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 TENNESSEE AND BEYOND
Thank you! Together we have built an incredible legacy across the country. 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 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.
Since 1987, The Trust for Public Land in Tennessee has preserved over 20,000 acres of land. We partner closely with the City of Chattanooga and serve as a consistent vision keeper for our communities. Our accomplishments are made possible by donors like you. You amplify community voices. You ensure public access to the wildlands and open spaces that define our region. You create parks, trails, and greenspaces for people all across Tennessee and the country to enjoy. We are so proud of everything we have accomplished so far—but more than that, we are excited for all the brilliant work that’s yet to come. Because we know this work is inspiring, it is necessary, and it is just the beginning.
BRAD SHELTON
Connecting the disconnected to green spaces Too often, entire communities lack clean and safe public spaces for recreation, exercise, and connecting with neighbors or surrounding neighborhoods. The Trust for Public Land invests in the communities that most need the public health, social, and economic benefits that come from a well-designed, community-supported park or trail system. Over the years, we’ve created a network of greenways and trails that connect people to some of Chattanooga’s most cherished natural and cultural resources. The Tennessee Riverwalk, Stringer’s Ridge, and the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway are all a result of our efforts. By creating open space, The Trust for Public Land has played a crucial role in Chattanooga’s renaissance, securing a higher quality of life for generations to come.
SOUTH CHICKAMAUGA CREEK G R E E N W AY Since 1994, we’ve partnered with the City and Regional Planning Commission in Chattanooga to implement a vision for nearly 100 miles of trails extending from the edge of the Tennessee River. This interconnected trail system links people from neighborhoods across Chattanooga to Lookout Mountain as well as federal, state, and city parklands. In 2016, we connected the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway to the Riverwalk thanks to a new 190-foot free span bridge over the creek. • Sterchi Farm Trailhead: In 2018, we began construction and completed phase one of the project, which included a rustic timber-frame pavilion, interactive environmental art piece, and improved parking. The City of Chattanooga responded by installing public restrooms and water fountains at the trailhead, muchneeded amenities for greenway users. We will play an advisory role as the city continues implementation of the master plan, beginning the next phase of improvements in 2020.
PHOTOS BY MARK GILLILAND
South Chickamauga Greenway Chattanooga, TN
PUBLIC ART CHATTANOOGA
Sterchi Farm Trailhead
Chattanooga, TN
• Cromwell Connector: With our partners, we are completing the final segment of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway—the Cromwell Connector—that will run along the creek behind the extremely isolated Cromwell Hills low-income housing community. Once built, the greenway will not only provide connectivity for trail users, but crucially, it will create new pedestrian, bicycle, and other non-motorized access into and out of the neighborhood for residents of Cromwell Hills.
STRINGER’S RIDGE A connection from White Oak Park in the heart of Red Bank to the 95-acre Stringer’s Ridge trail system was conceptualized during the formation of the original Stringer’s Ridge plan. We recently finalized all property acquisitions, plans, and construction documents needed to complete this corridor. Soon, this project will provide Red Bank residents access to the park for mountain biking, trail running, and hiking while also providing a safe and comfortable route for cyclists traveling between Red Bank and Chattanooga.
CROMWELL CONNECTOR Cromwell Hills has approximately 415 residents; 93 percent are African American, 48 percent are youth under the age of 20, 70 percent are women and girls, and 63 percent of households earn under $10,000 per year. Many residents do not have access to a personal vehicle, and public transportation is extremely limited. By developing this walking and bicycling path, we are creating a much-needed new route that is free, accessible, closeto-home, and connected to both everyday and citywide destinations. The closest grocery store is currently a two-hour bus ride away, but is expected to take 25 minutes on foot and 10 minutes by bicycle on the greenway. This new connectivity to Chattanooga will bring significant opportunity to the whole community, facilitating travel to work, school, shops, and other destinations.
Amplifying community voices to improve park access In 2018, The Trust for Public Land purchased a 1.3-mile former CSX rail line to transform it into the Alton Park Connector, a future shared-use path to walk and bike to nearby shops, jobs, and the Tennessee Riverpark. This project will be a new urban neighborhood connection to the 25-mile greenway system and will support transportation options for residents, including easy access to daily shopping and jobs for more than 1,800 residents who live within a half-mile of the trail. We’re leading the community through our signature participatory design process—listening to their needs and collecting their stories so that the trail reflects their culture and values. We are also adding new amenities to nearby Southside Community Park with guidance from local students who are providing input on their ideal park. Funding for this effort comes from The Trust for Public Land’s Community Impact Fund,
an internal fund that offers catalytic support for the highest-impact parks projects and helps them attract even more public and private funding. Our work along the rail line also received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Education Grant program to help residents of Alton Park understand water and soil contamination in their community while providing opportunities for students and families to connect with nearby nature. Through a feasibility study, we are also exploring a potential extension of the greenway system across Chattanooga Creek to Crabtree Farms, with pedestrian connections to the Clifton Hills and East Lake neighborhoods. Additionally, we are helping the city design pedestrian and bicycle connection improvements between neighborhood parks and schools in East Lake.
WMWA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
RIVERWALK
CSX TRAIL
OLD WAUHATCHIE PIKE
GUILD TRAIL CONNECTOR
CRABTREE FARMS NATURE WALK SOUTH CHATTANOOGA RECREATION CENTER
CRABTREE FARM POTENTIAL CONNECTION
GUILD TRAIL
S T .
E L M O SAFEWALK
VIRGINIA AVENUE TRAIL CHICKAMAUGA & CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
A L T O N
SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY PARK
C L I F T O N H I L L S
P A R K
COMPLETED SEGMENT FUTURE / IN-PROGRESS SEGMENT 0
375’
750’
1500’
Building climate-smart cities in Tennessee Parks are an example of green solutions that simultaneously address environmental impacts and make people’s lives better. Innovative parks can mitigate flooding, absorb excess carbon, and help reduce the urban heat island effect, while also providing communities with a quality place to connect with nature and be active outdoors. Through our Climate-Smart Cities™ program, we partner with city leaders and residents to design, fund, and build climate-smart parks and green spaces where they’re needed most. The cities of Chattanooga and Nashville both asked us to provide key planning and decision-making support to help achieve climate resilience by leveraging the power of green infrastructure for those who need it most. Together with city and community partners, we’re bringing cutting-edge science, geographic information systems (GIS) planning, and innovative design to drive park, open space, and green infrastructure solutions for a climate-resilient future.
Using science and community engagement to protect the cities’ most important natural places, our Climate-Smart Cities Nashville and Healthy Connected Chattanooga are GIS-driven tools to help planners prioritize projects—from building swales and stormwater catchment basins to planting trees and restoring wetlands. The tools combine geographic data about climate-related threats like flooding with data on public health, income, and neighborhood access to green space. Lynnbrook Park was the first future park identified using the Chattanooga decision-support tool; it will provide recreational access while also addressing environmental challenges like localized flooding and urban heat island effects. The park concept was developed by a local team lead by an artist and is being formalized by the City of Chattanooga to include stream and landscape restoration. And Climate-Smart Cities Nashville is being used to prioritize land acquisition and investments to provide equitable park access.
MARY ANN TWITTY
Future Lynnbrook Park Chattanooga, TN
Tennessee Advisory Board We are so grateful for our amazing volunteer leaders! J. Franklin Farrow, Chair Tom Lee AndrĂŠe LeQuire Roger Posacki
ADVOCACY IN ACTION Tennessee Advisory Board Member Tom Lee and Tennessee State Director Jenny Park both participated in Day on the Hill, meeting with five congressional offices to lobby for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWFC). As a direct result of these conversations, U.S. Representative Jim Cooper signed on as cosponsor of H.R.1334 Outdoors Recreation Legacy Partnership Grant Program Act, which would dedicate a percent of LWCF funding to local parks.
TPL STAFF
MARK GILLILAND
Thank you
for supporting our land-for-people mission in Tennessee and beyond. 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
Kase Martis Tennessee Director of Philanthropy 423.541.1887 | kase.martis@tpl.org Jenny Park Tennessee State Director 423.541.1884 | jenny.park@tpl.org 202 Tremont Street Chattanooga, TN 37405
COVER: TOP LEFT, BRAD SHELTON; TOP RIGHT, RICHARD FREEDA; MIDDLE ROW, TPL STAFF; BOTTOM, CHRISTOPHER T MARTIN.