Statements from Trust for Public Land Leadership on the Passing of President Jimmy Carter and His Immense Legacy for America’s Outdoors 

San Francisco, CA – Earlier today, the 39th President of the United States, native son of Georgia, and longtime environmental champion, President Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100.   

Trust for Public Land President and CEO, Carrie Besnette Hauser, issued the following statement:  

“The news of President Carter’s passing comes with a mix of profound sadness and deep gratitude. He was a true environmental champion whose conservation legacy ranks him as one of the most consequential U.S. Presidents when it comes to protecting America’s outdoors. President Carter expanded our National Parks and protected more than 100 million acres of land– including the creation of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, both in his beloved home state of Georgia. 

Today, Trust for Public Land is building on President Carter’s example by working to create the Chattahoochee RiverLands, a 100-mile greenway along the Chattahoochee River, from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. When complete, one million nearby residents and visitors will be able to kayak, swim, bicycle, picnic, walk, and camp along the river. We can think of no more fitting way to honor Carter’s legacy than by advancing and completing the Chattahoochee RiverLands and more broadly to ensure that all Americans have access to the benefits and joys of the outdoors.”  

Trust for Public Land Georgia Advisory Board Member, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, issued the following statement: 

“We in Georgia mourn the passing of our native son, President Jimmy Carter. He leaves a legacy not only as an international humanitarian, Civil Rights leader, and two-term Governor of his home state, but also a President who was well ahead of his time when addressing the environmental challenges of the future. Even before reaching the White House and establishing himself alongside FDR and Theodore Roosevelt as America’s greatest conservationist presidents, Jimmy Carter had proven himself to Georgians to be a strong champion for our state’s most treasured natural resources, from cherishing the Chattahoochee River to the creation of Sweetwater Creek State Park. The state of Georgia, the nation and the globe are better because of President Carter’s work, vision, and determination to protect the outdoor places we all hold so dear.” 

Trust for Public Land Vice President and Georgia State Director George Dusenbury, issued the following statement: 

“President Carter always has been one of my heroes. His leadership not just in conservation, but on energy policy and democracy, was prescient. We live in a better Georgia, a better country, and a better world because of Jimmy Carter.” 

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About Trust for Public Land 

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,420 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, and raised $110 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.