New Jersey IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF IN 2022 AND TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD
THERE
MORE
Bear Swamp
park development city or project
Middlesex County
Current
McDon Fen
Hunterdon County
A
Mercer County
Laurelton Woods
Loyola Retreat
NEW YORK
Salem County
Rockaway River WMA Addition
Blueberry Acres
Cape May County
Untermeyer Lake
Warren County
land protection project
Atlantic County
Other completed
Newark Camden Passaic Lafayette Street School
Silver Lake
Pancoast Road Link
Burlington County
Monmouth County
Hudson County
Vallevue
Ocean County
Completed
Emerson Golf Course
park development* project State boundary County boundary Federal land Township or other public or protected land *Park development/restoration, Fitness Zone®, garden, playground, trail, or greenway project 0 5 10 Miles ± In New Jersey, Trust for Public Land has completed 20 park development* projects and 184 land protection projects (protecting 29,955 acres of land) September 1 2022 Copyright © Trust for Public Land Trust for Public Land and Trust for Public Land logo are federally registered marks of Trust for Public Land Information on th s map is provided for purposes of discussion and visualization only www tpl org
Carteret Park Fitness Zone®
Coopers Poynt School
Inland Road
Trust for Public
Bowling Green Mountain
Somerset County Essex County T L A N T I C O C E A N
land protection project (2015 June 2022)
Completed
Bergen County
park development* project (2015 June 2022)
Passaic County Union County
Sussex County Morris County
Gloucester County
Camden County
New Brunswick Newark Riverfront Park Paterson
MARYLAND
PENNSYLVANIA DELAWARE
Cumberland County
Dundee Island Park Elizabeth
Harrison Waterfront (TPL assisted)
Land Current land protection project
CONNECTICUT N e w J e r s e y C U R R E N T A N D C O M P L E T E D C R E A T E A N D P R O T E C T P R O J E C T S
Other completed
generous support in New Jersey over the last year, we have conserved another 211 acres and opened a new section of Jesse Allen Park in Newark. Our upcoming park projects include two schoolyards in Newark, a possible schoolyard program expansion in two new communities, a new park in the North Ward of Newark, a second phase of park development at Dundee Island Park in Passaic, and Feaster Park in New Brunswick should be in construction in the coming year. Our upcoming land protection efforts are focused on
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.
Thank you for being a TPL champion!
Sussex Avenue School, Newark
We are driven by the needs of the communities we serve, the passion we have seen from the community members we partner with, and the support we get from champions like you who make our work possible. Thank you again.
TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND IN NEW JERSEY | 3
© CHRISTIAN VALDEZ
The impact of your giving is felt across the country— from protected community forests in Vermont to green community schoolyards in Oakland, CA, and beyond. Together, we are ensuring everyone can benefit from nature’s healing and unifying powers.
important projects in the Barnegat Bay watershed near the Forked River, the Highlands, and the Passaic watershed near the Great Swamp.
As we head into our second half-century, we are more committed than ever to connecting everyone to the outdoors. We are focused on growing our impact and attracting new donors, friends, and advocates to our Thanksmission.toyour
The Jets saw the community’s need for an improved park. “We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make improve ments to a vitally important part of the community,” said Jesse Linder, the Jets’ Vice President of Community Relations. “We are excited for the residents of Newark to finally have an outdoor space that meets the needs of the community.”
Every community should have safe, equitable access to a high-quality park within a 10-minute walk of home. Parks and green spaces offer places to play, exercise, unplug, and connect with neighbors, benefiting our personal health and physical well-being. Parks also cool the air, absorb stormwater, and prevent damage from climate change.
© TPL STAFF
Transforming city parks to benefit local communities
Just a few miles upriver, We are building a new park on the banks of the Passaic River with a pedestrian bridge that spans the river, connecting the communities of Passaic and Garfield. Dundee Island Park will reduce the urban heat island effect while protecting the more than 20,000 nearby residents from flash flooding. In fact, the first section of the park recently helped to absorb flooding during Hurricane Ida.
— Patrick Council, South Ward Councilmember and former Director of Recreation, Cultural Affairs, and Senior Services
JESSE ALLEN PARK
TPL joined residents and the City of Newark in celebrating the grand opening of Jesse Allen Park . This beloved green space in the Central Ward now features a brand new athletic field, courtesy of the New York Jets.
Dundee Island Park, Passaic
The vision of our Mayor, as well as our park partners, shows that when we work together, we are stronger, our city is stronger, and our parks are stronger.”
DUNDEE ISLAND PARK
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Lynn Haven Bayou Park, Panama City, FL
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LAND AND PEOPLE LAB
In Newark, we are building state-of-the-art eco-friendly community schoolyards at Lincoln Elementary and Luis Muñoz Marín Elementary schools, benefiting over 15,000 underserved residents who live within a 10-minute walk of the schools.
Students at Lincoln and Luis Muñoz Marín led the playground design: evaluating the site, collecting preferences from school and community users, building models, sketching ideas, and refining design options into a final concept design. Contingent upon full funding, construction will begin in spring 2023 at Lincoln and summer/fall 2023 at Luis Muñoz Marín.
Leading the way with SchoolyardsCommunity™
Luis Muñoz Marín Elementary School, Newark
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. We inform policies and practices, build partnerships, and share resources to expand the many benefits of nature and the outdoors.
TPL’s community schoolyards are game-changing: they transform our nation’s asphalt schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that improve the daily lives of students, educators, and the surrounding community. They promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce educational disparities, and improve educational outcomes while making vulnerable communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
© TPL STAFF
Locally, the Lab provides tools like the decisionsupport tools we have developed in Camden and we are looking to do in Newark. The Lab also produces the ParkScore® Index , which is the national gold standard comparison of park systems across the 100 largest cities in the U.S. These ratings have helped cities like Newark and Jersey City plan and build forequity.park
West Side High School, Newark
© TPL STAFF
In Newark’s West Ward, we supported the development and use of a transformative urban farm at West Side High School with Urban Agriculture Cooperative, L.L. Bean, New Jersey Cares, and community stakeholders.
Connecting people to nature through gardening is a proven way to increase access to fresh food, reduce the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases, improve dietary habits and increase vegetable and fruit intake, increase physical activity, and improve mental health.
Food security is closely intertwined with racial and environmental justice. Historic redlining has established neighborhoods that are chronically under-resourced, receive little to no community funding, suffer from greater health disparities, and are located near environ mental hazards. Food deserts are a direct result of this disinvestment in communities. TPL’s community school yards not only improve park access, they can also provide food security thanks to gardens that grow fresh food.
Schoolyard gardens do more than improve food security: TPL creates hands-on opportunities for students to learn about health and nutrition with edible gardens, hydroponic technology, and cooking demonstrations. With community garden hours and campus vegetable stands, students, teachers, and community members can interact and build strong social connections. STEM classes become more exciting and meaningful when students can dig their hands into the dirt, watch vegeta bles grow, and feast on their harvest.
Laura Cole, a food justice activist with Clinton Hill Community Action, agrees and says that Newark commu nity gardens help empower people.
BOTH PHOTOS: © LAURA BARISONZI
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Bringing community gardens to Newark
Community gardens are important because they expose people to using spaces in their community for something good and also give them an opportunity to grow healthy foods.”
Ariyan Wint, age 14
For decades, Newark residents have had limited access to affordable, fresh, and healthy foods in many neigh borhoods throughout the municipality, with over 33 percent of the population living in a food desert. As a result, residents face a host of health challenges, including a 39 percent obesity rate, with 41 percent of residents reporting minimal to no physical activity or exercise and 17 percent experiencing mental health challenges, according to the CDC’s 500 Cities Project.
Now, we are bringing community gardens to Louise A. Spencer Elementary School , Lincoln Elementary School , and Central High School in collaboration with Natural Ground 1 and local partners. Thanks to funding from Nourishing Newark 2022, CSAA Insurance Group, and others, these additional hydroponic gardens and raised beds will grow hundreds of pounds of food each month.
“Gardens help to foster a healthy appreciation for what is inherently natural in nature,” says Renee Williams, a Louise A. Spencer School teacher.
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Public lands are essential to healthy, thriving communities. Our national parks, state forests, and other public lands inspire us with beautiful scenery, sustain us with fresh air and water, tell our stories, and employ us with good jobs. They enshrine our history and culture and, if we care for them, will safeguard our future from climate change.
“Public lands are so important—and Brick Township is proud to partner with the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust and TPL on this important acquisition project that ensures open space for passive and active recreation throughout our municipality. This property will remain open to the public for passive recreation in perpetuity, which will not only have an immediate benefit to our community but one that will last for generations to come,” said Mayor John G. Ducey.
“Our family fondly remembers our time spent in the woods, walking, picking blueberries, finding jack-in-thepulpits, seeing the many species of birds, building a treehouse, and riding bikes on the trails,” said Howard and Betty Gilbert.
Keeping the woods in their natural state was always one of our hopes and dreams, so others could enjoy nature. It is also important for environmental areas to be kept natural for air quality and to have a home for nature.”
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Howard and Betty Gilbert
These protected woods will continue to safeguard the water supply to the local area, help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through carbon sequestration, and provide open space and passive
© TPL STAFF
Laurelton Woods, Brick Township
Nestled within the bustling shore town of Brick in Ocean County, the Gilbert family has enjoyed the peacefulness of the woods next to their house for the past 42 years. Now, working with Trust for Public Land and other partners, they have preserved the nine-acre Laurelton Woods property for everyone to enjoy.
Secluded wooded oceanside property now protected
recreation opportunities to over 1,000 residents who live within a 10-minute walk.
© TPL STAFF
Broadway Park—and local organizations to get input about the issues that matter most to the community. Through interviews and survey results, the students identified priority environmental and cultural issues that the community hopes Broadway Park will address.
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As the sponsor of the referendum to create Newark’s Open Space Trust Fund, I am excited to see our investment in Broadway Park and other local parks projects. With TPL, the City will transform abandoned city-owned lots into much needed open space for the community.”
Green Team designs hands-on learning exhibits for future Broadway Park
Recognizing that community engagement is a crucial piece of TPL’s mission, the Green Team engaged residents from the Upper Broadway neighborhood to learn how a park could improve the area. They contacted staff at Luis Muñoz Marín School—located directly adjacent to
Anibal Ramos Jr., North Ward Councilmember
As a host organization for the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies internship, this is TPL’s second year guiding a Green Team of five students through the 10-week program. The students come from various educational backgrounds and majors but share a key similarity: their commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. This internship is the first professional work experience for many of our students.
Using the information they gathered through their research, the students developed several interactive exhibits to bring informal sustainability learning to Broadway Park. These designs are still in the initial stages, but they cover priority issues mentioned by residents, including food scarcity and growing seasons, waste management, and storm water runoff. We are excited to see their final creations!
The students were tasked with envisioning and co-creating hands-on learning spaces that will engage park visitors to explore sustainability concepts at Broadway Park in Newark. The Green Team also established working relationships with informal educators and exhibit designers to help guide them through their exhibit design. Keeping in line with TPL’s 10-minute walk goal, the students identified potential barriers to accessing the park and proposed possible solutions.
Almost every person brought up safety in the Upper Broadway neighborhood, leading the students to partner with the Newark Public Safety Collaborative and Newark’s 2nd Precinct to discuss ways to address the community’s concerns. Through investigative fieldwork, the students made correlations between what they witnessed in the 10-minute walk zone of the park and the community’s concerns for safety. This affirmed the need for a safe space for everyone to gather, play, and learn together. Community members expressed their hope that the park would represent the diverse culture of their neighborhood as to be welcoming to all.
Kristen Brennan , New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Carla Robinson , United Parks as One Ron Weston , Weston Architecture LLC
Bill Leavens , Musconetcong Watershed Association
Helen Mazarakis , Impact100 Essex
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Brian Quinn , Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
In January 2022, New Jersey Advisory Board member and longtime friend Bill Gibson passed away. Bill leaves a legacy of kindness and compassion that will far outlive him in the many projects and organizations he helped build and the thousands of lives he touched.
BOARD FELLOWS
NEW JERSEY ADVISORY BOARD
Carlos Pomares , Essex County Board of County Commissioners
Quitman Street Community School, Newark
Rose Cali, Philanthropist
Emma Lavin , PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies
Leonard Berkowitz , Helen & William Mazer Foundation
© NAOMI ELLENSON
Susan More , Atlantic Health Care
Jerry Flach , Valley Bank
A native son of Newark, Bill never forgot his roots and continued to support Newark communities until his death. An intrepid adventurer, a brilliant scientist, a trusted financial advisor, and a philanthropist,thoughtfulBillwillalways and forever be remembered as a good friend who loved the outdoors and cared deeply about others.
Join us
for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in New Jersey and beyond. not do this without you.
COVER, TOP: © ANTOINE SMITH/ADS PHOTOGRAPHY; © JOHN RAE; © JENNA STAMM; LARGE: © J. AVERY WHAM PHOTOGRAPHY; THIS PAGE: © BRAD HAMILTON
, New Jersey State Director 973.241.5259 | scott.dvorak@tpl.org
60 Park Place, Suite 901, Newark, New Jersey 07102
Scotttpl.org/donate/njDvorak
THANK YOU
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.
We could
Valerie Lynch, New Jersey Director of Philanthropy 973.241.7421 | valerie.lynch@tpl.org