Pennsylvania
THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF IN 2022 AND MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD
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generous support in Pennsylvania, hundreds of thousands of residents in the Common wealth have access to all the benefits natures provides.
Thank you for being a TPL champion!
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
Principal Deanna Logan at William Cramp School in Philadelphia, PA
© TPL STAFF
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.
The impact of your giving is felt across the country— from transformed schoolyards in Philadelphia to extended greenways in Tennessee and beyond. Together, we are ensuring everyone can benefit from nature’s healing and unifying powers. Thank you again.
This really means something to [students]. Neighbors, parents, teachers, everyone can’t wait to get out there.”
schoolyards makes a life-changing difference for students and their families. That is why we are working with communities in Philadelphia and across the country to create green schoolyards where neighbors can come together to play, socialize, exercise, and learn.
Students at Lowell used to play soccer on hot, uneven asphalt and weave between parked cars to play tag with their classmates. Now, they have an inspiring space for recess and after-school programs, complete with a running track, jungle gym, and multi-use grass field. Teachers can hold lessons outside and neighbors can exercise or garden in this wonderful space. The new schoolyard now serves more than 500 K-4 students and over 15,000 residents—including nearly 4,500 children— that live within a 10-minute walk of the school.
We look forward to building two additional schoolyards in the coming year. Add B. Anderson School in West
Transformingrespectively.
Chantal Barr, Lowell principal
POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP Sixers Youth Foundation
© AMBER OSBORNE
In May 2022, TPL, the School District of Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia, the Sixers Youth Foundation, and the entire James R. Lowell Elementary School community celebrated the opening of a newly renovated Community Schoolyard™.
Philadelphia and F. Amadee Bregy School in South Philadelphia are both scheduled to open in the 2022–23 academic year. These schools will provide improved park access to more than 9,400 and 8,600 residents,
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Molina Elementary serves 480 students in grades three through eight. Over 6,500 residents live within a 10-minute walk of the school, making this space crucial for increasing access to the outdoors.
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This project included a new play equipment, permeable safety turf, water-permeable pavers, and two large experiential rain gardens with adjacent seating and stepping stones. Combined, these rain gardens allowed for the disconnection of 53,000 square feet of impervious drainage area from Camden’s combined sewer system, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million gallons captured annually.
BOTH PHOTOS: © TPL STAFF
Increasing climate resilience with schoolyards
The project has already reduced localized flooding in the community as stormwater from the roadway is funneled into the rain gardens from an off-site stretch of roadway that has experienced historically severe flood damage.
Like many cities that rely on a combined sewer system to manage stormwater and wastewater, Camden has been plagued by sewer overflows that threaten water quality while decreasing quality of life for residents. In Camden it is particularly severe: a one-inch rainstorm can leave major roads impassable, turn parking lots into stagnant lakes, and send sewage into parks, homes, and waterways.
“This new community schoolyard offers students and the entire North Camden community a natural, protected park space to learn and gather while providing critical stormwater management.”
“For too long Mastery Molina Upper Elementary students and families were forced to navigate around and through large stretches of stormwater and sewage as they entered the schoolyard,” said Justin Dennis, TPL’s Camden Program Director.
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Growing the program:ACCELERATINGScrantonACTION
Community Schoolyards™ are a low-cost, effective solution to park access that promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce educational disparities, and improve educational outcomes, while making underserved communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
By evaluating water quality, urban heat, physical activity levels, mental health, and social and demographic metrics, our national community schoolyards prioritization tool identified Scranton School District as one of the districts that would benefit the most from the Community Schoolyards model. We are launching our first schoolyard transformation at John F. Kennedy, one of three elementary schools in South Scranton, which serves over 400 PK, K–5th grade students. With the school and community stakeholders, we will transform the asphalt campus into a purposeful green schoolyard that is accessible to the community after school and on weekends.
TPL is thrilled to partner with the City of Scranton, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, and other city leaders as part of the Scranton Park Equity Accelerator. This yearlong effort will increase equitable park access by creating “complete streets” with safe routes linked to local parks, and aligning park amenities with community priorities. TPL’s resources and technical assistance will support the systemic advancement of local park equity goals through policy change and practical innovation.
© TPL STAFF
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TPL believes access to nature is a fundamental human need. Unfortunately, one in five Scranton residents do not have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. In communities living with low incomes and communities of color, parks are smaller and of lower quality, are less well-maintained, and have fewer programs than parks in higher-income or white communities.
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Now is the time to act.
To empower locals to access these funds, we will develop map-based tools to identify and pursue high-impact conservation opportunities and provide direct assistance for grant applications.
Across the Commonwealth, millions of acres are protected for conservation and recreation. Yet too many Pennsylvanians face challenges accessing these spaces, resulting in a lack of connection to natural resources, and a missed opportunity to create more recreation-focused economies.
In Pennsylvania, the Lab conducted an analysis on all public access open space in the state to identify areas of greatest need, and opportunities to expand access for the 2020-24 State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). Today, SCORP is used to identify and promote strategies that harness the power of parks and public lands to improve public health, strengthen climate resilience, and redress historic inequities in our communities.
Opening access to federal funds
LAND AND PEOPLE LAB
By demystifying the application process and mobilizing communities to better understand how land protection serves their unique needs, we will strengthen local capacity to access federal funds for conservation and recreation.
TPL’s 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.
© CLARK JONES
Never before has there been so much at stake and so much opportunity. The federal funding for conservation is at historic highs. In FY21, funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was more than double the average of the previous five years. To access these funds, states must identify and pursue investment priorities as quickly as possible because unspent funds are remitted to other states.
Owen Franklin Pennsylvania State Director owen.franklin215.240.7685@ tpl.org Sam Piccolo Director of Philadelphia,Suite1608samantha.piccolo215.873.1429Philanthropy@tpl.orgWalnutStreet302PA19103
Join us
CURRENT OPPORTUNITIESFUNDING
Leave a legacy: Create an even bigger impact by demonstrating your commitment to outdoor connections and making a gift through your will, trust, charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust, beneficiary designation, or appreciated assets.
THANK YOU
for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in Pennsylvania and beyond.
We could not do this without you.
COVER: © TPL STAFF; THIS PAGE: © JENNA STAMM
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/pa
Our work in Pennsylvania is made possible thanks to the generosity of foundations, companies, and individuals like you.
Community Schoolyards™: Transform barren schoolyards into vibrant green spaces for learning and play.
Trust for Public Land: Give a gift to connect everyone to the outdoors.
