Texas
THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF IN 2022 AND MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD
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
• Partnered with the Glen Oaks neighborhood to begin developing a master plan for the new 82-acre Woody Branch Park in Dallas;
generous support, our program in Texas is looking stronger than ever. In the last year we:
Thank you for being a TPL champion!
• Welcomed Fort Worth into the first cohort of cities participating in TPL’s 10-Minute Walk Park Equity Accelerator program and;
• Celebrated with our partners in Dallas the grand opening of the 20th Cool School Neighborhood Park;
• Broke ground on the new 40-acre Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park in Dallas;
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The impact of your giving is felt across the state—from Five Mile Creek in Dallas to the halls of the Texas Legislature in Austin and beyond. Together, we are ensuring everyone can benefit from nature’s healing and unifying powers. Thank you again.
• Released a research report about policies the State of Texas could adopt to increase funding for conservation statewide.
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.
Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park, Dallas
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Our Five Mile Creek Greenbelt in Dallas is coming to life. Stretching across the Oak Cliff neighborhood, Five Mile Creek and its tributaries carve a series of lush valleys through the rolling hills of the area. Despite being home to over 185,000 residents, only 54 percent of the area has a park or trail within a 10-minute walk of home—far below the citywide average of 74 percent. TPL has been developing a network of parks and trails in the neighborhood that provides access to its remarkable natural beauty within walking distance of thousands.
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In June, more than 350 residents came together to celebrate the groundbreaking of Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park, the second park TPL is developing within the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt. TPL purchased this 40-acre property in 2019, and since then has worked with the residents of the surrounding Highland Hills neighborhood to develop a master plan for the park that reflects their priorities. The groundbreaking was a joyous celebration of not only the start of construction on the park, but also the life and legacy of the park’s namesake, Judge Charles R. Rose, a longtime community leader for the neighborhood.
Once opened in 2023, the expansive park will feature shaded gathering spaces, offering residents a place to host events and spend time with family and friends. The State Farm Good Neighbor Outdoor Classroom will include a pavilion, free Wi-Fi, and solar-powered lighting. Several acres of blackland prairie will be restored for wildlife while preserved woodland will offer a scenic walking trail for outdoor enthusiasts. With an all-abilities playground, community-inspired art, and multiple spacious lawns, there will be plenty of room for everyone to play and picnic. And, as part of the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt, the park will connect to the city’s growing trail system, inviting exploration of the Trinity River and its neighboring communities.
fellow legislators had made a bipartisan motion to allocate $1 million in the state budget for a new park named in honor of her late father. After discussing with local city council member Tennell Atkins, it was decided to allocate the grant to the as-of-then unnamed 40-acre park TPL was developing in southern Dallas. Three years later and the community could not be more excited to break ground on Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park.
It is a sunny summer morning in the Highland Hills neighborhood of southern Dallas, and the air is hot. Although the thermometer registers over 90 degrees, that is not stopping community members from coming out in droves to a 40-acre vacant field in their neighborhood to celebrate the groundbreaking of Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park. By the time the ceremony starts, more than 350 people have joined the event, filling all the seats under the tent and spilling out into the surrounding clearing.
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Judge Charles R. Rose, Representative Rose’s father, passed in the spring of 2019 while she was in the middle of the legislative session in Austin. Representative Rose took a leave of absence from the Capitol to be with her family, and when she returned, she learned that her
TPL champion spotlight: Rep. Toni Rose
Judge Charles R. Rose dedicated his life to serving the people of Highland Hills and the greater Dallas community as Justice of the Peace and as a Wilmer-Hutchins School Board Trustee. Day in and day out, I watched my father care for our community through personal sacrifice and unfaltering dedication. The Judge Charles R. Rose Park honors his legacy of love by celebrating the people of our community, and will serve as a cornerstone for health, relaxation, and reflection for generations to come.”
At the center of celebration is State Representative Toni Rose. A graduate of nearby South Oak Cliff High School and Paul Quinn College, she is truly a product of the community. And with ten years of service in the Texas House of Representatives, there are few who know Highland Hills as well as she does. For Representative Rose, the new park is not only about bringing muchneeded new green space to her neighborhood—it is about family too.
Cool School Neighborhood Parks
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Over the last three years, we have worked with our partners at the Texas Trees Foundation, Dallas Park and Recreation Department, and Dallas Independent School District to convert 20 school campuses into Community Schoolyards™. Through TPL’s creative placemaking process, students and artists designed a unique mural for each Community Schoolyard, helping to tell the story and identity of the surrounding neighborhoods.
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In 2022, TPL launched The Land and People Lab to conduct collaborative and innovative research on the benefits of connecting everyone to the outdoors. By informing policies and practices, building partnerships, and sharing resources, the Lab will help drive a national movement for parks and public land.
“As Fort Worth continues to grow at a rapid pace, conserving our green spaces and investing in park infrastructure will be key in continuing to provide the highest quality of life for residents. I am thrilled that Fort Worth has been selected to participate in TPL’s 10-Minute Walk Program’s Park Equity Accelerator to fast-track our efforts to ensure every resident in every zip code can enjoy the health, environmental, and community benefits of having close-to-home access to parks,” said Mayor Mattie Parker.
FORT WORTH JOINS 10-MINUTE WALK PARK EQUITY ACCELERATOR
This year we continued to build on our partnership with Fort Worth by welcoming the city to participate in our inaugural 10-Minute Walk Park Equity Accelerator program. Fort Worth joins a cohort of cities from across the country developing best practices for closing the park equity gap and addressing pressing needs around health, resilience, environmental protection, economic development, and community building through parks.
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TPL’s 10-Minute Walk Park Equity Accelerator is the first of its kind, addressing the root causes of park inequities shared by many of the 10-Minute Walk program’s champion cities. The ideas that come out of the Accelerator cities will be field-tested and then delivered on a national scale.
According to the Lab’s data, 61 percent of Fort Worth’s residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Only 6 percent of the city’s land is dedicated to parks, compared to the national median of 15 percent. As part of the Accelerator, TPL is working with Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and park department staff to
understand how policy and practices can systematically expand park access and improve park quality throughout the city, with a focus on innovative use of non-traditional land for park space.
The Land and People Lab
William B. Chaney (Vice Chair), Gray Reed, Partner
Chris Applequist (Member-at-Large), Generation Housing Development, Partner
Robert Abtahi (Member-at-Large), Law Office of Robert Abtahi
Asheya Warren (Secretary), PRAXIS, Founder/Principal
Peter Lewis, Scheef & Stone, Partner
Chantel Cheatham, Pizza Hut, LLC, Director of Legal
Alan Dorantes, T-Mobile, Sr. Corporate Counsel
a great year
THANKS supporters like 2022 was for our work in Texas—and the best is yet to come. The year ahead holds new opportunities, including expanding the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt, implementing innovative policies for Fort Worth’s parks and green space, and working with the state legislature in Austin to create new funding sources for parks and conservation statewide.
Tim Maiden, Simmons Bank, Sr. Vice President
Lucy Burns, Billingsley Company, Partner
Charles Elk , Oncor Electric Delivery, Vice President
TEXAS ADVISORY BOARD
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Sharon Lyle, Ensemble, Founder & President
Tamela Thornton, ULI North Texas, Executive Director
Heidi Pandya, Sg2, Principal Consultant
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Jim Shipley, Beck Construction
you,
Tillie Borchers (Chair), Civitas Capital, Director of Investments
Gunnar Rawlings, DPR Construction
Robert Kent Associate Vice President and Texas State robert.kent@tpl.orgDirector Ray Garvin Texas Director of Dallas,Suite3000ray.garvin@tpl.orgPhilanthropyPegasusParkDrive752TX75247Join 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
Christina Mintner, Parkland Health & Hospital System, SVP
Drexell Owusu, Dallas Foundation, Chief Impact Officer
(UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED).
Andrés Ruzo, National Geographic Society, Explorer
TPL is helping make Texas a healthier, more connected, and more equitable place to call home. With each new park opened, your gifts are bringing the benefits of close-to-home nature to all Texans. We need partners like you—get in touch with us to learn how you can be a part of this exciting work. And from all of us at TPL Texas, thank you.
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Steve Martin, Frost Bank, Executive Vice President
Joan Walne, Former Park Board President PHOTOS: FLOWERS
Enisha Shropshire, Vector Strategies, Founder/Chief Impact Officer