The Trust for Public Land in Action: 2018 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 JERSEY
Introduction Thanks to your involvement and support, today more than 8 million people across the country live within a 10-minute walk of a place created or protected by The Trust for Public Land—and countless more visit these sites each year. Here at home, even though many New Jerseyans live within a 10-minute walk of a park we’ve created or helped to conserve, wildlands continue to be threatened by economic development and thousands of urban residents lack access to high quality outdoor public spaces. We still have a lot of work to do. In cities like Newark and Morristown, residents can enjoy beautiful outdoor public spaces they’ve helped us to create. New Jersey schoolchildren not yet living near a park will soon enjoy a beautiful
place to play thanks to new state-of-the-art green schoolyards that capture stormwater runoff. Community members in New Brunswick, Passaic, and Camden are making their voices heard as they help shape the design of future public spaces that will increase park equity for low-income residents. We recently helped to add additional acres of protected land to the Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area, a pristine landscape essential to the natural splendor of the New Jersey Highlands. In the following pages, we share stories about recent successes—like the opening of the newest phase of Newark Riverfront Park, preservation of the Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area, and support from the National Endowment for the Arts for our efforts in Camden, NJ. Thanks to you, neighbors are better connected to each other, school students have safe and vibrant learning playgrounds, and communities are more environmentally resilient because of the acres of open space we helped to conserve, and the new public green spaces we helped to make.
ANTOINE SMITH / ADS PHOTOGRAPHY
Lafayette Street School Newark, NJ
Lafayette Street School ANTOINE SMITH / ADS PHOTOGRAPHY
Now that the Lafayette Street School Playground in Newark, NJ, is complete, the students are excited to enjoy their new, vibrant play space! IMANI, GRADE 8 “When students of all grades walked out onto the redecorated area, their mouths dropped. The newly painted walls were astonishing, while the many opportunities of entertainments were visibly clear. We have been provided with a soccer field, a jungle gym, slides – even a place where one can play chess! This playground exceeded its expectations of students, and teachers.”
A S H L E Y, G R A D E 8 “It has made all of us happy and showed us that now our new playground is safer, more fun, and helps us interact with each other.”
SEAN, GRADE 8 “The playground, if you could have called it a playground, used to be a slab of concrete that caused kids to constantly get injured. However, now with the new playground there is now a variety of activities that the students can take part in. This now will benefit the student’s educational abilities. This is why I love my new playground.”
ANTOINE SMITH / ADS PHOTOGRAPHY
Lafayette Street School Newark, NJ
COLIN COOKE
Newark Riverfront Park Newark, NJ
Newark Riverfront Park Expansion Where in the world can you learn the afroBrazilian martial art of capoeira, play chess, and take a waterfront yoga class? Along Newark’s Riverfront Park! Long neglected, the banks of the Passaic River have recently become a hub of excitement and activity for Newarkers. The latest expansion of Newark Riverfront Park opened this year, building upon the original park that debuted in 2013. Newark Riverfront Park provides access to a park for more than 19,000 adults and children who live within a 10-minute walk. The new space increases equity and park use, and provides opportunities for outdoor fitness and recreation. A signature feature of the park is the Horizon Wellness Trail, marked at 1/8 mile intervals to encourage and track progress toward fitness goals. The trail also features a Fitness Zone® area – durable outdoor gym equipment that supports cardiovascular and muscle health, and promotes flexibility.
The four-acre park also addresses sustainability through thoughtful landscape design and brings arts and cultural experiences to the community through Newark Riverfront Revival programming. Most importantly, Newark Riverfront Park is now a community hub for Ironbound residents and all Newark residents. “This is a Newark Park, our urban oasis in the city. It’s one of the most peaceful and picturesque places in the city,” says Marcy DePina, director of Newark Riverfront Revival. Through her organization, the park features daily activities including Zumba, yoga, running and walking clubs, fitness activities, movie nights, food trucks, kids activities, boating, chess, performance, public art, and DJs. Park neighbors even organized a Tiny Bubbles event for toddlers and moms. “It’s important to have things to do for our kids,” said one local mom. “Then we figured there’s other kids in the city, so bring them along!”
COLIN COOKE
Discovering the wonders of nature JOHN RAE
Barnegat Bay
Ocean County, NJ
Protecting the New Jersey Highlands In the New Jersey Highlands, the Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area in Jefferson Township, Morris County, has grown by another 106 acres. The New Jersey Highlands have been a conservation priority for The Trust for Public Land since 1997 and we have since conserved more than 8,000 acres of open land in the area.
The dense forest cover, steep slopes, and bedrock outcrops of the new addition provide ideal wildlife habitat for the federally threatened northern long-eared bat and the state endangered golden-winged warbler, bobcat, red-shouldered hawk and timber rattlesnake that live in the area. The land is adjacent to both Jefferson Township and state-owned open space lands and it adjoins a significant greenway of protected land running all the way to Sparta Mountain and Newark Watershed lands to the north.
In 2004, the State Legislature of New Jersey passed the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act which recognizes the significance and value of the region. While the 1,300 square miles of the Highlands covers less than 15 percent of New Jersey, it provides drinking water to 70 percent of its residents with its pristine aquifers and underground reservoirs.
Hikers traveling the adjacent state- and townshipowned open space can extend their hike and enjoy views from the power line which runs north and south through the property. TPL STAFF
TPL STAFF
Raising community voices in Camden Whose line is it anyway? Dialogue among residents is a key to developing a shared community vision. When people come together for authentic conversations about the issues in their neighborhood, they become actors in their own narrative, shaping the outcome for positive changes. In Camden, NJ, The Trust for Public Land is working in partnership with The Theatre of the Oppressed, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, to bring Camden’s issues to center stage. Through forum theatre approach, audience members will insert themselves as characters in a skit that doesn’t initially end well, acting out alternative endings. Our goal is for these community-generated solutions to build the foundation and connections needed to support stewardship at North Camden’s new parks. This is one innovative way we’re working to engage communities in a holistic approach to park design and development in Camden. The city, once considered to be the most violent community in America, is at the epicenter of environmental, social, and economic justice reform. Our Parks for People—Camden program seeks to use parks to address broad challenges around
community cohesion and environmental justice. In partnership with The City of Camden, Camden City School District and multiple non-profits, we are pairing park creation efforts with existing city investments, helping to meet multiple community priorities. Currently focused on North Camden, our four projects include two green schoolyards, one park renovation and one walking and biking path under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, providing green, healthy community spaces for nearly 8,000 residents. Each space will reflect our strategic approaches to equity and inclusion, community health, climate resilience, education, and stewardship. For example, we’re using parks to reduce the combined sewage flooding that inundates Camden’s streams, streets, and even homes. With the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, we’re using rain gardens and other landscape features to manage stormwater, while also promoting community health, education, recreation, and cohesion. We seek to expand our program beyond North Camden, to uplift the voice of residents and contribute to Camden’s resurgence. We look to support Camden Rising!
TEND LANDSCAPE INC.
Dominick Andujar Park rendering
New Jersey CO M P L E T E D A N D C U R R E N T P R OJ E CT S
In New Jersey, The Trust for Public Land has completed 15 Create projects and 180 Protect projects (protecting 29,638 acres of land).
NEW YORK CONNECTICUT Sussex County
Rockaway River WMA Addition Morristown Field Club
Untermeyer Lake Passaic County
Emerson Golf Course
Warren County
Loyola Retreat
Bergen County
Vallevue
Passaic Newark
Morris County
Essex County
Shabbecong Mountain Preserve
Harrison Waterfront Hudson County
Union County
Newark Riverfront Park Lafayette Street School Carteret Park Fitness Zone®
Hunterdon County
Somerset County
New Brunswick Middlesex County
PENNSYLVANIA Mercer County
O c e a n
Monmouth County
Allentown Greenbelt Blueberry Acres NEW JERSEY
Bear Swamp
t i c
Ocean County
Camden
l a
n
Pancoast Road Link Burlington County
A
t
Camden County
Silver Lake
Salem County
Gloucester County
Rosemma Wetlands
Atlantic County
The Trust for Public Land Current Protect project
Cumberland County
Current Create city Completed Protect project (2015 - June 2018) Other completed Protect project
MARYLAND DELAWARE
Completed Create project (2015 - June 2018)
Cape May County
Other completed Create project
State boundary County boundary Federal land Township or other public or protected land
0
New Jersey
5
10
Miles
±
Protect = land protection project Create = park development/restoration, Fitness Zone®, garden, playground, or greenway project
Protecting South Mountain – The Appalachian Trail for local residents, conserve critical habitat for aquatic species and fishing, and preserve the rural character of Cumberland County.
At the heart of our work is our belief in access to the outdoors for all. We believe that every person should have access to a great outdoor experience.
The Trust for Public Land, with the help of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the South Mountain Partnership, and donors like you, protected 118 acres of forested land adjacent to the Appalachian Trail in Cumberland County. Completed in January 2018, the South Mountain open space addition to the popular Michaux State Forest preserves scenic views for trail hikers and has the potential to enhance access to the trail through opportunities for a new trailhead and parking area. Located within a few hours’ drive of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, South Mountain provides access to parks, open spaces, and waterways, and enhances recreational trails for thousands of residents and tourists. This open space also helps to safeguard drinking water
KATHY HAAKE
Intrepid hikers often venture to Pennsylvania’s 230-mile portion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail for a sense of adventure and taste of our state’s scenic vistas and rural character. While the trail’s historic footpath is well-established and is almost entirely protected, the surrounding lands, including those in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are at risk for residential development and other pressures.
The South Mountain land protection project is part of The Trust for Public Land’s strategic vision for the Appalachian Trail. South Mountain is one of 12 vulnerable properties we identified as priorities for preserving scenic views and protecting the quality and character of the small towns touched by the trail. Stretching 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine—and hosting 3 million visitors per year— the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is America’s most iconic long-distance hiking trail and a unit of the National Park system. But while its place in American history may be firmly established, its future is less secure. The Trust for Public Land is joining with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the National Park Service to protect the trail at its weakest and most vulnerable sections.
Appalachian Trail
New Jersey Advisory Board We are so grateful for the support of our exceptional leaders! William Gibson, Bernardsville Jim Gibson, Basking Ridge Len Berkowitz, Berkeley Heights Randi Kronthal-Sacco, West Windsor Susan More, Oldwick
Pat O’Connell, Princeton Brian Quinn, Chair, Gladstone Nick Silitch, New York Ron Weston, West Orange
J. AVERY WHAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Nat Turner Park Newark, NJ
T H A N K Y O U for your generous support of The Trust for Public Land. Your contributions have propelled us forward, delivering a multitude of benefits to residents in communities throughout the region. Together we’ve served hundreds of thousands of people locally and many more throughout the United States, building stronger places and citizens. We look forward to all that we will do together next year, and for many years to come.
SETH SHERMAN
Thank you
for supporting The Trust for Public Land as we work to protect land and create parks for people. 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
Scott Dvorak Program Director 973.998.9440 x303 | scott.dvorak@tpl.org Samantha Piccolo Director of Philanthropy 215.240.7682 | samantha.piccolo@tpl.org 60 Park Place, Suite 203 Newark, NJ 07102
COVER: TOP LEFT, ANTOINE SMITH ADS PHOTOGRAPHY; TOP RIGHT, BRAD HAMILTON; MIDDLE LEFT, DWIGHT HISCANO; MIDDLE RIGHT, TPL STAFF; BOTTOM, ANTOINE SMITH ADS PHOTOGRAPHY.