Today, we’re unveiling a new look. But this is no overnight makeover. It’s the culmination of a thoughtful and strategic process—more than 18 months in the making—driven by research and input from a broad spectrum of volunteers, supporters, staff, outdoor enthusiasts, and outside experts. This brand refresh honors our past and captures our ambitious vision for the future.

To be sure, while our look has changed, our mission and our values remain the same. We’re doubling down.

That’s because the work we’ve always done is now more important than ever.

Decades of neglect and injustice have left too many communities behind and without quality places to get outdoors. Our data show that 100 million people in the U.S., including 28 million children, don’t have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home.

Even more alarming is that people in communities of color and low-income communities have over 40 percent less park space compared to white and higher-income communities. And many rural communities—often surrounded by private property—have too few shared spaces where people can connect to nature and each other.

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated all of these long-standing disparities, it also underscored the value of quality parks as cost-effective means for improving physical and mental health, climate resilience, and financial sustainability in our most marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Right now, state, local, and federal governments are looking to invest unprecedented amounts of funding in order to rebuild and revitalize. They’re eyeing resources and infrastructure that deliver social, economic, and environmental returns. For that reason and so many more, now is the perfect time—the opportune moment—for us to do even more to ensure that every person, in every community, is connected to the outdoors. The resources are there; the opportunity to work with communities is there. There has never been a more important time for us to step up. We have an ambitious plan to meet this moment, and we need even more people supporting us to achieve our vision.

So much of what is special about TPL is the people, like you, who have made our mission possible. Our exciting research shows that millions more people in the U.S. agree that everyone needs access to nature. Working together, we will all benefit, and that’s why we are determined to reach even more people and more communities to support their unique local vision for connecting to the outdoors.

As we head into our second half century, we want TPL to be known for the diverse communities we have always served, the wonderful places we have helped create, and the values that drive us forward. We want to share what we know for sure: time outside and in parks contributes to health, happiness, and connection.

As we have for nearly 50 years, TPL will continue working to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors by creating parks and outdoor spaces where they’re needed most. We already know that you share this belief. We urge you to continue your support, which has been and will continue to be the foundation of our work.

Diane Regas is president and CEO of Trust for Public Land.