Issuu

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 19 A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS OF THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

how parks build power

PHILADELPHIA RISING

+ RE REDISCOVERING A FORGOTTEN HAWAIIAN SPRING + CHOOSE YOUR OWN CH NA NATIONAL TRAIL ADVENTURE

adair f reeman r u t l e dg e

conserve land ...

and your retirement.

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

5.1%

5.6%

6.2%

7.3%

8.3%

9.5%

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

to learn more, please contact: Christine Lambert Pentino, Director of Planned Giving 202.543.7552 or plannedgiving@tpl.org

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ƎƋ “Everybody needs a place like this.” a ƝƞōưƚƲƧ ƞ Ɲƫ ƮƦ Ʀ ƨ ƧƝ ƢƧ ƜƨƦƦƨƧ Ơ ƫƨƮ Ƨ Ɲ Ʃ Ơ Ƅ Ɓ

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F EAT U R E S

Love is a Spring That Flows Freely 31 Honolulu residents unite to revive a near-forgotten freshwater spring.

Choose Your Own Adventure 40 Looking back on 50 years of our National Trails System—and ahead to 50 more.

Common Ground 52 In Philadelphia, parks lay a foundation for equitable redevelopment.

ƍƉ T P L. O R G · 1

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

M AY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

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

tpl.org/monthlygiving

2 · LA ND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

D E PA RT M E NTS

Board Spotlight · 13

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P.S. 213 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK New York City once had less green space per person than almost anywhere in America. But over the years, with help from supporters like you, we’ve WUDQVIRUPHG PRUH WKDQ ƋƉƉ schoolyards and underused lots into healthy, green parks. Now ƍ PLOOLRQ 1HZ <RUNHUV OLYH ZLWKLQ D ƊƉ PLQXWH ZDON RI D SODFH WR run, play, and dance.

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T P L. O R G · 9

OFF IC E R S pre si d e n t an d c hi e f exec u t i v e o ff i c er

Diane Regas vice p re s i d e n t an d directo r o f co n s e rvat i o n f i n a n c e

Will Abberger s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t o f n ati o n al p ro g rams

Adrian Benepe s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t , g en era l couns e l, an d co rp o rat e sec reta r y

D. Malcolm Carson s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t of fi e ld p ro g rams

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 vice p re s i d e n t an d d i recto r o f f ie ld p ro g rams fo r pa r k d ev elo 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 vice p re s i d e n t an d asso c i at e ge n eral co un s e l

Margaret Madden

our mission:

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

c hie f o f staff

Simone McGurl s e n i o r vi c e p re s i d e n t a n d chie f fi n an c i al an d ad m i n i st rat i v e o ff i c er

James Obendorf vice p re s i d e n t an d directo r o f fi n an c e an d acco u n t i n g

Michelle Pandori vice p re s i d e n t an d c hief resea rc h an d i n n ovat i o n o ffi c er

Breece Robertson vice p re s i d e n t an d d i recto r o f hum an re s o urc e s

Carrie Speckart

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. 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.

1 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

nicholas lea bruno

from the president

TRAILHEADS TO A LIFELONG RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE

publisher Eliza Sarasohn managing editor Julia Busiek

the trust for public land is a land-for-people

Outside our cities, close-to-home nature might

art director Gerardo Garcia-Jurado

organization. From neighborhood parks to

be a community forest in Maine or a Florida

national parks—and all the gardens and trails

waterfront park where people can ﬁsh or launch

media production manager Elyse Leyenberger

and hills and vales in between—we work to

a boat. Or nature might be discovered in one

make sure that all Americans have access

of our wonderful national parks or trails—

to nature.

“America’s best idea.”

designers Rachel Barnes Sterling Stovall

As humans, we know intuitively how important nature is to health and well-being. And

digital production Lindsay Mamula con tributing editor Bill Poole

lived close to Rocky Mountain National Park and

yet, according to the EPA, the average American

other nearby public parks and forests—places

spends 93 percent of his or her life indoors. And

where I could get out with my family, relax, and

one-third of all Americans don’t have a park

breathe. These lands inspired in me a lifelong

close to home. That’s 100 million people, includ-

connection to the land, which is now shared by

ing 28 million kids.

my own children.

Working together with partners like you, we

Growing up in Denver, I was lucky that we

We want to help create a nation where people

can change that. Just imagine if in the next ten

of all ages, sizes, races, and income levels—no

years we could create 10,000 new parks and

matter where they live—feel connected to

green spaces. That would give 30 million people

nature, to parks, and to our public lands. As a

access to a park within a 10-minute walk

Trust for Public Land member, your support is

of home.

vital in this important work. Our America is a

In my ﬁrst year as president and CEO of The

place where a playground in Philadelphia or a

Trust for Public Land, I’ve been excited to wit-

park in Denver becomes a trailhead to a lifetime

ness ﬁrsthand the profound difference quality

of experience in nature and to exploring and

parks can bring. In Philadelphia, a new play-

protecting the parks and public lands we all

ground slashed school disciplinary problems by

own and love.

Walk, 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

providing a welcoming place where students could work out their differences. At a New York

for Public Land and LandVote logos and all other names of The

City school, students received a visit from a

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

turtle—as magical for them as if it were a unicorn. And in my own hometown of Denver, new

Diane Regas

parks are providing a hardworking community,

president and ceo

including tens of thousands of kids, a place to forge their own relationship with nature. T P L. O R G · 11

MEET YO UR MATCH

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

Give your EarthShare.

1 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

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

B OA R D OF D I R E CTOR S

sara cozol in o

Lex Sant Lex has served on the board of The Trust for Public Land since 2013. He is a former cofounder of Persimmon Tree Capital, an investment fund focused on renewable energy and energy

chair

Thomas S. Reeve

efﬁciency, and was a director in the alternative

Stephen W. Baird

energy group at AES Corporation. He is

George Bell

president of The Summit Foundation. Lex

Page Knudsen Cowles

earned an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School and lives in Washing-

William Cronon

ton, DC, with his wife and two daughters.

Douglas Durst Jody S. Gill F. Whitney Hatch Christopher G. Lea Joseph E. Lipscomb Ignacia S. Moreno Caroline P. Niemczyk Michael E. Patterson Diane Regas Jeffrey A. Resnick Laura Richards Roy Richards Jr. Lex Sant Lucas St. Clair Sheryl Tishman F. Jerome Tone Susan D. Whiting

I SUPPORT THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND BECAUSE …

the planet’s biodiversity. But The Trust for Public

It takes great skill and deep knowledge to provide

Land protects places that are meaningful to people

and protect the natural and special places, small

and the way we use and cherish the outdoors.

and large, that we depend on for our well-being. For 47 years, The Trust for Public Land has focused on

THE KEY CHALLENGE FACING THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC

this important work with an enviable entrepreneur-

LAND IS … that progress is not inevitable. The

ial spirit and a deep commitment to conservation,

act of protecting a place requires us to engage in

which beneﬁts us all.

fundamental acts of citizenship. Our individual energy still matters and there is much in the world

I BELIEVE EVERYBODY DESERVES TO LIVE WITHIN A

to distract us from our obligations as citizens. Our

10-MINUTE WALK OF A PARK BECAUSE … we need

actions and voices must speak for a future that will

natural places to be ourselves. Whether it’s a small

serve all Americans and their shared and equal right

city park that provides a quiet refuge from a busy

to natural spaces.

day or a wild landscape with a broad vista to inspire awe, our interactions with nature are made possible

I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NATURAL WORLD

by the places we protect for ourselves and for all

WHEN … I realized that we are not apart from

those who will follow us.

nature—we are a part of it. I think the resonance in our hearts when we see a beautiful sunset, or watch

MY PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A BOARD

our children run in a neighborhood park, reminds

MEMBER WAS … being a part of the group that

us we belong to this world and have an obligation

transferred the Coast Dairies property to the State

to care for it.

of California and the Bureau of Land Management, securing permanent public access to a stunningly beautiful four-mile stretch of the Paciﬁc Coast. THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S WORK IS UNIQUE

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Tell us how you connect with nature. Join the conversation on Facebook: facebook.com/thetrustforpublicland

BECAUSE ... its focus is on people. We should all value the work of scientists to identify and protect T P L. O R G · 13

ƜƨƧƭƫƢƛƮƭƨƫƬ

Meagan Suzuki

Catharine Lo Grifﬁn

story:

Love is a spring that ﬂows freely

Trinity Divide

Rachid Dahnoun

Meagan Suzuki is a Honolulu-based free-

Catharine Lo Griffin has been writing stories

Rachid Dahnoun is a photographer and

lance photographer and writer. Her degree

about people, places, and culture in Hawaii

director who draws viewers into the earth’s

in environmental science and experiences

since 1998. She was also communications

wildest places. His work has appeared in

living and traveling abroad have inspired

director at Blue Planet Foundation, editor-

hundreds of publications across the globe.

her editorial work, which focuses on the

at-large at Honolulu Weekly, and Washington

With studios in Lake Tahoe and Healdsburg,

environment, arts, community resources,

bureau manager at Wired. Catharine enjoys

California, he logs frequent trips into

and travel. Her work has been published

volunteering with Wanana Paoa, a sailing

the Sierra and along Sonoma’s picturesque

in FLUX, Kikaha, and Palm.

canoe that teaches Hawaii’s youth about

coastline—often accompanied by his wife,

meagansuzuki.com

Polynesian voyaging and community-based

Regina, and dog, Avery.

resource management.

rachidphoto.com

catharinelogrifﬁn.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 2019

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STEP RIGHT UP!

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

Logging on

+ Cheers to Rick Alger and others,

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and the City of Milan and The Trust

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for Public Land. This is a true success for the forest and the community.

+ I absolutely loved the article on

I hope that this effort sets a standard

Milan, New Hampshire! It was an out-

and provides an example for others

standing tribute to people who love

to learn from and go by to develop

and are respectful of the outdoors and

sustainable practices that can be

creation. It also is representative of

modiﬁed for their own communities.

the good that can be accomplished

Ossie Brewer, via the blog

when people and communities work together for the general good. It was

+ Congratulations to Milan, New

such an engaging article that I wanted

Hampshire! Towns and communities

to experience it all—even the “old-

throughout the USA should try to

timey way” of logging with a horse-

construct a similar method custom-

drawn sled!

ized to their respective land condi-

Mary Lou, via the blog

tions. Trees and forests are vital to the economy. Well done! Patsy Huston, via the blog T P L. O R G · 15

women on wheels for wild lands

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+ Although my father ﬁrst introduced me to parks, my niece is now the reason to go! To help her build a connection with parks for her health and development! #PowerofParks #ParksForAll @calparks Luis Jimenez (@komodo_kid) via Twitter

+ Nothing is more beneﬁcial to mental and physical health than getting and staying active. NYRR love to help and inspire people thru running and walking so they can get blood ﬂowing, clear their minds, make friends and stay healthy. Let’s all #GetOutToRun! #PowerofParks #10MinWalk New York Road Runners (@nyrr) via Twitter

On a roll

educated people in the White House

An interview with four young women

and Interior. Ride on!

who biked across the country in the

Brenda Christensen

name of public lands got our readers’ gears turning.

+ I am so very proud of the four of

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you! Life has changed so very much

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+ I grew up in Minnesota with con-

for women during the 74 years I

temporaries similar to you wonderful

have walked this earth. I love your

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women. Go forth and slay the dragons

passion and dedication to what you

of contempt for public lands. Don’t

are committed to. You go girls!

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stop after this ride—we want you in

Linda Brown

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the House, Senate, and governorships and cabinets—and we certainly need

+ I am cheering you on all the way! Thank you for educating and raising

e ly s e l e y e n b e r g e r

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awareness about the importance and value of American public lands and the threats they face today. Lisa Carey

alpinist conrad anker (@conradanker) weighed in on twitter when we asked

Walking the walk Thanks for lacing up your comﬁest

“how does nature nurture your mind and spirit?”

shoes and joining us for the ﬁrst annual National Walk to a Park Day! We asked why you believe everyone deserves a park within a 10-minute walk—and thousands of you shared your thoughts! 1 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

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

ƭƮ ƫƧ ƭơ ƞ ƩƚƠ ƞ Ɵƨ ƫ ř ƬƦ ƨƨƭơ ƦƨƯƞ Ƭ ƛƥƮ ƞ ƬƤ Ƣƞ Ƭ ƬƦ ƚƫƭ Ơƫƨ ư ƭ ơ

ƚ ƭƫƞƞ ơƚƬ ƫƨƨƭƬ ƢƧ ƭơƞ ƬƨƢƥ Ʋƞƭ ƫƞƚƜơƞƬ ƭƨ ƭơƞ ƬƤƲ ř ƢƧ ƨƫƝƞƫ ƭƨ ƚƬƩƢƫƞ ưƞ ƧƞƞƝ ƭƨ ƛƞ ƠƫƨƮƧƝƞƝ ƚƧƝ Ƨƨ Ʀƚƭƭƞƫ ơƨư ơƢƠơ ưƞ Ơƨ Ƣƭ ƢƬ ƟƫƨƦ ƨƮƫ ƫƨƨƭƬ ƭơƚƭ ưƞ Ɲƫƚư ƬƮƬƭƞƧƚƧƜƞ ŧưƚƧƠƚƫƢ ƦƚƚƭơƚƢ

T P L. O R G · 17

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7UXH EOXH around this time of year, a strange

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But it’s not just foragers who benefit

syndrome starts to spread among

from the area’s bounty. The cold,

the inhabitants of central Maine.

clear waters of nearby Bald Mountain

During long summer days outside,

Pond welcome paddlers and anglers

their mouths turn blue. Along with

from around the state. And hikers on

a slower-than-average hiking speed

the Appalachian Trail skirt the shore,

and a repetitive stooping motion, the

taking in views of the summit reflected

tinted teeth can mean only one thing:

on the pond’s placid surface.

wild blueberries are ripe and ready for harvest. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon

The timber company that owns the 1,200-acre pond and much of the surrounding forest has historically

ambling in blueberry territory, you

allowed recreational access to

know the wild kind bears only a pass-

the area—but it’s more of a tradition

State of Maine, and the National

ing resemblance to its domesticated

than a guarantee. And because the

Park Service to purchase 2,620 acres

cousins. Maine’s wild blueberries are

region’s timber economy is in flux

surrounding Bald Mountain Pond.

tinier, plumper, and packed with a

Mainers have started to hit more

Once the project is complete, the

flavor so bold and sweet it’s almost

locked gates and “No Trespassing”

pond, its nine miles of rugged shore-

electrifying. And according to locals,

signs where they’re accustomed to

line, a stretch of the Appalachian

there are few places wild blueberries

free reign for hiking, hunting, fishing,

Trail, and countless wild blueberry

grow better than on the sunny slopes

and snowmobiling.

bushes will remain protected

of Moxie Bald Mountain, a 2,630-foot

ƣƞƫƫƲ ƦƨƧƤƦƚƧ

peak in Somerset County.

1 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

So The Trust for Public Land is working with local conservationists, the

from development and open to the public, forever. Sweet!

Easy berry smoothie Refreshing enough for a summer

Show up, speak out!

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de Los Ángeles, abogando por callejones verdes, parques, y espacios verdes en

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nuestra comunidad.

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Good morning. My name is Sofía Girón. I am part of the Green Team, a group of leaders who work in South Central Los Angeles, advocating for green alleys, parks, and green spaces in our community.

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kids growing up in some areas of south los angeles are much less likely to

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have access to a park than the national average. So in March, a group of grass-

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roots park advocates from South Los Angeles gathered at the county supervisors’ office in front of TV cameras and reporters to demand their representatives right this wrong. Up for a vote that day: a bill guaranteeing a minimum of 30 percent of funding from Measure A—a parks bond passed in 2016—be spent in areas like Girón’s home neighborhood, where too few kids have a safe park close to home. After the Equipo Verde and other park advocates made their case, the L.A. county board of supervi-

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sors voted unanimously to approve the bill. That’s democracy in action!

F I R ST LO O K · 19

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ADVOCACY UPDATE ƚƧƧƢƞ ƛƚƧƠ

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want proof that your voice matters?

in parks and open space. LWCF

We’ll be relying on your energy in

Look no further than Capitol Hill,

expired in 2018; this bill renews the

the months to come. LWCF is perma-

where this spring Congress voted

program forever.

nently renewed, but this bill doesn’t

overwhelmingly to pass the “John D.

Getting Congress to agree on any-

Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,

thing these days is worth celebrating.

and Recreation Act”—the biggest

As a Trust for Public Land supporter,

at it on Capitol Hill, making the

legislative victory for parks and public

you deserve a pat on the back! You

case for specific places that need

lands in a decade.

guarantee Congress will allocate funding for it. So we’re already back

contacted your representatives, wrote

LWCF funding. But knowing that

letters, donated, signed petitions ...

we have a force like you behind us,

future of the Land and Water Conser-

and generally made it impossible for

we’re ready for the ﬁght.

vation Fund (LWCF), a longstanding

your elected officials to ignore how

The heart of the legislation is the

federal program that directs fees from

important this program is for you and

oil and gas drilling to investments

your community.

2 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

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“In Minneapolis-St. Paul, the nation’s healthiest urban region, almost everyone lives within a 10-minute walk of a good public park. Shouldn’t we all?” – New York Times columnist Jane Brody, “The Secret to Good Health May Be a Walk in the Park”

BRENDAN SHANE THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S NEW CLIMATE DIRECTOR ON WHY CURBING CARBON EMISSIONS IS ONLY PART OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BATTLE

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time. Hurricanes like Florence and Michael were on the severe end of what was predicted just a few years ago. Today, it’s widely accepted that 2 degrees of warming isn’t safe, so we’re trying to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.

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call from citizens when anything goes wrong—even if the root of the problem is way beyond their control, like a ﬂood, heat wave, or smoke from wildﬁres. The price of climate change in loss of life

2 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

and property is paid locally. That’s

There’s no question that our climate

The choice between reducing emis-

why local action on climate tends to

is changing. So as we curb carbon

sions and planning for adaptation

come from a more bipartisan group

emissions, we have to adapt to rising

is a false dichotomy. We have to do

than at the national level.

seas, stronger storms, and higher

a lot more of both, at the same time.

temperatures. That’s where so much

In the parks and conservation world,

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of the work that The Trust for

that means we need to dramatically

Public Land already does will become

expand green space in cities, and

increasingly important.

make sure that as we are designing

The way the United States developed

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in the 20th century—in sprawling

new parks and updating existing

communities, where people have no

Investing in parks will make cities

choice but to get in their cars to go

greener and safer. Melbourne, Austra-

anywhere—means we have some of

lia, has a goal to cool the entire city

the largest carbon footprints in the

down by four degrees. Their mayor

ones, we’re doing so in a way that maximizes their climate beneﬁts.

world. We’re helping communities

can’t control how much the planet

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develop in ways that shrink potential

will warm, but she has some control

It’s both. We should consider climate

carbon consumption by encouraging

over how residents will experience

in transportation policy, urban plan-

active transportation. Plus, good open

that warming. So they’re building

ning, and the way we grow our food

space management can pull excess

parks and planting lots of trees,

and manage our forests. We need

carbon out of the air. So when we pro-

because green space and a healthy

climate policies at all levels of govern-

tect working forests and plant trees

urban tree canopy cool the air

ment to support everyone’s transition

in cities, we don’t just protect wildlife,

on hot days, protecting people from

to cleaner energy and greener, health-

water quality, and treasured public

increasing risk of heat illness.

ambitious global targets.

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where policies alone can deliver the change we need: what we buy and how we live our lives truly does make a difference.

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ier communities. But there aren’t very many pathways to a sustainable future

spaces—we are also aiming at these

F I R ST LO O K · 23

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“When your system is stiff, that creates friction. Flexibility makes the whole thing run smoother. Looseness makes it robust.” –Brandon Brown, artist, engineer, and entrepreneur

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thank you, l.l.bean! We’re working for a future where everyone, on every block, in every community in America has a great park within a 10-minute walk of home. It’s a big goal, and we’re grateful for partners like you who share our vision. Thanks to your support, we’re creating more parks in the neighborhoods that need them most. Learn more at tpl.org

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Together, we’re dreaming big.

insight

the storyteller “our society has an imagination gap. how do we see ourselves? how do other people see us?” 2 6 · LAND L AND&PE &PEOPL OPLEE · · SPR SPRI ING NG/SUMMER /SUMMER 2019 2017

teresa yu

michael a. estrada

JOURNALIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER MICHAEL A. ESTRADA DOESN’T SHY AWAY FROM THE BIG QUESTIONS. And right now the biggest question driving his art and work is how our relationship with nature—and our selfperception—are inﬂuenced by the mainstream depiction of the Great Outdoors: an esoteric realm, far from home, requiring fancy gear … and mostly inhabited by white people. People of color and Indigenous people are and have always been profoundly connected to nature, Estrada thought … why aren’t our stories being told? Recognizing a need to shift the narrative, Estrada launched Brown Environmentalist. Through the multimedia project, Estrada has made it his mission to “uproot and replace traditional environmental thought with narratives that acknowledge Black, Indigenous, and people of color as the leaders and caretakers of the environment, amplify the content that already exists, and create what doesn’t.” You can ﬁnd Estrada’s work on social media using the hashtag #BEEN. We caught up with him to hear more about the stories he’s helping to tell. “Jolie Varela is from the Yokut and Paiute Nations. She leads Indigenous Women Hike, a movement to help women in her community reconnect with the land,” Estrada says. “Her approach is genuine

You started a storytelling campaign on social media, to celebrate the ways Black, Indigenous, and people of color have spent time in the outdoors. You asked a couple questions to kick things off, and we wondered how you’d answer them: How has your family historically #BeenOutside? I started that conversation after I unearthed some old family

and focused on her community. She’s using her voice and the lens of the land to bring awareness to issues that affect Indigenous people all over North America. Here, she’s at the front of the Rise for Climate March last fall.” photographed in s an francis co o n th e t radit ional t erritory of t he o h lo ne p eo p l e.

photos from El Salvador, where both of my parents grew up. I know my grandma raised chickens and had to get her water from a well— it made me realize she was probably by necessity way more connected to nature than I’ve ever been. But in these old photos, my grandma is standing on top of

side was not necessarily a luxury … coming to the U.S. and

La Puerta del Diablo, a mountain near her home in El Salva-

pursuing education was a way to not have to work outside.

dor. In that picture, I see proof that I am connected to past

Mainstream outdoor media have tended to portray this

generations of my family through nature, that they likely

idea that a remote wilderness is better or more valuable

enjoyed the same things I do now, and that our separate

than a city park or the garden between the sidewalk and the

stories could cross paths in how we touched nature, or how

street. But I rarely had wilderness experiences growing up.

nature touched us.

As a kid, most of my time outside was in a park, surrounded

How have you #BeenOutside?

don’t remember ever setting foot on a trail until high school,

by buildings and noise, or playing soccer in the driveway. I My experience of the outdoors has been a lot different from

and “hiking” didn’t enter my vocabulary until college: a

my family’s experience. In part I think that’s because my

friend invited me on a hike, and I was like, “What’s that?

parents emigrated from a country where spending time out-

You mean we’re just going to walk to the top of something?”

I N SI G H T · 27

I don’t ever want to be limited by what someone else tells me is a “true outdoor experience”—like, it only counts if you get far enough from the city, or if you can make it so far on a trail, or if you’re carrying a certain kind of backpack. Once you start assigning different values to outdoor experiences, or even just putting specialized words like “hike” on them that might not resonate with people who didn’t grow up with access, it makes the outdoors more exclusive, and that is a barrier. Maybe not a physical barrier, but a mental barrier to everyone getting to experience the outdoors. So for me now, whether I’m biking around the city or head-

“

m o st o ft e n , i s e e diversity applied as a ba n d - a i d, i n st ea d o f d o i n g t h e rea l , h a rd w o r k to c h a n g e a b ro ke n s y st e m .

ing out to the woods, anytime I’m outside, it counts.

micha el a. estrada

Why did you launch Brown Environmentalist? So much of what we think of the world is based on what we see in the media. Whether you’re watching the Oscars, reading the newspaper, or following outdoor industry media— most of it is produced and controlled by white people. I’ve been sharing stories about Brown and Black outdoor athletes, activists, and organizers, because yes, we need more diverse representation in media. But I’m also looking to put athletic feats into the context of what it means to be a person of color in this space, and in this country—what it means to our families and communities, how it relates to our history.

Why is it important that people of color be represented in the media—not just as the focus of stories, but as storytellers? Even if you are putting people of color on the cover of your magazine, even if you are bringing people of color in as employees at your company or organization, it’s still mostly white people doing the inviting, holding the power, and controlling the narrative. Brown and Black people are constantly “Faith Briggs is a trail runner based in Portland, Oregon,” Estrada says. “I’ve noticed her humble approach to both life and people from the beginning. Through her always-stoked mannerisms and happy face, it’s easy to feel like you’ve known her your entire life. She told me about a few of her experiences as a biracial woman of color, as an athlete and creative who has faced injury and disappointment, and as a human being who, through humor and a positive attitude, always keeps her head up.”

asked to fit into a white narrative and structure. As a person of color, it’s exhausting to operate solely in that “diversity” space, where white people are in a position to invite Brown and Black people in, but not really giving up any of the power. Most often, I see diversity applied as a band-aid, instead of doing the real, hard work to change a broken system. I’m focusing my energy on organizations led by people of color who are already here, doing great work around environmental issues, and especially issues of environmental justice. It’s not hard at all to find people of color whose stories can drive change and deserve telling, but their work hasn’t been amplified. While I’m interviewing people, they’ll start to

photo g ra ph ed in p ortlan d on the trad it i o n a l t e r r i tory of the chinook p e op le . 2 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

reﬂect and go, “Huh, I guess my story is cool,” and I’m like,

the environmental studies courses I took. I learned a lot about, like, trash and pollution, and what a great environmentalist John Muir was, but there was never anything on Indigenous history and uses of the land, or discussion of their removal. That doesn’t make sense to me! People of color are the original environmentalists, the original eco-warriors, but the narrative I got growing up was all about white Americans’ history, voice, and thought. If our history hadn’t been erased, you’d hear much more about the environmental movements led by people of color—and women of color, speciﬁcally.

What’s an example of that erasure? Take the term “tree hugger.” I bet anyone who’s identiﬁed as michael a. estrada

an environmentalist has, at some point, called themselves a tree hugger—whether proudly or with a little self-deprecation. But how many people have the backstory? In India in the

“This picture of Greg captured a moment of return-

1700s, soldiers representing Maharaja Abhai Singh ordered a

ing,” says Michael. “You can see trepidation in his

forest near a village named Khejarli to be cut down for a new

approach to the water, but it’s intentional, too. For

palace. Villagers stood in front of the trees to protect them, so

a lot of people who’ve seen this photograph, that

soldiers just killed them. This continued until over 300 people

sense of surrendering to nature and returning to

were dead, at which point the maharaja relented, and the for-

that original relationship—whatever that means for

est was saved.

the viewer—has really resonated.”

In the 1970s, that history inspired nonviolent protests against deforestation in northern India. For years, women took

ph oto g ra phe d in ve ntu ra, california, on the t ra di t i o n a l te rritory of the chu mash p e op le .

turns guarding trees day and night, until the Indian government ceased logging in the area. The progress these women made—which came to be called the Chipko movement, meaning to hug or embrace—directly informed the actions of antilogging activists in the U.S. and Canada in the 1980s.

“Yeah, you’re getting way more done than most people out here, and you’ve been doing it for years, and nobody knows!” Social media has democratized storytelling by light years, but the world of mass media is still very exclusive. That’s why I create media that’s Brown and Black focused, and why more people of color are starting groups around spending time together outdoors, or starting their own media platforms. We’re trying to completely take something apart, start anew, with a different structure.

What aspects of the environmental movement most need to be taken apart and started anew? The legacy of environmentalism contains philosophies that are the antithesis of Brown and Black people living well. Take the idea of “wilderness”: well, ﬁrst you removed all the Native

Those were the folks who gained a sort of fame for sitting in trees and standing in front of bulldozers? Yes. That’s the image I think most people get when they even stop to consider where the term “tree hugger” comes from. But those people took their lead from the Chipko movement, which took its lead from Khejarli. This is the kind of story I want to keep telling, because it asks people who’ve already proudly claimed some identity as environmentalists to go back and question, and learn more about what exactly it is they’ve claimed. Until folks of color and marginalized people in general control their own narratives completely, we’ll always be in some way exploited, misrepresented, or tokenized. In the end, there’s no substitute for being able to tell your own story.

people from that land. But that history never entered any of

I N SI G H T · 29

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 $2,000 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. Contact Emily Falk 415.800.5193 or champions@tpl.org.

co ns er vat i o n c h ampi o ns t p l .or g / c hampi o n s | champi o n s@tpl.o r g

T h e h i storyy, t r a ditt ion n s , a n d e v e n t h e e x a c t l o catii o n o f a r a r e f r e sh h w a t er sprin n g w e r e n e a r l y lostt too thee agee s —u until a coo m m un n itt y dugg in n t o savv e a p i e c e of its H awaiian n hee r i t a g e . BY CATHARINE LO GRIFFIN T P L. O R G · 31

3 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019 meagan suzuki

CHRIS CRAMER WAS JUST FINISHING ANOTHER DAY’S WORK WHEN HE FIRST HEARD THE SOUND, FAINT BUT UNMISTAKABLE: A GURGLING FROM SOMEWHERE BENEATH THE SURFACE.

“I

t was the most beautiful noise,” Cramer recalls. “Water

“People who are just two generations older than me can

rippling from the spring, through the stone gate, and

remember when they would walk down the shore and see

out into the ancient ﬁshpond. It meant Kānewai was

clouds and clouds of ﬁsh in the water,” says Max Mukai

ﬂowing again.”

Reeves, a descendant of a family that’s lived along Maunalua

An avid local historian, Cramer says from time immemo-

Bay since 1912. “They share stories of ﬁshermen who could

rial, this stretch of O‘ahu’s coastline was home to abundant

feed whole villages and not even know how to swim. That’s a

freshwater springs, fertile estuaries that made life possible

testament to the abundance of this area.”

for animals and people alike. “There’s an ancient story from

All that changed in the 1940s, when development in Hono-

this area about the gods Kāne and Kanaloa, how they once

lulu began to encroach on this formerly rural area. Bulldozers

walked down this coastline and established the life-giving

ﬁlled in the freshwater springs, paving the way for modern

springs,” he says. “As the story goes, Kāne struck the earth

subdivisions. Kānewai Spring wound up in the backyard of a

with his staff and water gushed forth. The name ‘Kānewai’

lavish estate along a busy thoroughfare through East Honolulu.

means ‘water of the god Kāne.’” As president of the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center,

For the Hawaiians who’d tended them for generations, losing these springs was emblematic of a harsh new real-

Cramer works to preserve and restore cultural sites along

ity. After Hawai‘i became a state in 1959, places and streets

Maunalua Bay in East Honolulu. In the summer of 2017, The

were renamed; as the traditional names faded from use, the

Trust for Public Land helped the community organization

locations and knowledge of the old freshwater springs and

purchase and protect Kānewai Spring, one of the last remain-

ﬁshponds were relegated to history.

ing freshwater springs on the island of O‘ahu. Throughout the 1800s, East Honolulu was a patchwork of

For Kānewai Spring, things would get worse—or at least weirder—before they got better. In the 1980s, the estate was

farms and pastures that snaked up the deep valleys of the

owned by Ronald Rewald, an infamous con artist who made

Ko‘olau Mountains. Farmers grew sweet potato. Ranchers

national headlines defrauding investors. “Rewald was said

raised pigs and cattle. Fishermen cast nets into the abundant

to have thrown some crazy parties here,” says The Trust for

waters of Maunalua Bay.

Public Land’s Laura Kaakua. “It’s hard to fathom, but I guess

Each freshwater spring was tended by a local family, every

he used Kānewai Spring as his own private swimming pool.”

generation passing down its knowledge and traditions to the

When Rewald got caught and sentenced to federal prison, his

next. Throughout the arid Maunalua summer, the carefully

home was abandoned—Cadillac still parked in the driveway,

maintained springs provided drinking water and irrigation

paintings on the walls, weeds growing unchecked in the

to nearby ﬁshing villages. The mixing of fresh and salt water

once-lavish yard. Kānewai Spring, choked by 15-foot man-

created vital habitat for ﬁsh, limpets, mollusks, and birds like

groves, sat stagnant and largely forgotten.

Hawaiian stilts.

T P L. O R G · 33

mo n t e co sta

Using a copy of an old map to guide them, Chris Cramer and his fellow spring-protectors located the source of Kānewai Spring—in the overgrown backyard of an abandoned estate in East Honolulu.

nd that’s more or less how it

caretakers of the Maunalua area, the

still. “At that time, we couldn’t see all

stayed for the next 25 years, until

group set out to match the old map to

the beer bottles and cans,” Cramer

the day in 2009 when an elder named

the modern landscape—no mean feat

says. That discovery would come later—

Tad Hara showed Cramer a wrinkled

in this exclusive neighborhood typiﬁed

along with golf balls, pipes, and other

piece of paper … a Xerox of a 1935 map

by privacy fences and high hedges.

refuse. “We had no idea the journey

of the Maunalua Coast. Marked on the

Eventually, Cramer and his fellow

and life changes we were about to

map—the lo location of Kānewai Spring.

spring-protectors asked a neighbor’s

embark on that ﬁrst day.”

Right awa away, Cramer knew the map

permission to peek into the backyard

was a big de deal. “A big part of our mis-

of the old Rewald estate.

Over the next few years, hundreds of people would labor to bring Kānewai

sion is to preserve traditional knowlpre

Peering over the fence, they could

edge and be sure it gets handed down.

barely make out an outline of a pool,

about this important discovery, volun-

we so few places left we But there were

boxed in by scratchy sourbushes that

teers from local schools, military and

could point to, where you could experi-

smelled like mothballs. They pushed

church groups, and the YMCA ﬂocked

hi ence that history,” he says. “A few local

through the brush and entered the gate,

to the site to help restore the spring,

Spring back to life. As word spread

elders a spring in the area, elde d rs remembered remem

swatting away swarms of hungry mos-

using pick axes, machetes, and chain-

but b t many people bu pe believed there were

quitos and armies of red ants.

saws to hack through thickets of weeds.

n places with wi historic and cultural no

“It was like a fairy tale, where an

They busted up the cement and extracted

value this side of the island.” vaalue on thi

enchantment covers everything with

the rubble and rubbish that was suffo-

thick vines,” Cramer recalls. The water

cating the mosquito-ridden pool.

wi descendants of Max Joining with Mukai M kai Reeves’s Mu Reeve family, longtime

3 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

in the spring was black, lifeless, and

meag an su z u k i

“A FEW LOCAL ELDERS REMEMBERED A SPRING IN THE AREA, BUT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED THERE WERE NO PLACES WITH HISTORIC AND CULTURAL VALUE ON THIS SIDE OF THE ISLAND.” T P L. O R G · 35

iu Valley resident Kai Hoshijo devoted her high school internship to reviving Kānewai Spring. She helped

organize youth “fishing derbies” to catch and remove the invasive tilapia from the pond and make way for native fish— and the birds that prey on them—to return. “As we removed more and more invasive plants, old seeds of native plants started to sprout again,” she recalls. Slowly, the water turned from sooty brown to sparkling clear, and the upwelling from a trickle to a gush. “All the stones in the spring turned gold. To see it reawakening was really something special.” Elders visited to share their traditional knowledge. “We learned a lot from them about how to work a fishpond,” Cramer says. Fred Takebayashi brought handmade fish traps and taught kids how to throw a net. Waiola Higa demonstrated how to build stone walls using the Hawaiian dry stack method. When an elder named Henry Chang Wo visited, he pointed to a sandy bed where the walls of the spring meet the fishpond and told Cramer, “Where the freshwater meets the sea, that is where we see the hānau—the birthing.” Cramer recalls: “We didn’t see it until we cleared this section. [But now,] every day this [part of the spring] is filled with baby fish. Seems like hundreds of them.” Denise Espania is the director of Mālama Honua Public Charter School, one of the many schools that visit the site. On field trips to the spring, her students get to experience firsthand how Kānewai provides a nutrient-rich nursery for baby meagan suzuki

fish. They witness how the sluice gate works at the entry of the fishpond, and how the flow of fish and water varies with the tide. And they get their hands dirty, planting, weeding,

“THEY WALK AWAY UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CARING FOR THIS SPECIAL PLACE—AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVOCACY.” 3 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

and ﬁshing for invasive species. “They walk away understanding the responsibility of caring for this special place—and the importance of advocacy,” Espania says. One student was so inspired that she created a pop-up book about Kānewai. Another group of students wrote and performed a play for the community. “The spring may be only one small resource, but the true gi ift f is in its inspiration,” says Angela Lokalia Correa-Pei. A gift descendant of the Reeves family, Correa-Pei is vice president de es off tthe Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center. “‘What can I do in my y community?’ We can all start doing something.” Despite the blood, sweat, and tears the community had D invested in transforming Kānewai, the spring’s future was far inv from f o certain. The site remained privately owned, subject to fr sale ssa l at any time. le

T P L. O R G · 37

Hundreds of volunteers from across the islands have pitched in to revive Kānewai Spring … work that continues today, now that the property is owned by the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center.

top left: monte costa others: meagan suzuki

n 2012, Cramer crossed paths with Laura Kaakua at The

For ﬁve years, The Trust for Public Land met regularly to

Trust for Public Land, and the two got to talking. “Origi-

talk through negotiations with the landowner and strategize

nally they were looking for our help to negotiate some sort

fundraising. Community members made ﬁlms and rallied

of community perpetual right of access to continue caring

local donors, eventually raising $370,000 from contributions

for the spring,” Kaakua remembers. “But most people—and

large and small.

understandably so—don’t want to sell property that allows community groups in every weekend.” The best way to protect the spring forever, they realized,

In 2017, that diligence paid off: the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center secured ownership of Kānewai Spring. “It was a moon shot,” says Cramer. “But we had no choice. We

was to buy the property outright—however daunting the

couldn’t fail. It was too important.”

task. “We said, ‘If not us, who?’” Correa-Pei remembers. “We

“Our connection to ‘āina [the land] often exists without us

stepped up to the task knowing that akua [God] and our

even understanding it,” says Correa-Pei. “When you learn

kūpuna [elders] would guide us and see us through—one task

about the history of a place, your connection deepens and

at a time, one grant at a time, one challenge at a time. And

your responsibility to mālama [care for] that ‘āina is evident.”

we knew that we could not accomplish this without the help

Places like Kānewai Spring, she says, create critical connec-

of The Trust for Public Land. Their capacity, knowledge, and

tions for every island resident between history, nature, and

expertise were invaluable.”

culture. “When mālama ‘āina is practiced, our people thrive.”

3 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

Kai Hoshijo, the former intern, passes by the site most days. “I know it is feeding its fresh water to the bay as I stand-up paddle the swells or catch waves along the Maunalua reef. Living in Niu Valley is something I hold dear, and having the opportunity to positively impact my home is timeless and lasting.” The Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center continues to host volunteer workdays at the site. As community members come together to sustain the spring, they’re learning about their island’s ecology and history, and passing down what they’ve learned to their children and grandchildren—just as Hawai‘i’s people have done for thousands of years. “Someday, the ﬁshpond might feed us again. Until that day comes, we’re learning so much and gaining as a community from it. Those are our most immediate returns for the restoration work,” says Max Mukai Reeves. “I think of when the sailors were traveling from Hawai‘i to Tahiti, navigating by the stars,” he says. “Sometimes they’d have to sail through cloudy nights, but eventually the sky would clear, and they’d see that one star through the clouds. For us, Kānewai is that guiding star.”

T P L. O R G · 39

4 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

very epic journey starts with the same basic ingredients: an origin, a destination, and a reason to go. Those simple elements are at the heart of some of our most enduring narratives—the stories of adventure and 01>>5:3 0; @4-@ 4-B1 /-<@5B-@10 4A9-:5@E ?5:/1 @41 ŋ>?@ @-81 C-? @;80 ->;A:0 @41 ŋ>?@ /-9<ŋ>1 Half a century ago, Congress passed a law that recognized our primal itch to explore. The National Trails System Act of 1968 established a framework for protecting and marking the routes that tell our nation’s stories. Today, the National Trails System encompasses more than a thousand recognized routes, crossing every state and spanning 50,000 miles. Since The Trust for Public Land’s earliest days, we’ve helped locals <>;@1/@ <8-/1? -8;:3 :-@5;:-8 @>-58? ? C1 41-0 5:@; @41 :1D@ ŋ2@E E1->? ;2 adventure, here are a few standout stories from people who’ve accepted the invitation to explore. T P L. O R G · 41

THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL Every year, a handful of dedicated thru-hikers walk from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. The physical challenge is grist for creative expression.

Travels 2,650 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California to the Canadian border in northern Washington State.

hru-hikers on the Paciﬁc Crest Trail go to elaborate lengths to lighten their loads. Over a six-

days, he used his iPhone to record the rhythms of daily life on the trail. “I sampled rocks, sticks, and handclaps.

month journey, things like eating mostly freeze-dried

The sounds of my feet in the dirt, of pinecones, leaves, an

foods, ditching the tent and sleeping out in the open,

echo in a cave I passed by. Rivers, storms, a creaky gate,

even cutting the handles off toothbrushes make a big

and a water tank out in the middle of the desert that

difference. So James Bishop stood out from his fellow

when I banged on it, it made a sound like a big

hikers as he ambled down the trail last summer …

bass drum.”

with an acoustic guitar strapped to his pack.

Bishop says hiking the P.C.T. is “humbling,”

“I carried that thing through the desert,

and he was one of many hikers he met using

the High Sierra—it got snowed on, it got

art—photography, drawing, writing, and

rained on. The guitar was kind of a wreck

more—to reckon with it. “Creating an album

by the end of the hike,” says Bishop, a

along the way helped me process what I was

music producer from San Diego. But it was

learning from the journey: from the challenge,

worth the extra weight: “I played every day.

the time alone, and my place in the world.”

Once I got into camp, I’d sit in the tent and

“Restraint breeds creativity, and there’s no

play music—it was a way to process, and it felt like

better inspiration than the beauty of the P.C.T.,” he says.

having a friend.”

Among the more enduring lessons he received from his

His guitar was the most conventional instrument Bishop used to write and record an original album during his ﬁve-month journey along the P.C.T. Most

4 2 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

time on trail? “There’s a lot of music out there if you know how to listen for it.” learn more @ TPL.ORG/PCT

“Once I got into camp, I’d sit in the tent and play music— it was a way to process, and it felt like having a friend.”

T P L. O R G · 43

THE OREGON TRAIL

Runs over 2,000 miles from Kansas City, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon.

“It was my first time driving across the Rocky Mountains … Kind of like the pioneers, come to think of it.”

4 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

The Oregon National Historic Trail retraces the main routes migrants followed as the nation’s border expanded westward in the mid-1800s. Travelers are still finding innovative ways to make this journey today.

n the 19th century, the Conestoga wagon—

third-year engineering student at the University

with its spoked wooden wheels and swooping

of Minnesota who piloted her team’s solar car in

canvas top—was hailed as a high-tech machine:

this year’s race. “Kind of like the pioneers, come

the modiﬁcation of a heavy, clunky farm wagon

to think of it.” The team spent two years building

into something light enough for a small team of

their car, the EOS II, from scratch, designing and

oxen to pull up and over mountains, and sturdy

machining everything from the motor mount to

enough to withstand all 2,000 rutted, rocky miles

the door hinges—not to mention the four-square-

of the Oregon Trail. “Technological advances like

meter solar array that powers the vehicle.

the Conestoga wagon were key to settle-

During the race, drivers made stage stops

ment west of the Rocky Mountains,”

at historical waypoints along the Oregon

says Jeff Denney, a National Park Ser-

Trail, like Scott’s Bluff, an 800-foot

vice historian who helps administer

mesa that helped pioneers navigate

the Oregon National Historic Trail.

across the ﬂat expanse of western

The Western landscape—and

Nebraska, and South Pass in Wyo-

how we get across it—have changed

ming, one of the lowest mountain

in the 175 years since traders and fur

passes over the Continental Divide.

trappers established the Oregon Trail,

Before the race, Carpenter-Graffey

but that spirit of innovation and explora-

says everything she knew about the Oregon

tion lives on. Last summer, the American Solar

Trail she learned from playing the eponymous

Challenge—a biennial solar car event that pits

computer game as a kid. Driving the EOS II along

colleges and universities from around the world

the Oregon Trail “made the race more interest-

against each other in a nine-day cross-country

ing,” she says. “I liked the idea of bringing these

race—followed the Oregon National Historic Trail

experimental, futuristic cars along this route that

from Omaha, Nebraska, to Bend, Oregon.

has such a rich history of making ﬁrst steps and

“It was my ﬁrst time driving across the Rocky

reaching for new horizons.”

Mountains,” says Dina Carpenter-Graffey, a learn more @ TPL.ORG/OREGONTRAIL

T P L. O R G · 45

THE FLORIDA TRAIL

Traces a 1,300-mile course from the Everglades to the end of the Florida Panhandle.

“When I go out and work hard, I know I accomplished something that will not only benefit me, but untold numbers of people to come.”

4 6 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

lorida’s hot summers, mild winters, and

dirty, buggy, all the other stuff”—but the rewards

abundant rainfall make it a great place to grow

outweigh the sore muscles and close encounters with

oranges. But what’s good for citrus farmers poses

creepy-crawlies. “Working on the trail is a deﬁnite

a particular challenge to hikers along the Florida

good feeling,” he says. “I know someone came before

National Scenic Trail: “In some sections the vegeta-

me so I can enjoy this trail now. When I go out and

tion grows so fast, if you don’t get out there with a

work hard, I know I accomplished something that

mower and some loppers at least

will not only beneﬁt me, but untold numbers of

every two or three months,

people to come.”

the trail is going to all but

“And it’s good exercise,

disappear,” says volunteer trail worker Joe Howard. “The palm fronds are the main thing,” he says. “They grow so long and heavy that they hang over the trail. And I don’t know about you, but

From the depths of the Everglades to the end of the Panhandle, the Florida National Scenic Trail traverses the green heart of the Sunshine State. It’s no mean feat to keep the trail separate from the jungle.

I don’t like brushing up or

Howard says many hikers he meets on the Florida Trail don’t know the role of volunteer labor in keeping the trail open—so conversations and invite people to join his crew. “I tell ’em: we can

because you never know what’s on top—bugs, lizards, Howard retired from the Florida State Parks two

and do some trail maintenance!”

he’s always happy to strike up

ducking under palm fronds, spiders, snakes, scorpions …”

deﬁnitely,” he says with a laugh. “Why go to the gym? Go to a trail,

always use more help, anyone can make a difference, and it’s a lot of fun. The money for trail maintenance

years ago, and now he’s one of the hundreds of

comes and goes. If it weren’t for our tireless volun-

dedicated volunteers keeping the Florida Trail open

teers, there might not be a Florida Trail to speak

and welcoming for the thousands of people who hike

of at all.”

along it each year. He admits it’s hard work—“Hot,

learn more @ TPL.ORG/FLORIDATRAIL

T P L. O R G · 47

THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL Though it traverses some of the most populous states in the country, the North Country National Scenic Trail finds the peaceful places— whether on a windblown shore of a Great Lake, or a forested path just a few minutes from home.

A 4,600-mile trail connecting seven states between New York and North Dakota.

aurie and Andrea Kass are on a mission. The

good at it! She’s a great hiker, she likes doing it,

mother-daughter duo from Marquette, Michi-

and I can tell how good it is for her mind and body.”

gan, aims to hike at least 100 miles on the North

Stretching 4,600 miles from eastern New York

Country Trail this year. “When we ﬁrst started hiking

to the middle of North Dakota, the North Country

together a few years ago, Andrea could go maybe half

Trail is the longest national scenic trail designated

a mile—a mile, tops,” says Laurie. “Now she’s up to

by Congress. It passes through ten national forests,

seven miles at a time, so she’s really made huge

four national parks, two national wildlife refuges,

strides in distance, endurance, adventure, and initiative.” Andrea, 29, has autism and doesn’t

57 state parks … and within a quarter-mile of Laurie’s house. To reach their hundred-mile goal, Laurie

speak or write. “And I surely don’t talk

and Andrea sometimes take weekend trips

much on our hikes, so the silence and the

to places like Grand Marais or the Pictured

rhythm of our footsteps make for a very peaceful and calming experience,” says Laurie.

Rocks National Lakeshore on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But their favorite sections,

“Andrea lives in a house with ﬁve other ladies and

which they revisit time and again, are close to home.

round-the-clock staff, so life can be hectic with con-

“Andrea does a little better when she’s familiar with

stant activity most of the time. It can be overwhelm-

the route,” says Laurie. “When it’s a place we know,

ing, and the quiet of the woods is a comfort.”

she’ll even take the lead, and it’s neat to see her

“Hiking is one of the few things we can really make

know her way around and be conﬁdent in the woods.”

a connection doing together,” says Laurie. “And she’s

learn more @ TPL.ORG/NORTHCOUNTRYTRAIL

4 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

“The silence and the rhythm of our footsteps make for a very peaceful and calming experience.”

T P L. O R G · 49

THE TRAIL OF TEARS

A 5,000-mile network of highways and byways, from North Carolina to Oklahoma.

“On a bike, you get a feel for the terrain and just how steep some of these hills are.”

5 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

W W

hen Will Chavez Jr. was in school in Oklaho-

Tennessee, and how he imagined what it would have

ma in the 1970s and ’80s, his history text-

been like to make the climb pulling a wagon or carry-

books barely mentioned the Trail of Tears. He learned

ing young children. “It’s tough to ride, and that’s on a

that the Cherokee were driven from their homes in the

road. Back then they were just cutting their own

Southeast by the U.S. government, and that the forced

way through.”

marches resulted in thousands of deaths—but that was

Thanks to the work of advocates like Chavez, in

about all. “They maybe had a paragraph or two about it,

1987 Congress established the Trail of Tears National

but it was not very detailed,” Chavez remembers.

Historic Trail—which spans nine states and more

But Chavez would come to know the Trail of Tears

than 5,000 miles of roadways. And the bike ride is

ﬁrsthand when in 1984 he joined a group of Chero-

now an annual event called “Remember the Removal.”

kee youth retracing the historic route by bike. Within

Chavez’s son participated in the Remember the

the Cherokee Nation and among historians, there

Removal ride in 2016, and his daughter completed

was a growing interest in preserving the route and

it in 2018. Chavez himself mentors and rides with

some of the historic buildings along it. “We wanted

participants, watching them gain strength, conﬁd-

to bring attention to the trail in hopes that the fed-

ence, and an understanding of what it means to be

eral government would release the funds to mark it,”

a member of the modern Cherokee Nation.

Chavez says.

“When they visit these sites back east during the

“On a bike, you get a feel for the terrain and just

ride, they can know exactly where they came from,”

how steep some of these hills are.” Chavez remem-

says Chavez. “It’s pretty moving when the riders are

bers the slow grind up the Cumberland Gap in

able to place their feet where their ancestors stood.”

learn more @ TPL.ORG/TOT

In the 1800s, the U.S. government forced the removal of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole people from their historical homes in the Southeast. Today, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail offers an opportunity for descendants to walk in their ancestors’ footsteps.

T P L. O R G · 51

COMMON

GROUND BY JULIA BUSIEK

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jen n a stam m

From the ofﬁces of municipal government to the streets of its far-ﬂung, tight-knit communities, one of America’s poorest big cities is building social capital out of an unassuming asset— the neighborhood park.

t 3:30 p.m. on the ﬁrst scorching hot day of summer, the new sprinklers at Jose Manuel Collazo Playground are the place to be. School let out a week ago, so kids from all over the North Philadelphia neighborhood of

Kensington are here, splashing in puddles or just standing still, cooling off between games of pick-up basketball or laps around the jungle gym. “These sprinklers are a hit,” says Raymond Gonzalez. In a crisp white t-shirt, white ball cap, and shades, Gonzalez is keeping cool under a leafy oak tree in the middle of the park. “But it looks like maybe we need to adjust the way they’re draining … see right here how the water is making this rubber surface warp? We’re going to have to get that ﬁxed.” Like a lot of his neighbors, Gonzalez—who lives across the street from the newly renovated Collazo Playground—looks after this park like he owns it: he picks up litter, calls the city if a light burns out, and gently shoos kids on bikes and scooters out

T P L. O R G · 53

RAYMOND GONZALEZ is a mainstay in North Philadelphia’s thriving handball scene. He’s coached hundreds of kids on the courts at Collazo Playground and helps organize leagues and tournaments around the city. elyse leyenberger

of the garden. Before The Trust for Public Land completed the renovation, the park was a sunken expanse of blacktop with some rusty basketball hoops and a crumbling, graffitiscarred wall for a handball court. “It used to be drugs and crime here in Collazo Park,” Gonzalez says, recalling the frequent sight of used hypodermic needles left on the asphalt. So when the opportunity arose to improve this green space, Gonzalez was one of many who jumped at the chance to join the revitalization effort. He knocked on doors and rallied neighbors to attend meetings and offer their input on the park’s design—and their vision for how it might help enhance neighborhood quality of life. When construction wrapped up and the park reopened,

jenna stamm

Gonzalez knew his job was nowhere near done. Kids in Kensington don’t always have a safe place to go, he says. “So when this park reopened, I went around to the drug dealers, the bosses, and said to each of them, ‘I don’t care what your people do, but just don’t do it here. Because this park is for our kids, and it’s a lot of people like me that watch out to keep it beautiful.’ “And look around, what do you see?” He sweeps his hand around the park—the freshly painted basketball courts where a dad and his son are shooting hoops despite the heat, the sturdy new handball wall, the lush plants coming up in the garden, the kids splashing in the sprinklers. “You don’t see any needles here today. My heart is content. I get goosebumps. That’s the heart we put into this park.”

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“My heart is content. I get goosebumps. That’s the heart we put into this park.”

ely se l ey en b erg e r

“How do we advance the broad interests of all residents and all neighborhoods as the city grows?”

Since 2014, The Trust for Public Land has built or revitalized 13 parks and schoolyards in Philadelphia, and is at work on three more. Today nearly 220,000 Philadelphians live within a 10-minute walk of a place like Collazo Playground. This park-by-park transformation of Philadelphia’s public space comes at a pivotal moment in the city’s recent history. Long one of the poorest major cities in the country, Philadel-

MIKE DIBERNARDINIS

phia is at a turning point. The population is growing for the

oversaw the launch of a massive and much-needed investment in Philadelphia’s public spaces. The Rebuild Initiative will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in parks, recreation centers, and libraries.

first time since the 1950s, real estate values are up, and investment is on the rise. That momentum is evident in Philadelphia’s downtown—Center City—where construction cranes share the skyline with the 37-foot-tall statue of William Penn that tops City Hall. “For a bureaucrat, managing growth is fun,” says former City Managing Director Mike DiBernardinis. A fixture of public life in Philadelphia since his days as a grassroots community organizer in the ’70s, DiBernardinis could look out the window of his fourteenth-floor corner office and see the promising results of recent investments in Center City’s public spaces: LOVE Park teems with people, from kids racing through the fountain to office workers playing ping-pong on lunch break to couples posing under the park’s famous LOVE sculpture. “But our challenge now is, how do we advance the broad interests of all residents and all neighborhoods as the city grows?”

For city leaders, investing in neighborhood parks is key to a more equitable, prosperous future for all. “You invest in high-quality public space, and you can start building on it programmatically, you can start building on it socially and economically,” says DiBernardinis, who retired in January. A neighborhood park can be everything from an outdoor classroom where kids can learn hands-on environmental science, to a free gym where neighbors can work out, to an economic engine that can power investment in local businesses. “A park becomes a much more powerful tool in the kind of redevelopment and growth we need in this city: growth based on equity, fairness, and opportunity,” he says.

T P L. O R G · 55

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“Everybody needs a place like this—where you can just sit and breathe, open your heart and mind.”

Outside Center City, Philadelphians express mixed feelings about the waves of change coming to their neighborhoods. Yes, growth means economic opportunity in areas that have suffered disinvestment for generations. But increasing investment can drive up property values, which can also put pressure on lower-income residents. De’Wayne Drummond is a lifelong resident of Mantua, a predominately African American neighborhood on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, where half of residents live below the poverty line. For the past seven years, he’s headed the Mantua Civic Association, a volunteer group with a mission to increase residents’ participation in planning, zoning, and development decisions. “The way I see it, it’s either plan or be planned for.” When it comes to decisions about how the neighborhood develops, he says, “You’re either at the table, or you’re on the menu.” From his seat on a bench at the 37th and Mt. Vernon Playground in the heart of Mantua, Drummond has to raise his voice to be heard over the construction noise from the next block. It’s standard background din these days in Mantua, where rents are on the rise and private developers have bought up single-family homes and vacant lots with intent to build upmarket condos and student housing for nearby universities. “It’s a transformation coming to Mantua. I’m optimistic about it, but it’s critical that the current residents and the people who’ve lived here a long time have a say in how these changes come.” That’s why Drummond and his fellow volunteers joined elyse leyenberger

DE’WAYNE DRUMMOND

jenna stamm

grew up tagging along with his grandfather to committee meetings for the city’s 24th Ward. “When my grandfather retired, he said, ‘You’re taking my spot,’” says Drummond. “Organizing and activism is in my DNA.”

the neighborhood effort to rebuild 37th and Mt. Vernon Playground. “This park is very, very important,” he says. “Everybody needs a place like this—where you can just sit and breathe, open your heart and mind. No matter who you are, you can feel this is a safe haven.” Drummond says this place owes its success in part to the way it came to be. As with every park The Trust for Public Land helps build, 37th and Mt. Vernon is the result of a years-

T P L. O R G · 57

ely se l e y e n b e rg e r

LANIER PLAYGROUND was once “ground zero for racism” in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Grays Ferry. Over a fouryear renovation, residents redesigned the park—and redeﬁned what this shared community space can do.

long process of community engagement. “Before a shovel hits the dirt, even before a design is drawn, our first job is to listen to as many people as possible,” says The Trust for Public Land’s Philadelphia Program Manager Gretchen Trefny. “We go to schools, churches, senior centers, libraries, clinics, block parties—anywhere we can meet people.” She prompts conversations among neighbors that—on first glance—seem to have little to do with the specifics of park design: “What are your community’s challenges and priorities? What are your strengths?” says Trefny. “How does a high-quality park fit in with your vision for your neighborhood?” jenna stamm

With some other developments coming to Mantua, “it felt like the people behind them have tried to force-feed the community a plan,” says Drummond. “We’ve had to be vigilant and make sure our interests are represented.” But working with The Trust for Public Land, “The community had input, the community had say-so, the community was at the table for this whole process. We never had to ask ourselves, ‘Well who is this really for?’ People know what this place is, and they own it.” The Trust for Public Land’s participatory, community-led approach to city parks is “the right model,” says DiBernardinis. From a city government standpoint, deep engagement is critical to creating public spaces that become beloved neighborhood landmarks. “There’s wisdom everywhere in the neighborhood, in folks who care and who’ve lived there all their lives, and are struggling to hold on to their community and take care of their kids. And the process of community engagement ﬁnds the wisdom.” Beyond the success of creating a great park, Drummond says the 37th and Mt. Vernon project was good practice for residents to build on Mantua’s proud history of activism and civic engagement. The process of recreating the park instilled conﬁdence and a sense of unity, which residents are now drawing on to tackle

5 8 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

“There’s wisdom everywhere in the neighborhood.” other challenges—from zoning to growing local businesses. For

And those tensions played out nowhere more ﬁercely

example, when recent plans for redevelopment threatened an

than at Lanier Playground. “The park was ground zero for

iconic mural of Martin Luther King Jr. a few blocks from the

racism in Grays Ferry,” Outlaw says. “You have black people

park, the group that led the park’s renovation rallied to save

that live on one side and white people that live on the other

the mural from destruction.

side. If the black people were in the park, the white people wouldn’t go in there. If the white people were in the park, the black people wouldn’t go in there.” After decades of

In a bare-bones gymnasium in Grays Ferry one summer

violence between neighbors in and around the park, the city

evening, twenty people are planning a party. This South

intervened, locking the park’s gates in 2007. And that’s how

Philadelphia neighborhood’s largest park is set to reopen with

it stayed: four acres of green space in the heart of a dense

a big celebration in a few weeks, following a four-year reno-

residential neighborhood, off-limits and unused.

vation. But the people gathered on folding chairs arranged

Outlaw has worked alongside her neighbors to reopen

around center court say Lanier Playground’s reopening has

the park since 2014. In the beginning, she remembers, the

actually been generations in the making.

meetings to plan the park’s design mirrored the dynamics

“The sad thing is that when you Google ‘Grays Ferry’ the

throughout the neighborhood. “It was just really separated,

majority of what you read is not so much about the great

with black people on one side of the table, and white people

things that have happened here through the years, but the

on the other,” she says.

racism that’s been in Grays Ferry for longer than me,” says resident Meeka Outlaw. “And I was born here.” She talks about

But over time, through thoughtful conversations about what the park could be, and why it mattered to everyone there, the

what it was like to grow up in a neighborhood that, perhaps

hard feelings began to soften. “As it went on, then you started

more than anywhere else in Philadelphia, has been plagued by

seeing the mixing of everybody. And everybody got to realize,

racial divisions and violence.

okay, we all want the same thing,” says Outlaw, who lives with

T P L. O R G · 59

her nine-year-old son a few blocks from Lanier Playground. “I

when he was 11, and he recalls walking home past Lanier Play-

don’t want violence, just like you don’t want violence. I love

ground, dodging rocks and bottles hurled by neighbors. Today,

this neighborhood, just like you love this neighborhood. You

Glasgow, 35, heads a neighborhood youth development orga-

might have just moved here, and I might have lived here all my

nization—a calling which grew out of his own history of gun

life, but Grays Ferry is your home, just like it’s my home.”

violence and serving time behind bars when he was younger.

“This process has been much more than a forum for the development of the Lanier property,” agrees neighbor Jim Helman. “A racially mixed community meeting in Grays Ferry is quite rare, quite an accomplishment.” The renewed Lanier Playground, which opened to the public in August 2018, represents the culmination of years of work

Glasgow says historically there haven’t been many places in Grays Ferry where anyone is welcome at any time. He’s looking forward to having a place to host sports leagues and block parties for Grays Ferry kids, but he also hopes the renewed Lanier Playground will allow everyone—black or white, young

from a coalition of longtime residents who are deeply com-

or old, lifelong neighborhood resident or new arrival—to feel

mitted to their neighborhood growing beyond its divided past.

at home, and part of a community. “This park is the place

“We’re presenting this park to the community like it’s a new

where families can walk after a long day of work. If parents

beginning, like it’s something they’ve never seen before,” says

can’t afford day care, they can take their kids to a place where

Tyrique Glasgow. He moved with his family to Grays Ferry

it’s safe to play.”

jenna stamm

6 0 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

ely se l e y e n b e rg e r

“You might have just moved here, and I might have lived here all my life, but Grays Ferry is your home, just like it’s my home.”

TYRIQUE GLASGOW AND MEEKA OUTLAW

“This one park won’t be the thing that solves racism in

Gonzales. They’re just a few of the countless Philadelphians

Grays Ferry,” Outlaw acknowledges. “There’s a lot of hurt and

who don’t shy away from the challenges facing their com-

a lot of pain, and for some people their memories of Lanier

munities, but who—through patience, openness, courage, and

Playground are the center of that.” But she believes the new

time—are ﬁnding real and lasting ways to help their neigh-

space—and the diverse group of neighbors who’ve worked

borhoods thrive.

together to make it happen—are “a step in the right direction.”

“This park gives me hope that the kids that are coming up

“It’s disheartening to see the divisions that still exist in

now won’t have to go through what we all did,” says Outlaw.

Grays Ferry,” Outlaw says. “But what would be even more dis-

“Not that you want to forget a history, but you actually want

heartening is if you allow that to scare you away. If once you

to be able to learn from that history. I think and I hope and I

see division, you say, ‘Okay, I see this ain’t going to change, let

really believe that this park will bring people together.”

me leave it alone.’ But the truth is, we all want to see the best for the neighborhood and we all want to stay in the neighborhood. And I think when you hold on to that and realize that—and I know it’s going sound cliché—but we have more in common than we have not in common. Once you ﬁnd that

RAYMOND GONZALEZ passed away shortly before this issue went to print. This

common ground, that’s where you begin to work together.”

story is dedicated to his memory, and to the community

Across Philadelphia, the parks, playgrounds, and school-

he helped create around Collazo Playground.

yards that The Trust for Public Land is helping residents create have become ﬂexible, powerful resources for people like Outlaw and Glasgow, and De’Wayne Drummond and Raymond

T P L. O R G · 61

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

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T P L. O R G · 63

trail’s end

EVEN IF BIGFOOT ISN’T REAL, WE STILL NEED HIM

i brace myself as i open my email: Another note from some-

Patterson-Gimlin ﬁlm (the famous clip allegedly showing a

one who listened to my Bigfoot podcast and felt compelled

Bigfoot walking away through the woods), I met John

to write me. Most of the time, it’s a nice fan letter. Every so

Mionczynski, a longtime wildlife biologist. Decades ago, as

often, it’s an angry diatribe. And then there are letters like

he was on a survey in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains, he

this one: “I know they exist—beyond a doubt, I have been

awoke to the sound of heavy breathing and the shadow of

physically touched on the shoulder by one on a mini-expedi-

what resembled a bear on the wall of his tent. Mionczynski

tion in northeast Washington State. They are good folk, the

tried to scare it off, but it came back a second time, and then

Sasquatch people.” I’m relieved it’s not hate mail, but the letter leaves me

a third. This time, the creature’s silhouette was over the top of the tent and it looked like it was walking on two legs. So

cringing, embarrassed, asking why, exactly, I got myself into

he hit it, and hit something hard as a rock. “And as soon as I

this. I’m a serious journalist who has worked for NPR, cover-

did,” he says, “this shadow came over the top of the tent, and

ing subjects from foreign policy and politics to technology and

it was a hand that was about twice the width of mine with

literature. I believe in logic and rational thought, not spirits

an opposed thumb and hair between the ﬁngers. Bears don’t

or magic. But then I went chasing Bigfoot. For two years. I

have that kind of a paw.”

talked with wildlife scientists, anthropologists, and psycholo-

Mionczynski lived to tell the tale, but the encounter has

gists. I hiked all over the Paciﬁc Northwest. I attended Bigfoot

puzzled him ever since; despite all his scientiﬁc training, it

symposiums and lectures. My eyes rolled (internally) at some

eluded any explanation. I spoke with dozens of people like

people’s stories, and my jaw dropped at others. And in the

him, like me—rational, logical people who subscribe to the

end, I could never completely eliminate the idea of Bigfoot

laws of physics and biology, who have experienced something

from my mind.

beyond their understanding, and just have to ﬁgure it out.

I’m not crazy. And I’m not alone. Half-wild creatures have

They keep going out into the woods, hoping to catch another

fed the human imagination for thousands of years. We have

glimpse, to make more astute observations, to get a better

evolved with them, and away from them. In the grand scheme

sense of what is and what isn’t. Bigfoot makes outdoor enthu-

of evolution, we rarely lived without monsters at the edges.

siasts of people who might never have taken an interest. If

Gilgamesh’s city-state, Beowulf’s mead hall—these exist in

the natural world needs anything right now, it’s more people

opposition to Enkidu and Grendel. But for Bigfoot to exist,

taking an interest. Does it matter how they get there?

even in our imaginations, we need a landscape that can carry

I spent the last two years chasing a shadow, suspending

him. In a modern world that is so tamed, so pruned and paved,

disbelief to imagine a world wild enough to hold something

we are losing something that has long deﬁned us.

as extraordinary as Bigfoot. I didn’t expect to ﬁnd the idea of

In fact, cryptozoology (the study of animals whose existence

Bigfoot so integral to what it means to be human. But that

is unproven) shares a common goal with its vaunted academic

electric, alive feeling I get when I look at the black wall of wil-

cousin: conservation. Some of the world’s great conservation-

derness beyond the campﬁre light—that’s Bigfoot. To look at

ists have been interested in cryptozoology, including the

the stars and wonder what’s out there; to gaze into the ocean

founder of the World Wildlife Fund, Peter Scott, who fought

and imagine its depths; to imagine a better future for our

for classiﬁcation of the Loch Ness monster. Bigfoot enthusi-

planet, and come up with solutions—that’s Bigfoot, too. And

asts are, at heart, naturalists. One guy I talked to refers to the

one other thing: No one has proven that Bigfoot doesn’t exist.

search as “hiking with a purpose.” Like ﬁshermen and hunters

So keep your eyes open, just in case.

(many Bigfooters are both), they are keen to protect wilder-

laura krantz is a journalist, editor, and producer, in both radio and print. she’s the host, creator, and producer of the new podcast wild thing. this story was originally published in high country news (hcn.org) on april 1, 2019.

ness—a place where the unexplained still happens. At a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the

6 4 · LAND &PE OPL E · SPR I NG /SUMMER 2019

we hope you enjoyed this issue of land&people.

Thank you. andy richter

Thank you for all you do for parks and conservation in your community — and for your ongoing support of The Trust for Public Land.

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