Our 2018 Annual Report

A rewarding journey—and an important path ahead

As I come to the end of my first year at The Trust for Public Land, I’m reflecting on the journey of the last 12 months—the parks and wildlands I visited, the people I met, and the unforgettable stories they shared with me.

The journey included gliding along in a canoe under the centuries-old forest at Bald Mountain Pond in Maine. Recalling the serenity and majesty of those waters—a favored stopover for migratory loons and a short hike from a well-loved shelter on the Appalachian Trail—I feel grateful to Trust for Public Land supporters like you for ensuring future generations get to experience their magic.

The journey included strolling arm-in-arm with local mothers and grandmothers through the alleyways of South Los Angeles, which—thanks to you—we are now transforming into community greenways, blooming with flowers and fig trees. Families there told me these greenways are providing safe space to walk and bike while preventing flooding during storms.

The journey included celebrating the permanent protection of more than 1,200 acres of native forest and shrubland, a 45-minute drive north of those alleys. Protection at this site, a corridor for California condor and Southern California steelhead, was a crucial first phase in our ongoing effort to conserve Los Angeles’s largest privately held open space. “Of all the beauty there, I just can’t forget the quiet,” Trust for Public Land project manager Paolo Perrone told me. “There’s no place so close to downtown where you can sit and hear nature do its thing.”

The journey included donning a brightly colored hard hat and helping break ground on the construction of new parks and playgrounds—from Bozeman to Dallas to schoolyards around the country. I was especially moved by children at one New York City elementary school who were overjoyed that their new playground—co-created with The Trust for Public Land, thanks to your support—had a visit from a turtle. For them, it was as fantastic and inexplicable as if they’d seen a unicorn.

Taken together, these experiences prove that an investment in parks and nature is an investment in the prosperity of people and communities. Creating prosperity means more than food to eat and a roof over our heads. It also means breathing clean air, drinking clear water. It means health. It means stronger social connections. And prosperity means easy access to great outdoor experiences for everyone, no matter where we live or how much money we have.

The Trust for Public Land is a land for people organization. That means that from neighborhood parks to national parks—and all the gardens and trails and hills and vales in between—we are working to give all Americans access to nature.

In communities around the country, we’re working alongside residents to solve urgent problems at a local level—where real progress is always possible. And as you’ll see in this report, together with supporters like you, we are improving life for millions of people in millions of wonderful ways. Addressing climate change. Boosting health and wellness. Conserving and protecting our most precious landscapes. Reweaving our country’s frayed social fabric—and reconnecting people to the lands and experiences that bind us together as a nation.

We truly can’t do this without you. As a Trust for Public Land friend or supporter, when you scroll through our 2018 Annual Report, I hope you’ll feel proud of everything we’ve accomplished so far. But more than that, I hope you’ll feel energized to be part of all the efforts yet to come. Because as these stories show, our work together is powerful, it is necessary, and it is just the beginning. Thank you, and enjoy.

Diane Regas
President and CEO