We faced uphill climbs in 2022, but at the end of the day, it was Trust for Public Land for the win! Our members helped us achieve tremendous victories for our public lands this year.
I’m so proud of the work we accomplished this year, including these two historic wins:
The pandemic brought an unprecedented land grab in Big Sky Country, as many people bought up property in Montana for second homes. Never before has so much land changed hands so quickly, or the risks to unbroken wilderness been so great.
But with your help, Trust for Public Land secured permanent public access to 600,000 acres in Montana through our Montana Great Outdoors campaign, and we’ve set an ambitious goal to conserve 200,000 additional acres over the next three years—a goal that we can only meet with your membership support.
Another important success is the completion of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway. Stretching from Tennessee River to Camp Jordan, the 13-mile South Chickamauga Creek Greenway system offers walking, running, biking and even paddling from one of four canoe launches. Thanks to Trust for Public Land supporters, Chattanooga, Tennessee residents can now enjoy a day of adventure—or walk or bike to work—along one of the city’s most treasured natural assets without having to step foot in a car.
John, our goals for 2023 are ambitious, but with a staggering 6,000 acres of open space being lost to development every day, and millions more acres threatened with drilling, mining, and other exploitation for short–term profit by private interests—what could be more important?
