Trust for Public Land in New England - 2021

The Trust for Public Land in New England THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF

in 2021

AND MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN NEW ENGLAND As a Trust for Public Land supporter, you are contributing to healthy, equitable, resilient communities. Like you, we believe that green spaces are precious and that everyone deserves access to nature.

In early 2020, when the pandemic first limited travel and inside gatherings, New Englanders turned to nearby open spaces, rediscovering the ease and stress-free joys of walking, camping, and picnicking—first solo, and then again with family. But this mass movement outdoors also exposed that not everyone has equal access nature. As our region recovers from COVID-19, equitable access to nature’s myriad benefits is more important than ever. Now is the time to champion the pivotal role of parks in addressing inequities and ensure that the healing power of nature is available to all.

MIM ADKINS PHOTOGR APHY

Hudson Farm Hanover, NH

NEW ENGLAND BY THE NUMBERS

IN 2021 NEW

5 places 25+ MILES

of new trails

2,752

ACRES CONSERVED

188,284

people served benefiting from nature

The Trust for Public Land is committed to advancing health, equity, and climate resilience through nature in every community we serve.

Since 1972, we have created more than 5,000 parks and green spaces, safeguarded more than 3.7 million acres, put a park within a 10-minute walk of home for more than 9 million people, and generated more than $85 billion in public funding for parks, trails, and open spaces.

In New England, we engage local communities to design their dream parks, protect landscapes as new community forests, and secure access to valuable outdoor recreation resources near the Appalachian Trail and in the Green Mountains.

We are proud of our accomplishments in 2021, and we invite you to join us as we gear up for an even better 2022.

Thank you for creating happier, healthier neighborhoods where all people can thrive!

COMMUNITY FORESTS IN NEW ENGLAND PETER CIRILLI

Huntington Community Forest Huntington, VT

Community forests serve as economic engines for small towns through recreation, tourism, and timber management. They help towns address unique rural community challenges—health disparities, youth retention, climate change, and unequal access to nature’s benefits.

The Trust for Public Land celebrated the openings of three New England community forests in 2021, two described here and Kingfield Community Forest in Western Maine.

And we anticipate expanding the Downeast Lakes Community Forest—adding more than 2,000 acres—before the end of the year. Thank you for helping make these community assets a reality.

HUNTINGTON COMMUNITY FOREST In partnership with the Town of Huntington and the Vermont Land Trust, we created the Huntington Community Forest. Immediately adjacent to the Brewster-Pierce Memorial School in the heart of Huntington, Vermont, the 245-acre property provides the school with an outdoor classroom where kids can learn about the natural world every day, all year long—no permission slip required.

Now, town residents and visitors of all abilities can easily access a locally-managed forest to explore, run, hike, snowshoe, and cross-country ski.

MINK BROOK COMMUNITY FOREST Hanover, New Hampshire, residents invited The Trust for Public Land to help establish the 250-acre Mink Brook Community Forest. Situated only steps from the Appalachian Trail, this property contains the headwaters of Mink Brook, mature forests, and a scenic hayfield along Greensboro Road. It is also close to downtown Hanover and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire’s largest employer. This new community forest offers locals and visitors a serene get-away for walking, biking, and crosscountry skiing. It also helps preserve the town’s rural charm.

You can help!

Help New England towns gain improved access to community-owned nature. With your support, we can continue to expand community forests across New England.

We have many new opportunities in our sights, including the Wolcott Community Forest in Wolcott, Vermont.

Join us in bringing more community forests to New England.

PARKS FOR PEOPLE Parks provide critical public benefits, from boosting health to strengthening social connections to helping communities adapt to climate change.

had to cross busy roads and railroad tracks to access green space. Designed for the community by the community, the park will help catalyze momentum for the Fairmount Greenway. This planned nine-mile urban greenway will connect 90,000 Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park residents to new recreation opportunities.

Although every Boston resident has close-tohome access to a park, new data from The Trust for Public Land shows that residents in neighborhoods where most people identify as people of color have access to 13 percent less park space per capita than in predominately white neighborhoods. And residents of lowincome neighborhoods in Boston have access to 20 percent less park space than residents of high-income neighborhoods.

You can help!

Donate today to advance the creation of parks for people. Help us: • Build quality parks along the planned greenway

Now, we are partnering with communities and the city to improve the quality, equity, and climate resilience of their local parks.

• Create a playground at a Boston public housing site • Increase park equity in cities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

EDGEWATER RIVERFRONT

TPL STAFF

Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood residents are finally gaining access to the Neponset River, which they have been literally walled off from for decades. Thanks to years of community advocacy, Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Recreation has agreed to construct public access improvements along this scenic stretch of riverfront. As the neighborhood gains access to the riverfront, we are partnering with Edgewater residents to ensure their voices inform the design process—including through an activity book.

NORWELL STREET PARK In partnership with Dorchester’s West of Washington community, we are creating a muchneeded neighborhood park. The new park will be adjacent to a new commuter rail stop and is safely accessible for residents who previously

Edgewater Riverfront Boston, MA

WESTERN MAINE CYNTHIA ORCUT T

Kingfield Community Forest Kingfield, ME

Western Maine is home to the state’s tallest mountains, pristine lakes and rivers, and hundreds of miles of trails—making it an ideal place for people to get outside. Due to its expansive forests, the region is a national priority to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Yet, only 15 percent of Western Maine is protected, even less land has guaranteed public access, and the development pressure is spiking as new people move to the region. The Trust for Public Land is committed to protecting 25,000 acres in Western Maine in the next five years to ensure climate resilience and outdoor access for all. Because of you, we are able to accomplish this crucial work.

KINGFIELD COMMUNITY FOREST The Trust for Public Land partnered with the Maine town of Kingfield to create the Kingfield Community Forest. The permanent protection of 213 acres of forestland—including the pristine Shiloh Pond, a beloved community asset where many residents learned to fly fish—will ensure this recreational and ecological gem continues to benefit generations of Kingfield residents and visitors.

QUILL HILL TO PERHAM STREAM The Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, state officials, and local communities are working to protect the 13,557-acre Quill Hill to Perham Stream properties in the High Peaks of Western Maine. The project will protect important wildlife habitats, benefit local economies, and create public access to unique community amenities, including the Appalachian Trail and the Quill Hill Scenic View—an ADA accessible 360-degree view which welcomes 30,000 visitors a year.

You can help!

Please join us in protecting land for people across Western Maine to create the vision of climate-resilient and publicly accessible land for all. With your support, we can leverage public funding to protect these priority properties for critical outdoor recreation and climate benefits.

GREEN MOUNTAINS Vermont’s Green Mountains are spectacular, linking extensive forest tracts to vibrant village communities. Over 80 million outdoor enthusiasts live within a day’s drive of the mountains’ lakes, rivers, natural areas, and access to the iconic Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, and Catamount Trail.

The resulting tourism is essential to rural economies.

Yet, the U.S. Forest Service has identified the Green Mountain National Forest as one of the national forests most threatened by development.

Climate change is also shifting habitats, adversely affecting flora and fauna, and producing more severe storms and floods.

We believe that these threats to the Green Mountains require urgent action. We have now protected more than 49,000 acres of land and waters in 34 communities across the region, and are currently working on preserving an additional 6,500 acres.

Thanks to your support, we are ensuring that special, close-to-home places are protected and accessible.

WHITE ROCKS GATEWAY We have an exciting opportunity to protect 464 acres and expand the Green Mountain National Forest. We will conserve unprotected old-growth stands and a portion of the quartzite White Rocks cliffs. Hikers exploring this much-loved section of the forest are treated to exceptional views as they traverse the side trails leading to the Ice Beds, White Rocks National Recreation Area, and the wilderness of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Long Trail.

JUDEVINE HEADWATERS In partnership with Green Mountain Club, we are conserving one of the few remaining unprotected sections of the Long Trail. We will add the 14-acre Judevine Headwaters property in Johnson to the Long Trail State Forest. The Long Trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the U.S. and runs 272 miles along the spine of the Greens.

This project will allow for a new trailhead parking lot, enhanced trail access, and help preserve the wilderness hiking experience.

BRIAN MOHR /EMBER PHOTOGR APHY

You can help!

Join us by supporting our upcoming work in the Green Mountains: • Expand Long Trail State Forest at Judevine Headwaters

Lincoln Peak

Warren and Lincoln, VT

• Advance exceptional Green Mountain experiences at White Rocks Gateway, Roaring Branch, and Wolcott Community Forest • Protect Rolston Rest, the largest inholding in the Green Mountain National Forest

BACK COVER: CHRIS BENNET T • FRONT COVER: CHRIS BENNET T; PETER CIRILLI; JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGR APHY; BRIAN MOHR /EMBER PHOTOGR APHY; TPL STAFF.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY In Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, 2021 was a decisive year for investments in parks and public lands as the pandemic drove home the demand for equitable outdoor access.

This year Maine’s Land for Maine’s Future program was funded for the first time in nearly a decade unleashing $40 million of state funding for the next four years to create much-needed parks, public lands, and close-to-home open space in Maine.

This win would not have been possible without the expertise of The Trust for Public Land’s conservation finance team, a year of all-out advocacy, and decades of our leadership demonstrating the importance of Land for Maine’s Future.

The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board nearly doubled its conservation funding, and

the State invested an additional $5 million into the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative grant program. The Trust for Public Land serves as a steering member and advocate for this effort.

In Massachusetts, we are thrilled that ten new communities adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) during FY21—stretching geographically from Brookline to the Town of Lee. These ten new programs are projected to generate a combined $7.3 million annually for local open space, outdoor recreation, historic preservation, and affordable housing projects. In addition, all 187 CPA cities and towns also receive annual distributions of funding from the statewide CPA Trust Fund.

Thank you for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in New England and beyond.

We couldn’t do this without you.

Join us Help ensure everyone has access to the outdoors. Every park we create, schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you.

tpl.org/donate

Ally McDougal Director of Philanthropy, New England 781.856.5564 | ally.mcdougal@tpl.org Shelby Semmes Regional Vice President, New England 917.658.2582 | shelby.semmes@tpl.org