THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF IN 2022 AND MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD
New England
conserve 50,000 acres including 15 Community Forests; create eight new parks and three outdoor classrooms; and guarantee access to over 70 miles of trails.
© BRIAN MOHR AND EMILY JOHNSON/EMBER PHOTOGRAPHY
Trust for Public Land has long believed that everyone needs nature— but we know that access to parks and public land is not equally shared. That is why, with your generous support, we are leading a nationwide movement to close this outdoor equity gap. Together, we are creating nature-rich places in the communities that need them most, improving people’s health, nurturing their joy, and strengthening their connection to the outdoors and one another.
White Rocks Gateway, VT
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The impact of your giving is felt across the region— from safeguarding awe-inspiring landscapes and creating Community Forests in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, to advancing climate-smart parks in Massachusetts and beyond. Together, we are ensuring everyone can benefit from nature’s healing and unifying powers. Thank you again for supporting our mission.
Thanks to your generous support in New England, we are advancing our mission to expand equitable access to the outdoors, combat climate change, and improve the lives of over one million New Englanders through park creation and land protection. By 2025, we aim to
As we celebrate the first 50 years of TPL and embark on our next 50, we are more committed than ever to ensuring everyone has easy access to the outdoors. We are focused on growing our impact and attracting new donors, friends, and advocates to our mission.
Thank you for being a TPL champion!
ROARING BRANCH
OTTER CREEK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
TPL is partnering with the Town of Wolcott and the Northern Rivers Land Trust to conserve and create the Wolcott Community Forest . Adjacent to Wolcott Elementary School, this 706-acre open space will provide an outdoor classroom, a network of new hiking and mountain bike trails near the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail and the proposed Velomont Trail, and a community gathering space.
Vermont
Wolcott Community Forest, VT
Help us bring more public green space to Vermont communities:
In partnership with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, by the end of 2022 we will be expanding Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area in the town of Wallingford. Conservation and restoration of 100 acres of wetlands and over a mile of Vermont’s longest river, Otter Creek, will improve flood resiliency for downstream communities, protect water quality, and safeguard the habitat for a wide variety of waterfowl, fish, and amphibians.
In Vermont, we are protecting high-priority forestland in the Green Mountains and partnering with towns across the state to create Community Forests that expand close-to-home access to nature. We are thrilled to share that we recently added 619 acres to the Green Mountain National Forest by preserving Lincoln Peak in the Mad River Valley. This accomplishment permanently protects old-growth forest and an important section of Vermont’s iconic Catamount Trail.
conserved land to the Green Mountain National Forest and safeguard the wilderness experience for hikers along the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail. This effort will protect water quality and habitat for stateendangered American marten and mature stands of American chestnut, which were once ubiquitous before the chestnut blight nearly wiped out the species in the first half of the 20th century.
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We are working with the community of Burke to protect 283 acres and create the Willey Woods Community Forest . Popular among hunters for white-tailed deer or woodcock, and among anglers for brook trout, this new Community Forest will help preserve the town’s charm and rural character by preventing further forest fragmentation.
In Stamford and Pownal, we are working to protect Roaring Branch, which will add 2,104 acres of permanently
NATURE NEAR SCHOOLS
The Land and People Lab uses evidence to increase the impact of our on-the-ground work and spark a national movement for parks and public land. After finding that 34 percent of students across Northern New England lack public access to nature within a 10-minute walk from their school, the Lab developed the Nature Near Schools Discovery Map. This interactive tool pinpoints which communities’ K-12 schools in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont already benefit from accessible, conserved open space and where outdoor equity gaps remain. Proximity to nature does not always mean access to nature, so we are eager to use this data to continue conserving areas that advance equitable access to the outdoors. Scan the QR code to learn more:
© CHRIS BENNETT
We are one step closer to ensuring all Portland residents have easy access to a quality park. The future North Deering Park will provide public access to a 24-acre open space including forests, trails, a skating pond, and an open field for recreation and outdoor learning. Once complete, the park will serve 2,000 Mainers who live within a 10-minute walk.
Rangeley. This vital 13,557-acre landscape provides numerous community benefits, including access to the breathtaking Quill Hill Scenic View—an ADA-accessible 360-degree view which welcomes 30,000 visitors a year.
In Western Maine, we are working to permanently protect the Quill Hill to Perham Stream lands near
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Southern Maine conspicuously lacks close-to-home public green space—more so than nearly any other region in the state. We are working with Royal River Conservation Trust and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land to protect Talking Brook Public Lands in Auburn and New Gloucester. The 193-acre property hosts an extensive 11-mile trail network, scenic brooks, and waterfalls, and its protection will bring much-needed access to the outdoors to the nearby Lewiston-Auburn area.
QUILL HILL TO PERHAM STREAM
Though Maine is known for its vacationready outdoor destinations, only 5 percent of the state’s land is publicly owned and protected. While limited amounts of privately owned land are conserved and some are open to the public, millions of acres remain unprotected and out of reach to residents and visitors. We are committed to making outdoor spaces across the state publicly accessible. Together with our partners, we are creating locally owned and managed Community Forests—protecting areas throughout Western Maine and the Katahdin Region for climate resilience and outdoor recreation, and expanding equitable access to trails, parks, and open space in Southern Maine.
• Secure and expand access to the outdoors in Western Maine by 32,500 acres, including lands near Rangeley, Saddleback Mountain, and Grafton Notch State Park.
© HOLLY SHEEHAN AND STEVE NILES
TALKING BROOK PUBLIC LANDS
NORTH DEERING PARK
• Protect over 30,000 acres near Millinocket and the East Branch Penobscot River in the Katahdin Region for visitors to enjoy.
• Create new Community Forests in Maine close to schools and homes, including in Millinocket and Western Maine.
Maine
North Deering Park, ME
Your support helps us:
• Celebrate the groundbreaking of the Chittick Elementary School Park and Playground in Dorchester.
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• Build quality parks along the planned Fairmont Greenway, a 9-mile urban trail connecting Boston’s Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Readville neighborhoods.
Massachusetts
In the next year, join us as we:
Mounting scientific data demonstrates the connection between access to the outdoors and health outcomes. That is why TPL proudly partners with communities to create, protect, and advance green spaces where they are needed most. In Massachusetts, we recognize the disparities in park quality across the state, and especially across Boston. Working hand-in-hand with Boston neighborhoods, we are creating climate-smart parks that boost community health.
NORWELL STREET PARK
• Expand our reach by partnering with communities across the Commonwealth, including in the gateway cities and along the Appalachian and New England Scenic Trails in Central and Western Massachusetts.
TPL is transforming a vacant lot into a new community gathering space, and bringing a quality park to a Dorchester neighborhood that currently lacks easy access to the outdoors. Knowing the value of local park space, the Norwell Street community raised their voices to demand a park, and we stepped up to help. We are working with residents to deliver a community-designed space—adjacent to an MBTA commuter rail stop—that enhances climate resilience and bolsters community health. After a robust engagement process, design of the park is underway and we are looking forward to breaking ground in 2023!
ARCHDALE PARK AND PLAYGROUND
Edgewater Riverfront and Norwell Street Park, MA© GUADALUPE GARCIA; © TPL STAFF
The Archdale Village public housing community in Roslindale has lacked a communal green space since the 1990s, when its playground was burned down. We believe park creation should align with community values and needs, which is why we are collaborating with Archdale Village residents to co-design a public outdoor space that embodies their values and goals for a healthier, more equitable future.
New Hampshire
EAST PASTURE TRAIL
PEARL & SONS FARM
TPL recently protected a critical section of the East Pasture Trail in the Jackson Ski Touring system—the most popular Nordic ski area in the eastern United States. The land is now part of the White Mountain National Forest, and is publicly accessible to skiers, gravel bikers, and hikers headed to the rustic Black Mountain Cabin, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
In May, we celebrated the permanent protection of the Pearl & Sons Farm in Loudon. The 275-acre farm has been family-operated for four generations and has supplied the area with dairy products, maple syrup, hay, and produce. With increasing residential development in Loudon and nearby Concord, protecting the Pearl & Sons Farm helps safeguard critical open space and wildlife habitat while advancing the conservation priorities of the Loudon community.
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Our work in New Hampshire brings parks, trails, and Community Forests close to homes and schools for recreation, outdoor learning, and climate resilience. We completed two important projects this year, are on track to finish a third, and we continue to build on the impact of conserving over 263,000 acres of land in the Granite State.
DUNDEE COMMUNITY FOREST
© JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY
In partnership with the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust, we are creating the new 1,250-acre Dundee Community Forest that will span the Towns of Bartlett and Jackson. The cooperatively managed forest will have a sustainable forestry program and will be open for hiking, hunting, mountain biking, and backcountry skiing. The property, one of the largest unprotected properties in the Mount Washington Valley, has pristine streams, mature timber, rare plants, and spectacular views of the Presidential Range.
Pearl & Sons Farm, NH
COVER, TOP: © JERRY AND MARCY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY; © BRIAN MOHR/EMBER PHOTOGRAPHY; © ERIN CLARK; LARGE: © CHRIS BENNETT; THIS PAGE: © BRIAN MOHR/EMBER PHOTOGRAPHY
NEW ADIVSORYENGLANDBOARD
Micah Roberge , Senior Vice President & Financial Advisor, UBS
Ally McDougal Director of Philanthropy, New England 781.856.5564 ally.mcdougal @ tpl.org
THANK YOU
Wendy Holding , Trustee, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Trust
Roland Price , Vice President & Treasurer, Point32Health
for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in New England and beyond.
Bianca Sigh Ward , Chief Development Officer, ACLU of Massachusetts
Helen Kellogg, Principal, Brook Road Advisors and TPL New England Advisory Board Chair
We could not do this without you.
Carolyn Mansfield duPont , Chief Operating Officer, Upstream Tech
We are so grateful for our New England Advisory Board members, whose support and guidance keeps us moving towards our goal of connecting everyone to the outdoors. And we are recruiting! Please contact us to learn more about volunteer opportunities with TPL.
Victor Morrison , Principal, Morrison Management Consulting and Executive Coaching
Shelby Semmes Regional Vice President, New England 917.658.2582 shelby.semmes@ tpl.org
Richard Oetheimer, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP, and Board Member, Needham Land Trust
Michael Degnan , Deputy Director, Campaign for Nature
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
Join us
Jody Gill , Retired Attorney and TPL National Board Member