The Trust for Public Land in Action: 2019 C E L E B R AT I N G W HAT YO U M A D E P O S S I B L E IN NEW ENGLAND AND BEYOND
BOSTON
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Tommy's Rock Farm Grove Hall Park Glenway Farm Chittick School Edgewater
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Columbia Road Norwell Street Park Astoria Quarter Acre Farm
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Boston area detail
Big Six Forest
CA NA DA Bald Mountain Pond (Ridge Phase)
MAINE Bald Mountain Pond
Ursa Major
Kingfield Heritage Forest/ Shiloh Pond
Codding Hollow Catamount Community Forest Huntington Community Forest Lincoln Peak
Victory Hill Hunger Mountain Headwaters
Bethel Community Forest AUGUSTA
MONTPELIER
Dundee Community Forest
Third Branch Headwaters
Tiger Hill Community Forest
VERMONT Rolston Rest White Rocks Gateway
NEW YORK
AT L A N T I C OCEAN
NEW HAMPSH IR E Pearl Farm
The Trust for Public Land projects*
CONCORD
Current Completed in fiscal year 2019 Other completed Appalachian Trail program Community Forest program
MASSAC HUSETT S
Green Mountain program
BOSTON See Boston area detail
Woonasquatucket Adventure Park
CO N NECTI CU T
PROVIDENCE
RHODE ISLAND
Parks for People program
Appalachian National Scenic Trail Protected land** *Land protection, park development/restoration, Fitness Zone®, garden, playground, trail, or greenway. **For general context only; does not include all locallyprotected or public lands. Note: Connecticut is not part of The Trust for Public Land's New England program.
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New England C U R R EN T A N D C O M P L ET E D PR OJ EC T S August 22, 2019. Copyright © The Trust for Public Land. The Trust for Public Land and The Trust for Public Land logo are federally registered marks of The Trust for Public Land. Information on this map is provided for purposes of discussion and visualization only. www.tpl.org
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Thank you for your support of The Trust for Public Land! Together with supporters and partners like you, we are improving the lives of millions of people by creating climate-resilient communities, boosting health and wellness, advancing economic and educational opportunities, conserving and protecting our most precious landscapes, and connecting people to the lands and experiences that bring us together. From the creation of green schoolyards in New York, Georgia, and California to the conservation of vast landscapes in Montana, Utah, and Maine— we couldn’t do this inspiring work without you. Working together, we have built an amazing legacy. Since 1972, The Trust for Public Land has helped connect over 8 million people with nature by protecting 3.6 million acres and completing 5,400 park and conservation projects in the United States. These special places bond communities together through a lifetime of experiences protecting and exploring the parks and lands we all love.
In towns and cities across the country, people are exercising, playing, and connecting with nature and each other on trails and in parks, forests, and playgrounds. You help create these moments. You amplify community voices. You ensure public access to natural and open spaces. Here at home in New England, we create urban parks in diverse neighborhoods, protect community forests in small, rural towns, and conserve large wilderness landscapes. Our goal is to build community, ensure equity, address climate impacts, and improve public health so that we can all enjoy and partake in the benefits and transformative experiences that nature has to offer. You help create parks, trails, and open spaces for people all across New England and the country to enjoy. We are so proud and grateful to share these successes with you. More than that, we are excited for all the brilliant work that’s yet to come—because we know this work is inspiring, it is necessary, and it is just the beginning. Thank you again for your partnership!
TPL STAFF
Catamount Community Forest Williston, VT
Community Forests in New England In New England and beyond, we are leading a growing movement to reimagine the traditional town-owned forest. A new, 21st-century community forest model will protect natural, economic, and recreational resources through local community ownership and stewardship.
connects to a larger tract, creating a 3,500-acre tapestry of conserved land between Bethel and Sunday River Ski Area. Mahoosuc Pathways now owns the property and is partnering with the community to enhance public access, build trails, sponsor events and educational programs, and promote wildlife protection.
Community forests create a town hall in the woods and empower communities to manage their forests for a range of local benefits, including enhanced access to nature, outdoor recreation and tourism, water quality, wildlife habitat protection, and timber-related jobs and income.
BETHEL COMMUNITY FOREST In June 2019, The Trust for Public Land and our partners successfully created Bethel Community Forest, protecting 980 acres in Bethel, Maine. A two-year community planning process helped Bethel residents band together around a shared set of values to create a community forest where all are welcome to play, relax, and explore. Located just two miles from the town center, the property
We are also co-leading a learning network for community forest creation across the region while advancing research that ignites the ambitions of many more towns that want to leverage community forests to combat sedentary lifestyles, a loss of young families to other areas, and economic stagnation. Thank you for your visionary support of our Community Forest program! TPL ARCHIVE
C ATA M O U N T C O M M U N I T Y F O R E S T After four decades of inviting the public onto their farm and forest near Burlington, Vermont, the McCullough family worked with the Town of Williston, Vermont, and The Trust for Public Land to conserve their well-loved property as a new community forest. In March 2019, the residents of Williston became the proud owners of the 393-acre Catamount Community Forest, and together we permanently protected critical wetlands, forests, and trails. The property is home to the beloved Catamount Outdoor Family Center, which runs year-round activities including mountain biking, hiking, racing, skiing, and sit-skiing on an ADAaccessible trail.
LOOKING AHEAD Over the next three years we will create five new community forests for over 25,000 New Englanders, including Tiger Hill and Kingfield in Maine, Dundee in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Huntington in Vermont.
Bethel Community Forest Bethel Township, ME
Parks for People in Boston The Trust for Public Land believes that everyone deserves close-to-home access to nature. That’s why, in October 2018, we celebrated alongside the City of Boston when it announced that 100 percent of Boston residents have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. Despite this success, our work is far from finished. We are now partnering with the city to make sure that Bostonians’ local parks are highquality greenspaces that reflect local culture and bolster climate resilience.
we held a series of stewardship trainings in partnership with the National Park Service to give local youth skill-building opportunities and the chance to grow their interest in conservation.
N O R W E L L S T R E E T PA R K In June 2019, The Trust for Public Land’s Boston office hosted a Park Bench Chat featuring representatives from the West of Washington Coalition, our partners in creating the future Norwell Street Park in Codman Square. Their powerful testimonies spoke to the importance of and need for local parks, especially in areas like Norwell Street where traffic-plagued streets can cut communities—and especially children—off from their local greenspace.
C H I T T I C K E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L This spring, we ran a series of workshops to guide a group of fifth-grade students at Chittick Elementary School in Mattapan through the complexities of park design. This process— through which the students gained valuable knowledge in science, engineering, architecture, and math—culminated in a school-wide presentation of their dream park designs, which will guide a renovation of their school playground and the creation of an adjacent park.
E D G E W AT E R D R I V E R I V E R F R O N T At the picturesque edge of the Neponset River, we are working with local youth and a coalition of partners to clean up and expand access to the riverfront along Edgewater Drive. This summer
ERIN CLARK
G R O V E H A L L PA R K The students of Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester joined us to clean up the site of the future Grove Hall Park and set up a mini pop-up park to engage the community. The students— with whom we will continue to work to design the park—were able to get out of the classroom and into the community to help enhance the site of their future neighborhood community space.
LOOKING AHEAD In the coming months—and years—we will continue developing these community-designed parks. In the immediate future, we will facilitate temporary activations of our park sites as design inspiration to the community. As part of our holistic approach to park development, we will incorporate public art, working with local artists and museums to bring temporary art installations that show the potential of these sites.
Chittick Elementary Boston, MA
Green Mountains in Vermont
ROLSTON REST Encompassing 2,745 acres of dense forest, streams, and peaks, Rolston Rest is the largest inholding in the Green Mountain National Forest. The property, a popular backcountry destination for outdoor enthusiasts, was recently posted against public access and was at risk of subdivision, threatening its future as a recreational asset. We will conserve and convey this land to the National Forest and assist our partners in the creation of a backcountry hut and trails for visitors to enjoy. KURT BUDLIGER
Rolston Rest
Green Mountain National Forest, VT
KURT BUDLIGER
Vermont’s Green Mountain region is one of the wildest and largest forested landscapes remaining in all of New England. In Vermont and across the United States, we partner with communities to protect the close-to-home places that provide clean air and water, spaces to exercise and socialize, equitable access, recreational revenue, and the benefits and inspiration of nature. That’s why for over 20 years we’ve worked in the Green Mountains to protect the critical natural resources that enable inspiring outdoor experiences to continue for generations to come. Thanks to you, we are able to work on these crucial projects.
Hunger Mountain Headwaters
C.C. Putnam State Forest, VT
H U N G E R M O U N TA I N H E A D W AT E R S This year we will complete the permanent protection of the 1,875-acre Hunger Mountain Headwaters in the Worcester Range. Adding three properties to the C.C. Putnam State Forest will expand access to some of the most popular day hikes in Vermont, protecting the approach trails and breathtaking summit views at Mount Hunger and White Rock Mountain. Long-term protection will improve public access to hiking opportunities, protect significant headwater streams and wildlife habitat, and maintain the integrity of the undeveloped Worcester Range. LOOKING FORWARD In the years ahead, we will continue to work on protecting the most strategic properties within the Green Mountains. We are collaborating to conserve several portions of the Long Trail and and Catamount Trail, through projects like Lincoln Peak and Codding Hollow, to further protect the beautiful Green Mountains we hold dear.
Appalachian Trail landscapes Stretching from Georgia to Maine and hosting 3 million visitors every year, the Appalachian Trail (AT) is one of America’s most iconic hiking trails— home to natural beauty, biodiversity, and a culture of outdoor recreation. To date, The Trust for Public Land has protected 140 landscapes that fall within a priority area critical to maintaining the integrity of the AT—safeguarding public access and wilderness experiences for visitors, protecting the rural character of communities, and supporting local economies. We are working to protect the most vulnerable AT landscapes, with a current focus on Maine.
URSA MAJOR FOREST The forests, streams, and ridgelines of the 8,874acre Ursa Major forest in Maine’s High Peaks are a popular destination for cross-country skiing, hunting, and hiking. The local economy of nearby Rangeley greatly benefits from the landscape, as it supports the outdoor industry. Protecting Ursa Major would add to nearly 70,000 acres of connected conserved land around the AT and
LOOKING FORWARD We are exploring several potential AT landscapes, including White Rocks Gateway located in Wallingford, Vermont, so that we can continue protecting these special places for all of us. Thank you for supporting this vital work to ensure that the AT continues to be a place of adventure for all of its visitors. JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN
B A L D M O U N TA I N P O N D Deep within western Maine, adjacent to the AT, lies the ecologically unique Bald Mountain Pond. The property includes a pristine 1,100-acre pond with eight miles of waterfront and 1,500 acres of old growth forest, forming some of Maine’s highest quality wildlife habitat. However, Bald Mountain Pond faces risk of development and unsustainable timber harvests. We have been working for five years to protect the property, and, thanks to your generosity, this year we successfully completed the forest phase of the project. Next we will protect the pond, as well as a 10-acre boat launch area, to ensure this hidden gem stays protected for generations to come.
would protect the wilderness hiking experience in an area of the AT that is primarily surrounded by unprotected private land. Our goal this year is to permanently protect Ursa Major to ensure it will always be accessible to the public.
Bald Mountain Pond
Bald Mountain Township, ME
Our New England Advisory Boards We are so grateful for our volunteer leaders! Maine
Massachusetts
Peg Smith, Chair Michael Degnan Rachel Houlihan Cynthia Orcutt Micah Roberge Tobin Scipione
Jody Gill, Chair Walter M. Bird Will Cowen Carolyn Mansfield duPont Anthony D. Green Whitney Hatch Wendy Holding James S. Hoyte Robert L. Lindamood Robert K. McConnaughey Richard Oetheimer Roland Price Richard B. Swartz Bianca Sigh Ward
Vermont and New Hampshire Matt Frost, Chair Mark Billings Charlie Bridges Lenore Budd Helen Kellogg Trey Martin Victor Morrison T.J. Whalen Susan Zak
JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN
Thank you
for supporting our land-for-people mission in New England and beyond. We couldn’t do it without you.
Join us. The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
tpl.org
Betsy Cook Project Manager – ME 207.772.7424 x3 | betsy.cook@tpl.org Arleaya Martin Associate Director of Philanthropy – MA/RI 617.371.0538 | arleaya.martin@tpl.org Betsy McGean Director of Philanthropy – VT/NH 802.223.1373 | betsy.mcgean@tpl.org
COVER: TOP LEFT, BRIAN MOHR / EMBER PHOTOGRAPHY; BOTTOM; TOP RIGHT, JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN; MIDDLE LEFT, JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN; MIDDLE RIGHT, ERIN CLARK, MIM ADKINS PHOTOGRAPHY.