Our 2019 Annual Report

2019 proved the power of land for people

Looking back at our successes together in 2019, it’s clear: public land is powerful.

This year I was fortunate to witness incredible strength and ingenuity in communities nationwide—people creating new parks and playgrounds, new state parks, and new public trails. From coast to coast, I saw communities come together to reimagine the power of land for people to energize neighborhoods and change millions of lives in millions of wonderful ways—increasing equity, improving health, and building climate resilience. The transformation we catalyzed in 2019 was powerful—and it couldn’t have happened without you.

The power of public land was palpable when I joined residents and partners on a hike on Mount Shasta in California to celebrate the largest addition in memory to the iconic Pacific Crest Trail. This 17-mile biodiversity hotspot, now permanently protected, will delight visitors to the PCT for generations—all thanks to your support.

A thousand miles east, where my home state of Colorado meets New Mexico, the power of public land moved mountains—or rather, moved an entire city to come together to open public access to a mountain. Fisher’s Peak—the 9,600-foot mesa that defines the skyline in the southern Colorado city of Trinidad—was privately owned and off-limits for decades. But now, thanks to the vision and generosity of donors like you, it’s slated to become Colorado’s newest state park, bringing health and economic benefits to Trinidad for generations to come.

In 2019 we activated the power of land for people in the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta. This community has a proud heritage—it boasts four historically black colleges and universities, and civil rights heroes like Maynard Jackson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have called it home. But in 2002, floods devastated the area. So this year, hand in hand with residents and the City of Atlanta, we envisioned a gleaming new 16-acre park. Designed with a retention pond and plantings capable of storing up to 10 million gallons of rainwater, the soon-to-open Cook Park will prevent future floods, encouraging neighborhood investment while providing residents with a much-needed space to exercise and play.

As our success in 2019 shows, we are most powerful when we work together. Together, we are renewing the power of public land to serve a greater public good. From idle to active. From closed to open. From alone to united. Thank you for standing with us as we reimagine and realize the power of land for people to create stronger communities that move society forward.

Diane Regas
President and CEO