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 YORK AND BEYOND
Thank you! Thank you for your support of The Trust for Public Land! Together with partners like you, we are improving life for millions of people in millions of wonderful ways: creating climate-resilient communities, boosting health and wellness, advancing economic opportunities and learning outcomes, conserving and protecting our most precious landscapes, and reconnecting people to the lands and experiences that bind us together. From the transformation of green schoolyards in New York, Georgia, and California to the conservation of places of adventure in Montana, Utah, and Maine—we couldn’t do this inspiring work without you. Working together, we have built an impactful legacy. Since 1972, The Trust for Public Land has helped connect over 8 million people with nature by protecting more than 3.6 million acres and completing more than 5,400 park and TIM SCHENCK
before
after
PS 384X Playground Bronx, NY
conservation projects in meaningful places. These special places become a trailhead to a lifetime of experience in nature and to exploring and protecting the parks and public lands we all own and love. Cities like Bridgeport, CT, and Oakland, CA, are building on the success of our vibrant playgrounds program here in New York—which has now transformed over 200 playgrounds in New York City. Beyond city limits, people are connecting to nature and enjoying time outside in places we helped to protect—from Sterling Forest in upstate New York to the stunning Trinity Divide along the Pacific Crest Trail in California. We are so proud of everything we have accomplished so far—but more than that, we are excited for all the work that’s yet to come. Because we know this work is inspiring, it is necessary, and it is just the beginning. Thank you for your partnership!
Over the past year, your support helped to… ENGAGE AND TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES In a burst of celebration this spring, the schoolyard at PS 354 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn—once a barren asphalt lot bounded by a chain link fence—reopened as a welcoming, healthy, green place to play, designed by students for the whole community. The reopening swelled with student jazz musicians, West Indian carnival dancers, and basketball players of all ages. The three schools that share the site can now bring their students outside for a number of activities—gardening, environmental workshops, tennis, basketball, running the track, or simply unbridled play! What’s more, the space is open to everyone after hours and on weekends, meaning over 20,000 Brooklynites now have a new close-tohome, community-designed greenspace to play in.
But PS 354 is not the only schoolyard where this transformation is taking place. The Trust for Public Land has now transformed 204 barren asphalt lots in NYC into thriving, green schoolyards in communities that need it most, and our New York playgrounds have inspired similar schoolyard transformations around the country in cities like Oakland, CA, and Bridgeport, CT.
Learn more about the power of playgrounds on page 6. PROTECT WORLD-CLASS WILDERNESS EXPERIENCES Beyond city limits, we are protecting land and connecting even more people and their communities to nature throughout New York State—from protecting the Appalachian Trail corridor to working with towns to create parks master plans, preserve community forests, or unlock new outdoor recreational opportunities.
TIM SCHENCK
PS 227
Queens, NY
In the years ahead, your support will help… I M P R O V E A C C E S S TO G R E E N S PA C E S We envision a New York State that is green, healthy, and livable—where all people have access to quality parks and the great outdoors regardless of where they call home. Whether you live in a small town, a rural area, a suburban community, or the heart of New York City—we are working with communities to protect public land and create new outdoor spaces where everyone can thrive. Thank you helping us to move this vision forward! EXTEND A TRAIL TO CONNECT ALL NEW YORK We are supporting an effort to extend the Empire State Trail to Long Island to create a truly statewide resource and to respond to demand for a multi-use trail from New York City to Long Island. The Empire State Trail is a bold vision: a 750-mile trail that will connect the New York/Canadian border to New York City, providing a multi-use path that connects people to nature across the state. We believe the trail should not stop in New York City as currently proposed, but should extend to the 7.5 million residents of Long Island. That’s
why we’re working closely with our partners to develop this 175-mile plan and help make the trail extension a reality. Our nationwide experience in buying abandoned rail corridors and revitalizing underused infrastructure and land though imaginative planning and designs is perfectly suited to support the expansion of this trail. We have completed an initial feasibility report, including a proposed route and timeline—to guide next steps in the creation of the trail—and are undertaking the next phase of implementation. This year, we are focusing on designing and developing an implementation plan for a pilot trail segment—a 21-mile, off-road stretch that extends through both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, connects three existing parks, and intersects the Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail. This trail is truly a large-scale visionary project, and The Trust for Public Land is proud to help make this community-led vision a reality for all of Long Island and New York State.
STEVE AARON
CONNECT MORE PEOPLE TO DY N A M I C O U T D O O R P L AC E S TO E X P E R I E N C E N AT U R E We know that our ability to enjoy the outdoors should not be limited by who we are, where we come from, or how much money we earn. Access to the great outdoors is a basic human right essential to equity, health, and the wellbeing of our communities. We are helping cities throughout the state develop parks master plans, strengthening communities through our playgrounds program while addressing some of the worst impacts of climate change, and building new partnerships with hospitals and healthcare providers to bring our Fitness Zone® program to New York City residents for the very first time.
In Middletown, NY, we worked with the town to protect its watershed and open up 1,200 acres of lakes, meadows and forests for the public to enjoy. Near and far, The Trust for Public Land is putting communities at the center of parks and public land decisions. Every park we build reflects its neighborhood’s special identity, culture, and character. Each green space represents a new opportunity to bring great parks and outdoor amenities to even more people. We could not accomplish this work without the support of friends and partners who believe in the importance of our mission—creating parks and protecting land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Thank you!
Steve Aaron
Middletown Highland Lake Middletown, NY
The power of playgrounds
The power of playgrounds
Since 1996, The Trust for Public Land has built or designed
over 200 playgrounds in all five boroughs.
We’ve placed
4,000,000 New Yorkers within a
Planted over
10-minute walk of
3,600
a playground
trees
Captured 19,000,000 gallons of stormwater annually
And involved over 6,800 students in the design process
‘‘
This schoolyard demonstrates the value of student voices.Watching our ideas take shape right outside the windows of our classroom has given us a huge sense of pride.” ALLISON CRUZ, 5TH GRADER AT PS 213K
Help us create more playgrounds in communities that need them the most. Visit tpl.org/newyork to learn more.
TIMOTHY SCHENCK
PS 213K
Brooklyn, NY
We are so grateful for the support of our exceptional volunteer leaders! New York Advisory Board
New York Emeritus Circle
Next Gen Steering Committee
Jonathan Wiesner, Chair Vanessa Ana Barboni Craig Dessen Alexander Durst Steven G. Horowitz Sarah Jackson Tom A. Javits Beth A. Maher Richard A. Miller Miles Pincus David Poppe David Ragins Lisa Sarajian Jaclyn Martinez Schut Rohan Singal Sharon Volckhausen Peter Wolf
Dudley Del Balso Catherine M. Coates Cathy Brienza Ingram Chuck Laven Janet Nelson
Rayane Achich Olivia Bensinger Shannon Cusick Emily Golloub Jasmine Graham Annie Harvey Joe Holleran Ben Jordan Praneeta Nagraj Kristen Owen Avery Pagán Mahala Pagán Franklin Parker Sri Pisupati Meredith Roy Rohan Singal Sumi Singh Emma Tuzinkiewicz Mariel Villeré Tyler Wallace
Leadership Circle Joseph DiMona Penelope I. Low Caleb Linville & Alex Kendall
TIMOTHY SCHENCK
Thank you
to all of our donors and partners who inspire us to protect land and create parks for people in New York. We couldn’t do it without you!
NYC COUNCIL MEMBER RAFAEL SALAMANCA JR. AND BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT RUBEN DIAZ JR. CELEBRATE WITH STUDENTS AT THE OPENING OF PS 384’S NEW PLAYGROUND
Join us. The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
tpl.org
To make a donation in support of our work in New York, please visit www.tpl.org/newyork
Carter Strickland State Director, New York 212.574.6868 | carter.strickland@tpl.org Leslie Brauman Senior Director of Philanthropy 212.574.6890 | leslie.brauman@tpl.org 666 Broadway, 9th Floor New York, NY 10012
COVER: TOP LEFT: PS 261K PLAYGROUND, BROOKLYN, NY | PEDRO DIEZ; TOP RIGHT: LA CIMA CHARTER SCHOOL, BROOKLYN, NY | TPL STAFF; MIDDLE LEFT: PS 354 KIPP ACADEMY, BROOKLYN, NY | TIMOTHY SCHENCK; MIDDLE RIGHT: MIDDLETOWN RESERVOIR TRAILS, MIDDLETOWN, NY | STEVE AARON; BOTTOM: RAMAPO TORNE, SLOATSBURG, NY | STEVE AARON.