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 THE NORTHWEST AND BEYOND
Thank you! You and I agree — there is nothing quite like summer in the Pacific Northwest. This summer, my kids and I hiked a new trail at the Teanaway Valley Family Farm—a gateway to the Teanaway Community Forest—that you helped create. We finished our hike with a dip in the river. We paddled around the cool, clear water, savoring the momentary relief from the heat. Spending time in places that you helped create is what makes our Northwest summers so special. Now the heat has faded, the leaves are turning, and my kids are back at school. Thinking back on our hike, I am so grateful that I shared those summer experiences with my family. Together with partners like you, we are increasing access to nature for millions of people—from neighborhood parks to distant forests, and everywhere in between.
We have a lot to celebrate. This past year, we created special places like the Eagle Creek Community Forest in Oregon. We expanded access to Cougar Mountain Regional Park in Issaquah, Washington. We renovated three parks in communities across the region. The heart of our work is our commitment to great outdoor experiences for all. We’re in this together. In the year ahead, we will continue to work with communities like yours to protect the lands that serve as our playgrounds and places of inspiration. Lands that clean the air we breathe. The swimming holes we enjoy with our families. Thank you for all your support. We look forward to celebrating more successes with you in the coming year. See you outside,
David Patton Northwest Director DAN LAMONT
Tollgate Farm North Bend, WA
Learning about the wilderness at Camp Hahobas
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“If you enjoy the outdoors you should support The Trust for Public Land,” Stephen said. “They do great work—locally in the Northwest and across the country.” EA
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In 2015, the Pacific Harbors Boy Scouts Council decided to consolidate their operations into one camp. That meant selling Camp Hahobas. The Trust for Public Land worked with the Boy Scouts and other partners to find a solution that would make sure the land remained protected from development—and open to exploration—forever.
Today, you can explore Camp Hahobas’ pristine forests, walk along the shoreline, and gaze across the water into the heart of Olympic National Park.
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Across the country, rising maintenance costs and declining enrollment have left many camps struggling to stay solvent. Some have made the difficult decision to close their doors.
Stephen agrees. “I think it’s great that the public will have access to it and it will remain fairly wild.”
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For decades, campers like Stephen ambled through deep green forests and played along the shores of Hood Canal. “I learned about being in the wilderness — appreciating the outdoors,” Stephen remembers. “We camped in tents or slept out under the stars.”
Conserving Camp Hahobas aligned with the Boy Scouts’ outdoor ethics. “Every Scout learns the Outdoor Code as a part of our training,” said Pacific Harbors Council Scout executive Ralph Voelker. Scouts pledge to be careful with fire, considerate in the outdoors, and conservationminded. “Being involved with The Trust for Public Land and conserving this land for future generations felt like good Scouting.”
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“Here I am—at a camp in the wilderness,” thought 13-year-old Stephen Pearson when he arrived at Camp Hahobas on Hood Canal’s Tahuya Peninsula in the summer of 1979.
THOMAS BARTON
Camp Hahobas Port Orchard, WA
The transformational power of parks for people Tacoma, Washington, has some amazing parks, but over 60,000 residents don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. That’s the 2nd-highest gap in the state. We believe everyone deserves a great park. That’s why we’re working with community advocates to bring parks to the neighborhoods that need them most—starting with Charlotte’s Blueberry Park in Tacoma, Washington. Charlotte’s Blueberry Park is a special place with a long history of community activism. In 1969, community advocates saved a 20-acre blueberry farm from development. The farm (and its 3,000 berry bushes) is now a public park! Over the years, the park has had its share of problems. “There was a lot of illegal activities and crime in the park,” said neighbor Corina Going. Corina and her neighbors met with city officials to find a way to make the park safer. She helped start an action group focused on creating a community garden and a playground. The Trust for Public Land
responded to the need and joined the action group, Metro Parks Tacoma and Kaiser Permanente to fund and design a high-quality playground. “Andrew McConnico, Project Manager at The Trust for Public Land, came down to brainstorm with us about different designs and features,” Corina said. “It was fun to dream about the playground.” After more than a year of hard work, the new playground opened on July 14, 2019. The opening occurred at a critical time. Over the spring, neighbors had witnessed an uptick in crime, illegal drug use, and unlawful activity at the park. The playground is changing that. “Our hope from the beginning was that good activities could edge out the bad,” Corina said. “It’s great to see the playground bring in good activity.” “We’ve wanted a playground for so many years,” she continued. “I lead work parties in the garden twice a week. Every time there are lots of children playing. I love seeing that. It’s really good to see kids using the playground and enjoying it.”
KIRA KALLEM
Charlotte’s Blueberry Park Tacoma, WA
LOOKING AHEAD Partnering with schools The new playground is already making a big difference for the 4,000 people who live within a 10-minute walk of Charlotte’s Blueberry Park. But over 60,000 people in Tacoma still don’t have a great park close to home. The solution may lie in partnering with schools.
Tacoma is committed to closing its 10-minute walk gap by 2023. Green schoolyards are a critical element of this ambitious plan.
Across the country, The Trust for Public Land is leading a movement to create green schoolyards that are open to the public outside of school hours. We partner with the community to design innovative outdoor spaces for everyone while reducing stormwater runoff and providing shade on hot summer days. Nationwide, 4 million people live within a 10-minute walk of one of our green schoolyards.
The future park sits on the Pipeline Trail between the school and the Eastside Community Center. The Boys and Girls Club (based at the community center) will use the space after school and in the summer. The project is currently in the design phase and will break ground in the spring of 2020.
We’re partnering with MetroParks Tacoma and the Tacoma School District to pilot a series of green schoolyards in Tacoma’s eastside neighborhoods. The first phase of this effort will serve 25,000 people, cutting Tacoma’s park access gap by 40 percent.
The First Creek Pilot Our first green schoolyard project is at First Creek Middle School—just 2.5 miles from Charlotte’s Blueberry Park.
Transforming parks, investing in communities Thanks to supporters like you, we go beyond transforming parks: we invest in the communities that stand to gain the most from the health, social, and economic benefits of spending time outside.
TEGRA STONE NUESS
A year in parks Thanks to supporters like you, we are creating great parks across the Northwest. • Dutch Jakes Park, Spokane—opening soon! • Kiwanis Methow Park, Wenatchee— under construction • South Lynwood Park, Lynnwood— breaking ground spring 2020 • First Creek Park, Tacoma—breaking ground spring 2020
Thank you for creating parks across the Northwest!
• 9th Street Park, East Wenatchee— breaking ground winter 2020 • King County Parks Levy—passed! Voters approved $810 million for parks, trails, and open space
Healthy forests, healthy communities What if the path to better health began at a trailhead instead of a doctor’s office? Whether you enjoy “forest bathing” or epic outdoor adventures, studies show that our health is inextricably linked to the health of the land.
is open to a conservation sale, but if we don’t succeed, they will seek a private buyer. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is one of the groups supporting the project. “We strongly endorse this proposal since it enables access to about 50 miles of non-motorized multi-use trails,” said Yvonne Kraus, the group’s Executive Director. “Most of Wenatchee’s residents live less then 2 miles from a Sage Hills trailhead, so we are truly working on being able to recreate from our backyards, and encouraging healthy outdoor activities and recreation for our residents and visitors.”
With your support, we are improving health and ensuring our Northwest quality of life persists for generations to come.
With your support, we can protect places like Twin Peaks across the Northwest. ANNIE KUSTER
N O R T H C E N T R A L W A S H I N GT O N When we began working in North Central Washington decades ago, conservation efforts often caused conflict. To break the gridlock, we brought the community together to make collective plans for their landscapes. These community partnerships paved the way for our campaign to protect the Wenatchee foothills, dramatically increasing access to nearby nature. The successful campaign led to a unique partnership: healthcare provider Columbia Valley Community Health teamed up with the ChelanDouglas County Land Trust (CDLT) to take patients on guided hikes. Hillary Clark leads the program for CDLT. “The foothills are an amazing resource!” she said. “A lot of the trailheads are within a 10-minute walk of peoples’ houses. If we had to start with an intense hike way up in the mountains, no one would come.” Residents spent two years developing the next phase of their conservation vision. They identified over 40 properties in Chelan County that they agree warrant protecting. One property, Twin Peaks, is located just outside of Wenatchee. It could be a critical link in a public hiking and biking network or an exclusive retreat with panoramic views and private trails. The owner
Thank you for protecting the lands that make our home so special!
SOUTHERN OREGON If you leave Wenatchee and drive eight hours south on U.S. 97, you’ll arrive in another community rich in outdoor recreation potential: Klamath Falls, Oregon.
businesses are working together to acquire Spence Mountain. The goal is to create a community-owned forest—land owned, managed, and maintained by Klamath County for its residents.
In 2018, Klamath County was rated one of the least healthy counties in Oregon. Despite this challenge, the community is deeply committed to promoting parks, trails, physical activity, and health.
The local healthcare community is playing a key role. Merritt Driscoll leads the Blue Zones Project—a community-wide initiative to improve well-being. “Protecting access to nature and the ability to be physically active outdoors is essential to improving health,” he said. “Spence Mountain is a true asset and a critical piece of the goal to improve health, well-being, and community pride.”
Drew Honzel is an avid trail user and the secretary of the Klamath Trails Alliance (KTA). He has witnessed the positive impact of outdoor recreation firsthand: “Public trail access has given us a healthier Klamath Falls,” he said. “Our concern lies in the future.” Drew is concerned about Spence Mountain. The local family that owns the property generously allowed KTA volunteers to build 28 miles of hiking, biking, and running trails on their land. The KTA wants to build 22 additional miles of trails, turning Klamath Falls into an outdoor recreation destination. Community ownership is the best way to guarantee public access and open the way for new trails. The KTA, The Trust for Public Land and a coalition of residents, local government, nonprofits, and
A N D B E Y O N D… Our vision for healthy, livable communities extends from North Central Washington to Southern Oregon and from the Olympic Peninsula to Eastern Washington. The Northwest is the fastest-growing region in the nation. If we don’t act now, we could lose the lands that make our home so special. Supporters like you play a critical role in promoting health, public access, and economic well-being here in the Northwest—and across the country. Thank you!
DREW HONZEL, KLAMATH TRAIL ALLIANCE
Spence Mountain
Klamath Falls, OR
Northwest Advisory Board We are so grateful for our volunteer leaders! Marco Abbruzzese Peter Ackroyd Josh Anderson, Vice Chair Tom Bayley Teresa Bendito Tony Cavalieri Jessyn Farrell Barbara Fielden
Alden Garrett, Chair Annalee Luhman Thomas S. Reeve Cody Reiter F. Jerome Tone Brady P. Walkinshaw Katie Young
Emeritus board members Mary F. Black T. William Booth Elisabeth T. Bottler Campbell Mathewson Douglass A. Raff Lyn B. White Martha A. Wyckoff
JORGE RIVAS
Thank you
for supporting land for people in the Northwest 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
David Patton Northwest Director 206.274.2916 | david.patton@tpl.org Danny Rees Northwest Director of Philanthropy 206.274.2921 | danny.rees@tpl.org 901 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1520 Seattle, WA 98164
COVER: TOP LEFT, ANNIE BANG; TOP RIGHT, RICHARD FREEDA; MIDDLE LEFT, SCOTT ROLFSON; MIDDLE RIGHT, TEGRA STONE NUESS; BOTTOM, NICK BENSON.