthy place where people want to come raise families, where communities mix and mingle. Small businesses like ours thrive in a town like this.

adrienne fletcher

VOT E LO CA L

T P L. O R G · 35

WINSTON PIERRE community organizer boston, massachusetts

on the ballot

3 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

passed with 74% approval ian mac lella n

The Boston Community Preservation Act (Ballot Question 5), a 1% property tax surcharge to support affordable housing, parks and open space, and historic preservation

I Voted Yo V

ian macl el l an

oté

live in the dorchester section of boston,

Take me, for instance. I came to this from an interest in

but i was born and raised in haiti . I immigrated

affordable housing, but I also believe that parks are one of

to the United States and settled in Boston following the

the most important things that make Boston special. One

earthquake in 2010, so this city is special to me because it

of my favorite things to do is walk through the park late at

means a second chance at life. It’s the only place on Earth

night, feeling the breeze. How can I describe this feeling?

where my story and journey could have been possible. But

It’s part of the essence of life. Being in nature connects your

part of that journey has been the struggle to ﬁnd affordable

inner being and creates a sense of community.

housing. I know ﬁrsthand the need for us to solve the housing

Being a full-time ﬁeld organizer on a campaign like this

shortage in Boston, and in cities across the country.

means working 60 and 70 hour weeks for months on end.

The Community Preservation Act succeeded because it

There’s always more to be done: more volunteers to recruit,

brought so many different advocates and groups from across

more phone calls to make, more doors to knock on, more

the city together. Affordable housing activists, parks and open

meetings. But passion is contagious. It is like a light that

space backers, and historic preservationists trusted each other

cannot be hidden. It motivates others and builds trust—

to work toward a shared vision for a city that serves all its

whether between groups that have traditionally advocated

people. It wasn’t one side ﬁghting for its own interests—it

for different things, or between me as a ﬁeld organizer and

was all of us uniting behind a campaign for the resources

small business owners I was asking for support. If you can

we need to make sure Boston can meet the challenges of

build trust with people, nothing is impossible.

the next ten years.

“If you can build trust with people, nothing is impossible.“ bill damon

VOT E LO CA L

T P L. O R G · 37

SCOTT CHAN

direc tor of asian pacific isl ander forward movement san gabriel valley, los angeles

on the ballot

3 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

passed with 75% approval annie ba ng

Parks, Open Space, Beaches, Rivers Protection, and Water Conservation Measure (Measure A), a 1.5-cent per square foot parcel tax levy

YO VOTÉ I VO TE D

“An open ﬁeld is a gift to a child with an imagination.“

I Vo

ted

grew up in a town in the san gabriel valley. We had a little park around the corner from our house—

it wasn’t much, there wasn’t even really a playground, just an open ﬁeld with a few tall trees. But an open ﬁeld is a gift to a child with an imagination. When I wasn’t going there to ride my bike or play catch with my dad, I was searching for treasure, or hiding from monsters. It’s where I developed my sense of adventure. As I have gotten older and my career has taken me into servannie bang

ing my community, I’ve realized what a privilege it was to have that park within a 10-minute walk of my front door. So many people in Los Angeles County—especially in low-income communities of color—don’t get to have adventures like I did. I’m now the director of a nonproﬁt that focuses on public health and environmental justice issues for Asian and

sure that all communities are healthy places to be, and

Paciﬁc Islander communities in Los Angeles. We know we

parks and green space are a huge part of that. That’s why

need to address inequities in the built environment to make

we’re involved in movements like Measure A. For example, we work in the community of Lennox, adjacent to LAX. Lennox has just one tiny park: it’s right off the freeway and for years it wasn’t even lit at night. Would you want to take your kids there? Would you feel safe letting them go there alone? We can easily tell someone to go on a hike or to take the kids to the park. But if there’s no trailhead nearby, or the park is in bad shape, how can we expect people to take our advice? Our communities are clamoring for more and better parks, and I think you can tell by the overwhelming voter support that we’re willing to tax ourselves to address the gaps in park access between wealthier areas and low-income areas. It’s time to change policy, spending, and institutions so everyone in Los a nnie ba ng

VOT E LO CA L

Angeles has equal access to opportunities to thrive.

T P L. O R G · 39

ANNA DREXLER-DREIS

environmental consultant gr and count y, color ado

on the ballot

4 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

passed with 60% approval theo stroomer

Measure 1A, a 10-year, 0.3% sales tax increase to support open space, rivers, trails, and wildlife habitat protection

VOT E LO CA L

rand county is an interesting place,

the measure and even wrote a letter to the editor about it. I’ll

politically. In the east we have Winter Park, one

never forget her opening line: “As a lifelong ﬁscal conserva-

of the closest big ski areas to Denver: outdoor recreation is

tive, I can’t believe what I’m about to say … but I’m voting

at the center of things there. West Grand County is a lot of

yes on 1A.” Her endorsement helped the measure gain the

fourth– and ﬁfth-generation ranchers running cattle, and in

traction we needed.

general that half of the county has a different set of priori-

In the big picture, having this measure on the ballot was

ties. Our challenge was to unite those two constituencies.

like our community asking itself: what’s our goal? Do we

From phone surveys we knew something important to

want to develop as fast as possible and make money off

everyone was water, so we made that issue front and center.

tourists, or are we out here to be enriched by nature, enjoy

We ﬁgured, if our local land trust can work with the land-

open space, and keep our working lands healthy and whole?

owners to put conservation easements on their ranches, that

I’ve seen so many ski towns get overrun with crazy-fast

will protect their water rights and help them stay solvent—

development, and I don’t want that to happen in Grand

so they don’t have to sell off chunks of property every gen-

County. I think the fact that the measure passed means

eration. For that to work, you need public funds.

that most people agree.

I was on the campaign committee, going out to meet with voters in west Grand County to tell them about how this relatively small tax increase could help their businesses in a big way. But I wasn’t making much headway. So I called up a well-respected rancher who’d done a conservation easement on her land and asked for her support. Once I had the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with her, she quickly saw this would be a good deal for her neighbors. She spoke up for

“Having this measure on the ballot was like our community asking itself: what’s our goal?“

I V O T E D I Vote

I VOTED

我投了

Yo V o

d 票

té

T P L. O R G · 41

JIM MEYER retired business manager clermont county, ohio

on the ballot

4 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

passed with 63% approval sherri ba rber

The Clermont County Park District Tax Levy, a 10-year property tax to support park operations, growth, and facilities upgrades

sh er r i bar b e r

VOT E LO CA L

here was a community survey a few years

“Parks provide experiences ple felt passionately about was the need to balance growth we remember and pass on. with preserving the natural areas that make this such a great place to live. But the park district could barely keep pace Getting folks to think about with the facilities they already managed—let alone being those experiences helps.“ able to protect new land. So some citizens got together and back that asked people what they wanted for the

future of the county. Just about the number one thing peo-

decided the time was right to try for a parks ballot measure. I managed manufacturing businesses for 30 years, but when I got closer to retirement age I decided I was ready to spend more time doing what I love. I’d gotten involved in the county parks’ volunteer trail crew, and when I found out about the campaign for the levy I jumped in and joined the committee. I’m glad I did, because it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in years.

skipped rock spreading out across the water. What do you want to bet that dad had once been out on a riverbank with his own dad, doing the same thing? And that kid who skipped the rock—he’s likely to teach his kids when he grows up. Parks provide experiences we remember and pass on. Getting folks to think about those experiences helps them

I’m a people-person, so I talked about the measure at Rotary Clubs, the county commissioners, senior homes … even just struck up conversations at the parks. Here’s a story I’d tell: One day I was ﬁnishing up some trail work and I noticed a man with a group of kids playing on the

get past, “I’m not voting for any tax increase, no way.” I knew this issue was something special when I saw a picture in the paper with the chairs of both the County Republicans and the County Democrats smiling with one of our campaign’s yard signs. It’s one thing that everyone can agree on.

riverbank. All of a sudden this huge roar went up. All the kids were jumping up and down, and I saw the ripples of a

ED I VOT

I Vo

ted

Learn more about upcoming conservation ballot measures at tpl.o org/b balllot.

I V

TED I VO T E

我

O 投了票

T P L. O R G · 43

Taking On water By Julia Kumari Drapkin 4 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

In New Orleans, a ﬂood-prone neighborhood becomes a proving ground for climate resilience

photo courtesy iseechange

The sun has returned to New Orleans after a storm, and on a busy corner in the Gentilly neighborhood, Destiney Bell’s yard is ﬂooded again. The rain has transformed Bell’s lawn into a lake

years since, approximately 80 percent of

and her home into an island. She’s not surprised:

Gentilly’s housing has been rebuilt or repaired.

she knows from experience that just 30 minutes

But ﬂooding from rainstorms remains fre-

of downpour means wading through water—

quent—a fact of life.

sometimes ﬂoating with trash and debris—just

With 64 inches of rain a year on average,

to get out of the house. Her roommate can’t back

New Orleans is one America’s wettest cities.

her car out of the driveway during ﬂoods. And

But even for longtime residents accustomed

when the rains are really bad, city buses stop

to the region’s weather, the summer of 2017

running, too.

stood out. Afternoon storms supercharged by

“I used to love the rain, really love it,” Bell says. “But lately I feel it’s my enemy.” Bell, pictured left, lives in a neighborhood that was once the site of a wetland on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain. In the ﬁrst half of the

record-high surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico damaged homes, cars, and conﬁdence during what would prove to be the rainiest summer on record. Climate researchers believe this could be the

20th century, the land was drained and a grid

new normal for the Gulf Coast region. While

of single-family homes sprang up on the former

some politicians continue to debate the science,

swamp.

New Orleans residents aren’t waiting to address

When the walls of the London Avenue Canal failed during Hurricane Katrina, muddy water

the evidence they see in the rivers ﬂowing down their own streets. They can’t afford to.

rushed into the low-lying neighborhood, leaving unprecedented devastation in its wake. In the 12

T P L. O R G · 45

photos (top and inset): bryan tarnowski

Half of New Orleans lies below sea level.

photo courtesy iseechange

The city relies on pumps and canals to stay dry, but planners worry this “gray infrastructure”— which already fails to prevent ﬂooding— won’t keep people safe as the climate changes.

4 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

avid Waggonner is an architect who helped author the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan. He

knows more than most about what makes New Orleans so vulnerable to the effects of climate change. water come to ground,” Waggonner says. The Cajun people call the land ﬂotant—alluvial soils mixed with water left by the Mississippi Delta. With half of the city below sea level, Waggonner explains, residents rely on

bryan tarnowski

“New Orleans is a ﬂoating city—but we don’t let the

an aging, inefficient, and insufficient network of pumps and canals to push rainwater back out with every storm. Decades of pumping the water away has dried out the spongy soils beneath the city, causing them to shrink, sink, and collapse. But Waggonner and other planners see a way forward.

Paul Habans schoolyard Students at Paul Habans Charter School go to class in a state-of-the-art new building. But the hurricane recovery

With the right network of green spaces, he believes the

grants that funded construction didn’t cover any landscap-

city can capture and store stormwater runoff naturally, at

ing or play areas—so come recess, they’d be left to stretch

once protecting residents and beautifying its waterfronts.

their legs on a featureless blacktop and an empty ﬁeld.

“Water is the lifeblood of this land,” he says. “Our canals can be part of a circulatory system.” Improvements like these—parks that double as reten-

It wasn’t much fun—but that wasn’t the only issue. “The problem with our playground was that when it rained, it always ﬂooded,” says sixth grader Elijah Cueva. That’s why

tion basins or street medians that function as canals—fall

last year, Cueva’s class helped The Trust for Public Land

under the umbrella of “green infrastructure.” Unlike

design and build a new playground for his school: one that

traditional “gray infrastructure”—the city’s crumbling

does double-duty as green infrastructure. Features like rain

canal walls, pumps, and drains—green infrastructure

gardens help relieve ﬂooding not only at the school itself,

offers multiple beneﬁts: green spaces designed to absorb

but also for nearby streets and homes.

stormwater can also offer cooling shade, mitigating the

The playground is open to the public outside of school

“heat island” effect, while providing residents the health

hours, giving 2,500 more people a place to get outside

beneﬁts of a place to enjoy nature, exercise, and gather.

within a 10-minute walk of home. The Paul Habans project

Building green infrastructure on the scale needed

is the ﬁrst of its kind in New Orleans, but it won’t be the

to keep New Orleans residents safe from ﬂooding will

last: guided by its mapping tools, The Trust for Public Land

require hundreds of millions of dollars in public invest-

is connecting with partners in other ﬂood-prone areas of

ment—and it has to start somewhere. In 2016, The Trust

the city where the green schoolyard strategy—already suc-

for Public Land helped the City of New Orleans secure a

cessful in cities like New York and Philadelphia—might be

$141 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing

put to good use. “Schoolyards offer a ton of potential for

and Urban Development to fund a pilot project in Des-

stormwater management,” says The Trust for Public Land’s

tiney Bell’s neighborhood. Called the Gentilly Resilience

Sarah Olivier. “We’re excited to get to work building more.”

District, it will include new, water-absorbing parks and

T P L. O R G · 47

bryan ta rnow ski

“If it works and we have good results, it could be a template for the rest of the city.” medians, permeable pavement, and incentives for residents to invest in stormwater retention on their own properties, too.

t’s a high bar to clear. “We know we need to transform our city’s approach to water. But

“If it works and we have good results, it could

it’s a huge challenge to plan solutions to a prob-

be a template for the rest of the city,” says Josh

lem as complex as climate change,” says Sarah

Lewis, an urban ecologist at Tulane University’s

Olivier, The Trust for Public Land’s New Orleans

ByWater Institute. Lewis and his colleagues

program director. “It’s a hydrology problem to

are among those charged with evaluating the

know where ﬂooding will happen and when;

impact of the investment, and they’re look-

it’s a modeling problem to anticipate how that

ing for three measures of success: proof that

might change in the future; and it’s an issue of

the infrastructure projects efficiently intercept

social justice—how do we make sure that the

stormwater; proof that they support the eco-

green infrastructure we build will serve the

system and public health; and proof that they

people who face the greatest threats?”

beneﬁt the local community where they’re built.

The Trust for Public Land’s approach to this multifaceted problem uses powerful Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to help the city get the most bang for its buck. Like a super-powered version of Google Maps, the mapping tool combines spatial data on the physical

4 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

The Trust for Public Land measures the success of green infrastructure not only by the amount of stormwater it diverts from overburdened pumps and canals, but by whether it serves the city equitably.

leave a

LEGACY.

Protect the places you love by making a gift to The Trust for Public Land in your estate plans. By naming The Trust for Public Land as a beneﬁciary of your will, living trust, or retirement account, you can make a visionary gift that will conserve land for generations to come. For more information, please contact Colleen Spivey at 207.619.8054 in the East or Dana Thomas at 415.800.5278 in the West.

t p l . o rg / p l an n e d g i v i n g · p l a n n e d g i v i ng@t pl. o rg

“You have to get on the ground in a community to understand why the data is showing you what it’s showing you.” conditions in each neighborhood—from ﬂooding history to tree cover—with demographic data such as residents’ age, income level, and health outcomes. It even shows how far people have to travel to reach existing parks. The tool is available free online, so anyone from neighborhood p hoto courtesy iseechange

activists to the mayor herself can access the same

ISeeChange and The Trust for Public Land have used storytelling events, pop-up block parties, and even street art to gather and share information about climate change in the community.

5 0 · LLAND 50 AND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

information to explore where green infrastructure would have the greatest impact. “The tools that The Trust for Public Land created enable us to zero in on sites where green infrastructure can bring in multiple beneﬁts,” says Colleen McHugh, a city program officer with the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Recovery. “We’re using the data as a ﬁrst step, but then you have to get on the ground in a community to understand why the data is showing you what it’s showing you.”

photo courtesy iseechange

he city’s effort to ground-truth its maps

Carretta Cooke writes she’s worried about

and models beneﬁts from The Trust for

ﬂooding at the local senior residence. Allison

Public Land’s partnership with ISeeChange,

Albert reports she’s stranded with neighbors.

an online platform designed to help everyday

Izzy Berry says her kids’ mattresses are soaked

people—not just researchers and officials—

in ﬁlthy water. Cynthia Rhode realizes that

document the ways in which climate change

water is bubbling up backwards out of her

is affecting their everyday lives. During and

drains. Eighty-year-old Clementine Cager,

after the rains, residents can use their phones

pictured above, stands in the water with an

to record, share, and geo-tag scenes from their

injured leg on St. Bernard Avenue, clutching a

neighborhood, blending citizen science with

bag of chicken she bought at the grocery store

storytelling.

four hours earlier. The ﬂood is too deep for the

The ISeeChange tool is in heavy use when an afternoon storm stalls between the Mississippi

ﬁre trucks to ford, so rescue workers commandeer a kayak to paddle her to safety.

River and Lake Pontchartrain in August. As the

Down the street, Destiney Bell reports her

rain clouds hover over the lowest-lying neigh-

rain gauge rose 4.3 inches in 90 minutes—more

borhoods of New Orleans, waters rise, trapping

than six times what the city’s pumping system

residents in their cars on ﬂooded streets. An

can handle. As a ﬁnal inch of rain falls over the

hour later, half of the city is ﬂooded.

T P L. O R G · 51

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

The Mirabeau Water Garden Since 1855, the Sisters of St. Joseph lived and served in the heart of Gentilly, their congregation based on a With developers lining up to

25-acre oasis of pines and maples. But

purchase the property, the sisters

the hurricane changed everything.

gathered to divine a solution in line

“Once Katrina hit, the convent was

with their calling to serve. “Just make

under eight feet of water,” says Sister

it clear, Lord,” says Sister Pat Bergen,

Joan LaPlace, pictured below. The pews

recalling their prayers. “Tell us how

ﬂoated away, along with the organ

you want us to use this land to minis-

and the altar. Just getting the water

ter to the people of New Orleans.”

out cost a quarter of a million dollars.

The answer to the sisters’ prayers

Less than a year later, the convent was

took the unlikely form of the architect

struck by lightning and burned to the

David Waggonner. He shared the plan

ground.

for the Gentilly Resilience District and a vision for how the congregation’s property—one of the largest unpaved spaces in the neighborhood—might ﬁt in. Convinced, the sisters decided

charitable, to say the least: a 99-year lease for a dollar. When the Mirabeau Water Garden

bryan tarnowski

to allow the city to transform the land into a new park. Their terms were

is complete, it will retain up to an estimated 10 million gallons of stormwater, reducing ﬂood impacts throughout Gentilly. “The water is your friend. You can’t just ﬁght it,” Sister LaPlace says. “You can see from the [empty] streets and the terrible conditions of many houses just falling apart—the land sinks when there isn’t enough water. If we can provide this place it would help this neighborhood—our p hoto courtesy ise ec hange

neighborhood.”

5 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

Unlike the old pumps and canals, new approaches to stormwater management beneﬁt from community input. The Trust for Public Land facilitates meetings to gather neighbors’ ideas for parks in development, including the Mirabeau Water Garden (left).

A transition to green infrastructure requires investment—and it has to start somewhere.

course of the evening, she ferries granola bars

this problem, from voters who are empowered

and water bottles to dozens of drivers stranded

to tell their leaders why this is important to

in front of her house.

them.”

“The stories from the community reporters

Destiney Bell, for one, is determined to keep

are essential,” says Sarah Olivier. “The HUD

up her reporting efforts. “I’ll even check the rain

grant can only go so far: once that ﬁrst infusion

gauge when I’m sick,” she says. “[Monitoring

of federal resources is spent on the Gentilly

the data] made me aware of just how much [the

Resilience District pilot project, we’re going to

ﬂooding] was happening—I think it’s done a lot

have to build on the momentum to apply the

of good. Everyone on my whole block is affected

lessons learned in Gentilly to other vulnerable

by this. [Documenting the stories] can help not

parts of the city. And we won’t be able to do

only me—but my whole community.”

that without support from people affected by

T P L. O R G · 53

2018

1901

By Heather Hansman

Foresight

photos this page: left–george m. weister, right–terray sylvester photo opposite page: terray sylvester

5 4 · LLAND 54 AND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

here conservation is controversial, the debate often presumes a choice between environmental protection and economic

growth—and a distinct cultural difference between city-dwellers who value the land for recreation and rural communities who rely on it to make a living. But in the Columbia River Gorge on the OregonWashington border, the reality is more complex. A generation after its much-contested designation as a national scenic area, we revisit an iconic ODQGVFDSH²QHDUO\ ORVW WR XQFKHFNHG VSUDZO²WR ¿QG out what’s there instead.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE Rewarding hikes such as the ascent of Beacon Rock help draw more than two million visitors to the Columbia River Gorge each year. T P L. O R G · 55 TP

photos: top-terray sylvester, inset-ralph eddy

1939

NATURAL BEAUTY Proactive conservation efforts have preserved much of the gorge’s viewshed and trail network over time.

ake the long view of the land and you’ll ﬁnd a map

turning the north side of the river into a bedroom community.

rewritten many times over. In an uncertain world—

The lax zoning laws in Washington’s previously rural Skama-

where cities stand on former orchards and boomtowns

nia County did little to counter sprawl: already, developers

return to dust—protecting the places we love often depends

were snatching up land on the bluffs for subdivisions, raising

less on preserving the past than on predicting the future. Can

the possibility that the best trails and views in the gorge

any community anticipate how or where the next generation

would become inaccessible to the public.

will live, work, and play?

Russell and her supporters knew they had to act quickly to

That was the question facing Nancy Russell, a mother of

prevent the gorge from being overrun. She could see that the

ﬁve, when she co-founded Friends of the Columbia Gorge in

complexity of the challenge at hand—balancing development

the early 1980s. The homemaker had fallen in love with the

and conservation across two states and six very different coun-

canyon, which runs from the conﬂuence of the Deschutes and

ties—meant success depended on securing federal protection

Columbia Rivers to the eastern edge of the Portland metro area.

for the land, similar to a national park or monument.

It offered airy views from wildﬂower-strewn bluffs, cascading waterfalls, and winding trails through quiet woods. But the landscape was changing, and quickly. A new bridge connecting Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, was

But Russell could also see, as she walked out of the community meeting where she’d gone to make her case to residents of the gorge’s timber towns, that someone who disagreed with her had slashed her tires. Next time, she thought to herself, I’ll drive a rental.

5 6 · LLAND AND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

“It was an enormous gamble. But the gorge was simply too important to lose.”

ussell’s crippled car was not uncharacteristic of the heat

sides of the Columbia River. Leaning on personal connections,

of the debate over the gorge at the time. Those against

Russell also gained the support of three conservation-minded

restricting development were in the minority, but their

Republican congressmen whose committee seats gave them

opposition was ﬁerce—and personal. Galvanized by false

outsized inﬂuence over President Ronald Reagan.

rumors that existing homes in a new national scenic area

On November 17, 1986, after hours of debate on the ﬂoor of

would be condemned, they posted billboards and bumper

the House nearing the end of the session, President Reagan

stickers calling out Russell by name.

signed the act establishing the Columbia River Gorge National

The objections were philosophical, in part: some residents

Scenic Area. The 290,000-acre protected area was one of the

questioned what say a politician in Washington, DC—or for

only signiﬁcant pieces of conservation legislation during his

that matter, a hiker from Portland—should have over the use

tenure—some reported the president signed the act while

of land elsewhere. Others feared for jobs in timber harvesting,

holding his nose—but the power of the bipartisan voting bloc

or wanted industrial development along the river instead. The

assembled by Russell and The Trust for Public Land forced his

common undercurrent in the opposition was a certainty that

hand.

economic health and conservation in the gorge were fundamentally at odds. It would take time to convince anyone otherwise, and it

“Nancy charmed the politicians,” Wozniak says. “She was the godmother of the Columbia River Gorge. It’s a testament to how one very driven person can make things happen.”

was time Russell knew the gorge did not have. She joined

1867

The Trust for Public Land and other conservation groups in a race against developers to purchase the most vulnerable properties—including some of today’s most popular recreation sites, like Beacon Rock and Cape Horn. It was a hedge, and a risky one at that. “We were betting on the success of the Columbia River Gorge Act, acquiring these properties on the assumption we’d eventually be able to transfer them to federal government,” says Owen Wozniak, a project manager at The Trust for Public Land. But if the act failed, the organization was overextended to the point it risked total collapse. “It was an enormous gamble,” Wozniak too important to lose.” The Trust for Public Land had the appetite for risk and the expertise to deftly close complex real estate deals. Russell, meanwhile, supplied a relentless energy and the rare ability

car leton watkins

says. “But the leadership at the time felt the gorge was simply

to navigate across political boundaries: a doggedness without dogma. The initial Friends of the Gorge steering committee included both Democratic and Republican former governors and a number of city and county commissioners from both

Learn more about The Trust for Public Land’s work in the Columbia River Gorge at tpl.org/gorge.

T P L. O R G · 57 TP

“I need this place to keep its rustic, northwestern identity.”

t’s been a decade since Nancy Russell’s death in 2008, and more than 30 years since the passage of the Columbia River Gorge

National Scenic Area Act. The legislation established regulations to discourage sprawl, concentrating growth in designated urban areas and protecting views from the highlands. About a third of the 85-mile-long stretch covered by the act is in public ownership with agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, but the rest of the gorge remains in private hands— meaning that while the designation permanently altered conversations about development in the gorge, it certainly didn’t end them. Real estate broker and former Hood River County commissioner Maui Meyer first came to the gorge in 1985 as a professional windsurfer. He says that while controlling development has helped protect natural resources and recreation opportunities, it can be tricky to reconcile regulations with other needs, such as housing. “It’s a terrific place to live, but we’re super resource-constrained and it’s hard to exist equitably within the confines [of the act],” he says. Now, he says, the challenge is to continue to conserve land without pushing out diverse populations that want to make a home here. “I think it was a fantastic idea, and it’s a truly glorious place, but it needs to grow and mature.” The question of how best to do that often falls to the Columbia River Gorge Commission, which adjudicates property disputes and makes zoning decisions on both sides of the state line. Today it’s headed by Bowen Blair, who directed the Friends of the Columbia Gorge in the 1980s and also served on staff at The Trust for Public Land. With three decades of study and involvement in the region’s economic development, Blair has the advantage of hindsight and experience in reflecting on the old debate over the scenic area designation. The property-value crash and wave of condemned homes feared by its opponents never came to pass, but the timber industry—impacted by changing regulations within the gorge and larger economic forces at work beyond it—has indeed declined. The scenic act legislation provided funds to stimulate job growth in other industries. They’ve been used on the Washington side of the gorge to build the high-end Skamania Lodge and conference center, now the biggest employer in the county. The facility was just one of the earliest investments in what’s now a thriving tourism and outdoor recreation

5 8 · LLAND 58 AND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 201 20188

terray sylvester

industry fueled by more than two million visitors to the gorge each year.

T P L. O R G · 59 TP

ph otos: top- t erray sy lvest er, b ott 0m- car l eto n wat k in s

Local spending by visitors to Oregon state parks within the gorge topped $33 million in 2013, while a study by Headwaters Economics the following year found that spending from bicycle tourism in the gorge accounted for $21.1 million. If those numbers sound implausible, consider first the imposing size of the outdoor industry nationally—$373 billion in 2016— and second the case of former commissioner Meyer’s town of Hood River. The community of under 8,000 people boasts six bike shops, five breweries, and fair claim to the title of “Windsurfing Capital of the World.” Rafe Lehner owns one of those bike shops. “More population growth could help my business grow,” he says. “But honestly, I don’t need more business as much as I need this place to keep its rustic, northwestern identity.” Lehner took over Hood River’s Mountain View Cycles after a decade in the Rocky Mountains, and he draws a contrast between the gorge and the changes he saw along the I-70 corridor connecting Denver to the ski areas in Summit County, Colorado. “That used to be the most beautiful area,” he says, “but now it’s just resort on development on resort. It’s insane.” Meanwhile, says Blair, “many people come to the gorge because it is a protected landscape. Many of the business owners, who were traditionally pro-development, see the competitive advantage [of the scenic area designation].” Aspects of the the designation were controversial in the past, he says, but time has borne it out. “The future intertwined with protecting the landscape. Now, one of the prime things businesses look for is quality of life.”

n fact, Oregon’s economic development agency reports the counties on the south side of the gorge have experi-

enced the fastest job growth of any region—nearly twice the

1867

state average. Opponents once argued that enacting protections for the most scenic parts of the gorge would permanently stymie LOCAL JOBS )URP ¿VKHULHV WR EUHZHULHV small businesses depend on the health of the Columbia River and the surrounding landscape.

industry elsewhere. But the 19 percent uptick in jobs on the Oregon side of the gorge between 2005 and 2015 came only in part from tourism and outdoor recreation. Today the region’s employers represent a range of sectors, including manufacturing and agriculture as well as health care and tech: a billiondollar Google data center at The Dalles recently expanded and employs more than 200 people. Though conversation around the economic health of the gorge often focuses on these large employers, the region also supports small businesses, new and old. Terrie Brigham manages her family’s ﬁsh market in Cascade Locks, about 20 miles

6 0 · LLAND AND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

terray sylvester

“Now, one of the prime things businesses look for is quality of life.”

Brigham’s and other small businesses that depend on the health of the river challenge the old assumption of a neat trade-off between protecting natural resources and providing jobs. Three decades after the creation of the scenic area, the distinction between blue– and white-collar work in the gorge is not so distinct, either. When Lori Middleton bought a 40-year-old orchard on a few acres in Hood River 12 years ago, she was a graphic designer

west of Hood River. A member of the Confederated Tribes

with no farming experience. Today she operates a certiﬁed

of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, she’s been ﬁshing since

organic farm where visitors can pick their own cherries

childhood—like her father and grandfather before her. Today,

and apples. “I’m a YouTube farmer,” she says. “I learned every-

she sells salmon, steelhead, and sockeye to hungry locals and

thing I know off the internet and from hiring a few guys to

tourists as well as restaurants and commercial buyers.

help me.”

She didn’t think much about land use planning before she

Middleton’s farm hosts a range of visitors, from tourists

caught wind of a proposal for a commercial bottling plant that

from Japan to day-tripping Portlanders seeking an escape from

would have diverted water from a nearby spring. The plan

the city. “They come here for the fruit,” she says, “but they

ultimately folded under pressure from tribes concerned the

also get to walk around my orchard and feel like they’re at

facility would hurt ﬁsheries, but the close call made Brigham

home. They get double mountain views of Mt. Hood and Mt.

take notice. “I’ve become a lot more aware of what’s taking

Adams. They revitalize from the congestion of the city.”

place and what people are trying to do in our area,” she says.

“We all know the scenic area here,” she says. “It works for

“Without the national scenic area, there’d be too many things

me because it preserves the land for everyone—it’s clean and

like that in this town, more big companies with no business

beautiful. I can’t imagine what the gorge would be like with-

being here. We’d be just an industrial town, or might not even

out that.”

be here at all.” T P L. O R G · 61 TP

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 $5 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.

Gift and estate planning

For all our charity ratings, go to

Please let us know if you have remem-

tpl.org/efﬁciency.

bered The Trust for Public Land in your will or estate plans so we can welcome you to our Stegner Society of legacy donors. Contact Colleen Spivey at 207.619.8054 in the East, Dana Thomas at 415.800.5278 in the West, or plannedgiving@tpl.org. See more giving options at tpl.org/ways-to-give. 6 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

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; 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; WEST VIRGINIA – Residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Registration with any of these state agencies does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by any state.

Offices connecticut

massachusetts

new york

vermont

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Massachusetts State Ofﬁce

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National Ofﬁce

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NATIONAL OFFICES

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ohio

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Ofﬁce

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OFFICES

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oregon

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Philadelphia

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Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

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509.888.0844

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illinois

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PO Box 12200

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Chicago, IL 60603

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new mexico

utah

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maine

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Portland, ME 04101 207.772.7424

T P L. O R G · 63

trail’s end

SOMETIMES WE ARE BLIND TO THE BEAUTY OF THIS WORLD Sometimes we are blind. Sometimes even looking at a thing

as blue as china, as blue as a bluebird, cerulean blue, the blue

we do not see it. We look at a bog meadow ﬂowering with

of the Caribbean, blue as the bluest eye; it arched like a cathe-

pitcher plants, dotted with sundews, and we see streets and

dral over me, vaulted over everything I love, and I was in love

street lamps and curbside recycling bins. We see truckloads of

with everything it covered, whether I wanted to love or not. A

ﬁll dirt arriving.

hawk bent low over an electric line, shoulders ﬂashing red.

Sometimes we awaken and then we see a world before

The feeling of awe and wonder was so strong in me that

human intention. Before even humans ourselves. Before

I began to think my morning coffee somehow was causing

avarice.

it. Could the coffee be psychedelic? And it could, surely it

When we awaken, we marvel at creation, the mineral

could, and I also thought that perhaps this must be what an

bedrock, the mother lode. We see a place magnetic, operat-

out-of-body experience is like where I was the golden ﬁelds,

ing on evolutionary time, geologic time, botanic time. All of

the blue sky, the gray road unfolding like an invitation ahead.

the places where we have labored and will labor again are far

And I thought how so much of life is this moment-to-moment

away. All of the destruction is beyond the frame.

unfolding of a world.

Then we can gaze with delight and wonderment on the

I have seen a lifetime of destruction. I have seen also a

world, with its slender reeds waving in wind, its forests of

lifetime of marvelous beauty. I have seen wilderness, moun-

trees, its leaping orange and blue ﬂames, its night sky, its

taintops, the untouched hand of evolution, animals wild and

sensuous, gilded coinage of moon.

free. I have seen old-growth cypresses so big I could walk into

Sometimes we get too accustomed to the world of humans.

their boles. I have been face-to-face with bears. I have admired

This became clear to me one morning as I journeyed from

the tiniest of frogs.

my home in South Georgia to a dairy for cream. The highway

All this has taught me that behind the modern is the

from Metter to Millen is straight north, through vast ﬁelds of

ancient; that beyond the breach is the trust; that if you take

cotton and soybeans—industrial landscapes.

some secret trail and walk far enough, you can move back-

But on this morning the world was beautiful. Everything

ward in time, back through history and prehistory, into the

was glowing. In the cotton ﬁelds, the round green leaves were

stunning spectacle of the earth untrammeled. And sometimes

starting to transform to yellow, and the sun was less high

you can get there on a straight road through cotton ﬁelds,

and garish than it had been all summer. I should be hating

with a blue bowl overturned and the summer sun rising on a

these, I was thinking of the cotton ﬁelds, sprayed so intensely

new day.

with glyphosate that not a weed could be found except in the ditches. I should be hating the clearcuts and the awful thickets of new growth. I should be remembering the lost species, lost habitats, lost pollinators. On this morning the sky was a transparent blue-and-white bowl, resting upside down on the far horizon. Situated within this bowl was my heartland, my beloved Georgia. The sky was

6 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2018

janisse ray is the author of six books, including ecology of a cracker childhood, a memoir of growing up on a junkyard in the longleaf pine forests of the southeast. ray lives on a farm in southern georgia. this piece originally appeared in atlanta magazine.

mike schirf

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 45 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 $68 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 countless more visit these sites each year.

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mike schirf

the trust for public land