The Trust for Public Land

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We all need parks. And yet too many people in America don't have access to the outdoors. We're out to close the park equity gap, and we're proud to stand alongside some of the extraordinary people you'll meet in this month's issue of Outside Matters.

Getting outdoors is helping them through the pandemic

JA woman in a wetsuit holds a surfboard under her left arm while posing for a portrait on a beach. Buildings are visible in the background over her left shoulder; the water is visible over her right shoulder.

Photo Credit: Tara Rice

Before it washed over the country in 2020, the coronavirus wave broke on New York City first. People turned to their families, to their communities, and to nature to endure this harrowing time. Now, as the nation emerges from the darkest depths of the pandemic and looks to build a more equitable future, meet six New Yorkers whose ties to the outdoors have seen them through a harrowing year.

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How the outdoor industry became a political force for parks

A collage featuring: a cityscape on the bottom; the U.S. Capitol building on top; overlaid on a field of wildflowers; a hill covered in wildflowers; and a rocky mountain top.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress / The Trust for Public Land

We're leading a massive coalition calling on Congress to pass the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act. Meet a policy expert who's been called "the outdoor industry's secret weapon," thanks to her ability to unite outdoor enthusiasts of every stripe behind policies that strengthen our parks and public lands and the businesses and communities that rely on them.

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Nidoto nai yoni. Let it not happen again.

A historical photograph of Japanese American families being forcibly removed from their homes, luggage in hand, on Bainbridge Island in 1942 fades into a present-day image of the memorial that now stands in that spot

Photo Credit: Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial / Paul Dunn

That's the main message of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, which stands on land protected by The Trust for Public Land. During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, read about the history behind this special place and how it plays a role in the community's ongoing fight for justice.

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In the spotlight

A bearded man with his hair pulled back into a bun wears a heavy jacket while standing atop a hill gesturing with his right hand to the open land around him.

Photo Credit: Paul Robert Wolf Wilson

The Spring 2021 issue of Land&People

Your support is accomplishing incredible things! Read about a California tribe that's reclaiming its ancestral homelands, explore technology that's helping farmers produce more maple syrup with less fuel, and learn how our staff has helped communities navigate the pandemic. Want more great stories like these delivered to your mailbox? Subscribe to Land&People magazine by joining The Trust for Public Land today.

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Updates from across the country

A young, smiling boy holds a plastic water bottle in his right hand while leaning onto a smiling woman with his left arm on her right shoulder. They're sitting in a park with fall leaves visible in the background.

Photo Credit: Julieta Vergini

Atlanta prepares for a new park

Next month, fences will come down and welcome visitors to one of our largest undertakings yet: Atlanta's Cook Park. The 16-acre park stands to offer an incredible outdoor experience, including playgrounds, a splash pad, playing fields, and scenic pond to reduce flooding in the neighborhood. Check out our timeline to see how we made a community’s vision a reality.

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Sweethearts Margie Johnson and John Pettigrew pause from their fun in the surf to strike a pose to create their photograph memory of this day at the crowded Pacific Ocean shoreline.

Photo Credit: Nate Alderman and Bothman Construction

Bringing joy to to Oakland students

On April 20, The Trust for Public Land and Oakland Unified School District celebrated a new green schoolyard at the César E. Chávez campus. The project replaced asphalt with natural play areas, shade trees, an orchard, a grass field, outdoor classrooms, and a vegetable garden. And we're not stopping there. We have plans to build more over the next two years.

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Upcoming events

Clockwise from top left to bottom left: Linda Hwang, Ronda Chapman, Brendan Shane, Sadiya Muqueeth, and Diane Regas

Join us for a never-before-seen look at park equity across America

The Trust for Public Land ParkScore® index is the national gold-standard comparison of park systems across the largest 100 cities in the United States. Join us for a special-edition Park Bench Chat on Thursday, May 27, at 8:30 a.m. PT/11:30 a.m. ET to break down this year’s rankings and, for the first time ever, get a data-driven look at the park equity divide across America’s largest cities.

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Why Outside Matters

We’re in deep trouble right now in terms of trying to save the planet. But there is absolutely no future in cynicism: You can’t give up, and you shouldn’t.

This month, we're exploring the importance of park equity. Since our founding in 1972, The Trust for Public Land has been committed to expanding equitable access to public spaces.

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The surprising superpowers of maps

Capturing short attention spans in a room full of people! Depicting the future! Able to unite diverse perspectives into a single vision! These are just some of the things expert cartographer Breece Robertson loves about maps. We spoke with Robertson about her new book to learn how geospatial data can help you make the change you want to see in the world.

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Ways to give

Photo Credit: Annie Bang

Matching gift offer ends soon!

When you make a gift to The Trust for Public Land before midnight on May 31, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $250,000. If you haven’t made your gift yet, please donate now for 2X the impact to reclaim, repair, and restore public lands and to create community parks across the United States.

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2021 ParkScore® rankings out next week

For the past ten years, The Trust for Public Land's ParkScore index has provided a data-driven evaluation of park systems across the United States. Next week, we're debuting the latest rankings and a new metric: park equity. Stay tuned!