The Trust for Public Land in Ohio T HERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF
in 2021
A ND MORE TO LOOK FORWA RD TO IN T HE Y E A R A HE A D
INTRODUCTION As a Trust for Public Land supporter, you are contributing to healthy, equitable, resilient communities. Like you, we believe that green spaces are precious and that everyone deserves access to nature. In early 2020, when the pandemic first limited travel and inside gatherings, Ohioans turned to nearby open spaces, rediscovering the ease and stress-free joys of walking, camping, and picnicking—first solo, and then again with family. But this mass movement outdoors also exposed that not everyone has equal access to the outdoors. As our state recovers from COVID-19, equitable access to nature’s myriad benefits is more important than ever. Now is the time to champion the pivotal role of parks in addressing inequities and ensure that the healing power of nature is available to all.
The Trust for Public Land is committed to advancing equity, health, and climate resilience through nature in every community we serve. Since 1972, we have created more than 5,000 parks and green spaces, safeguarded more than 3.7 million acres, put a park within a 10-minute walk of home for more than 9 million people, and generated more than $85 billion in public funding for parks, trails, and open spaces. In Ohio, we are excited about potentially partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to expand the Wayne National Forest by more than 3,000 acres—adding to the largest Ohio project in our history that acquired 2,400 acres for the Wayne National Forest in 1978. And, now, residents and visitors can travel the entire 110-mile Towpath Trail to the shores of Lake Erie for the first time with the historic ribbon cutting of the Wendy Park Bridge in June 2021. Thank you for creating happier, healthier neighborhoods where all people can thrive!
KYLE LANZER, CLEVELAND METROPARKS
Wendy Park Bridge Cleveland, OH
SPOTLIGHT ON CARGILL DEICING TECHNOLOGY PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN AND HIS FAMILY
In 2016, Cargill Deicing Technology made their largest philanthropic gift ever to help complete a decadeslong vision to connect the 110-mile Towpath Trail to Lake Erie to expand recreational access in Cleveland’s industrial downtown.
We are incredibly grateful to our Cargill friends— especially Ken Howe, a Trust for Public Land Ohio Advisory Board member—for connecting Cargill’s philanthropic goals with our work. In celebration of the Wendy Park Bridge connecting the Towpath Trail to Lake Erie, we invited Ken to reflect on Cargill’s historic commitment.
WHY IS ACCESS TO NATURE SO CRITICAL? For me, access to the outdoors has always been a core part of who I am and how I connect with nature. As a runner and biker, I’m outside enjoying trails and parks almost every day. The pandemic has even further underscored the importance of that access—especially the health and wellness benefits of having close-to-home access and the critical connections. We need to make it so that everyone can enjoy the same benefits across all communities.
WHAT SPARKED YOUR PASSION FOR THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND? What drew me to The Trust for Public Land is the focus on people—creating parks for people and increasing access to nature and the outdoors for all. That The Trust for Public Land works with residents and communities to turn their visions and dreams into reality is powerful. Getting to know the Lakeview Terrace community through our work on the Lake Link Trail and basketball court renovation, I realize how critical it is to center the community in all we do. And to be a part of an effort that safely connects families at Lakeview Terrace to the lake for the first time in nearly 80 years—I could think of no better place to be.
WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR CARGILL TO SUPPORT THE LAKE LINK TRAIL AND WENDY PARK BRIDGE? Cargill wanted very much to be part of the conversation and to have a say in the solution while also ensuring the safety of our employees and contractors. The fact that it helped connect thousands of people to the lake and also highlighted the ongoing industrial heritage of Cleveland was important to us. I think we were able to demonstrate our commitment to the community in a very tangible way and show that we care about these issues.
For me, access to the outdoors “has always been a core part of who I am and how I connect with nature.
”
CLOSING THE PARK DIVIDE JOSHUA DOBAY
Lakeview Terrace Cleveland, OH
Some neighborhoods have vibrant, inviting playgrounds, lush green parks and trails, bustling businesses, and plenty of welcoming public spaces. Others do not. In fact, more than 100 million people across America—one-third of us— do not have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. Closing the park divide and ensuring that everyone has close-to-home access to nature is an urgent and essential building block to advancing equity in our country. Low-income communities have seen a disproportionately low share of parks and open space investment, limiting their opportunities for social connection, accelerating poor health outcomes, and putting entire neighborhoods at greater risk of rising temperatures and severe weather. Using our Climate-Smart Cities™ Cleveland analysis and Advancing Park Equity report, we are creating parks that provide maximum benefit to nearby residents. Working with neighborhood groups, students, residents, and the city, we put
community at the center of our work. We augment local leaders’ expertise with national resources in finance, government, law, policy, logistics, data, and community organizing to achieve their selfidentified goals. With your help, we are partnering with Cleveland residents to create meaningful change by building a new park in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood and identifying park renovation opportunities in more communities.
You can help!
Join us as we raise $375,000 to: • Create new close-to-home park access for 3,000 residents with Clark Avenue Park • Use our park expertise to identify future sites for green spaces • Help communities become more resilient and ready for change
SUPPORTING OUR PARTNERS
We launched the Equitable Communities Fund (ECF) to energize the efforts of disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities nationwide who need resources, capacity, and financial support to accelerate the creation of parks and open space.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RECESS CLEVELAND
COVID-19 has proven the importance of parks and open spaces to our quality of life. The Trust for Public Land believes that when there is equal access to nature, communities will be stronger, healthier, more livable, and more connected.
Thanks to ECF donors, we awarded $200,000 in grants to eight community partners integral in supporting great parks for their neighborhoods. We proudly awarded $30,000 to our local Ohio partners at Recess Cleveland.
RECESS CLEVELAND Our partners at Recess Cleveland know play is powerful, so they use it to help families exercise more, relieve mental stress, do good, and connect with their community. With expertise in creative play, Recess Cleveland uses 90 different games to unite communities through organized playtime. Last March, we partnered together in the ClarkFulton and Stockyards neighborhoods on projects like our Parks Unlimited Activity Book to engage residents on outdoor amenities they want to see at their park, so we can build healthier, more equitable communities! ECF funding will help Recess Cleveland host more pop-up events to activate green spaces and will enable us to fabricate co-branded shipping containers for even more pop-up park activities in the Union-Miles neighborhood.
Once [people] show up and “ the games start, [they] see how much fun everyone is having, and those barriers we all have up begin to break down. – Alexander Robertson Recess Cleveland, executive director
”
PUBLIC LAND FOR PUBLIC GOOD Land is the foundation upon which we can build a healthy and equitable future for everyone across America. Our national and state parks, community forests, farms, ranchland, and other landscapes embody and reflect our cultural identities while providing a range of critical benefits, including clean air and water, recreation, and jobs. But the future of the lands we love and rely on are threatened. Every day we lose 6,000 acres of land to development. By 2050 our country could lose 23 million acres of forest—enough trees to cover the entire state of Indiana. Rampant development and climate change impacts like flooding and extreme storms degrade and destroy open spaces at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, interest in the outdoors is peaking. This has been an economic boon for many
communities, but has also strained ecosystems and the institutions that maintain and protect them. We believe that the health of land and people are inextricably linked. Using data analytics, innovative planning technology, and deep engagement, The Trust for Public Land works alongside communities to identify where parks and public land are most needed—and then we make that vision a reality.
WAYNE NATIONAL FOREST In 1978, The Trust for Public Land acquired a historic 2,400 acres in Lawrence and Scioto counties for the U.S. Forest Service to expand the Wayne National Forest. Today, we are working with a family in Ironton in hopes of transferring over 3,400 acres to continue the expansion of Ohio’s only national forest. CHRIS BENNETT
Lake Link Trail
Cleveland, OH
MOHICAN-MEMORIAL STATE FOREST For many Northeast and Central Ohioans, the Mohican region is a well-known destination for hiking, camping, fishing, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Located in Ashland County, situated halfway between Cleveland and Columbus, many visitors travel to admire the Clear Fork Gorge—left behind from the Wisconinan, the last glacier to enter Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources approached The Trust for Public Land to acquire nearly 120 acres of forest to expand the Mohican-Memorial State Forest surrounding the Mohican State Park.
You can help!
Join us as we raise $475,000 to: • Expand recreational access in the Mohican-Memorial State Forest and the Wayne National Forest • Preserve and protect critical wetlands and riparian buffers for Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River
KELLY FORTENER
Glen Helen Nature Preserve
Yellow Springs, OH
Ohio Advisory Board We are so grateful for our volunteer leaders! Dylan Beach, GOJO Industries, Inc. Aparna Bole, MD, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Kristin Walker Boose, Ulmer & Berne LLP Raymond Evans, Retired, FirstEnergy Corp.† Eric Fiala, KeyBank Kenneth G. Howe, Retired, Cargill Deicing Technology
Karl Kleinert, CohnReznick Jenita McGowan, Eaton Corporation Christine Rupert, Cargill Deicing Technology Siu Yan Scott, Case Western Reserve University Dana Wojno, Swagelok †
Chair
BACK COVER: TPL STAFF • FRONT COVER: 1-4 CHRIS BENNETT; 5 DARCY KIEFEL.
Thank you for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in Ohio and beyond. We couldn’t do this without you.
Join us 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
Rachel Baird Institutional Giving Manager, Midwest 312.564.8173 | rachel.baird@tpl.org Sean Terry Ohio Parks for People Program Director 773.727.5296 | sean.terry@tpl.org 1250 Old River Road, Suite 202 Cleveland, OH 44113