Pennsylvania
CONNECTING EVERYONE TO THE OUTDOORS IN 2025 AND BEYOND
Connecting Everyone to the Outdoors in Pennsylvania!
A rolling hillside painted in autumnal patches. Running your fingers through cool, clear water as it rushes over the smooth stones of a riverbed. The distant rumble of a thunderstorm. These simple, yet profound, moments in nature are vital.
In our fast-paced, ever-changing, and sometimes uncertain world, publicly accessible outdoor spaces are essential. They nourish our well-being and remind us that each day holds the promise of renewal. That is why, like you, Trust for Public Land is standing up for the outdoor spaces that bring us joy.
In Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and across the nation, YOU empower us to advance our mission to create, enhance, and protect the outdoor spaces that uplift and connect communities.
Every Community Schoolyard we build in Philadelphia or Scranton makes a child happier and healthier, while giving parents and neighbors a safe space to come together. Every acre we protect in the Poconos brings new recreation and economic opportunities to communities that want a better future. Every tree
we plant in Camden reduces summer heat, cleans the air, and helps prevent catastrophic flooding.
When we unite to achieve our goals, the possibilities are endless. Together, we are shaping a future that prioritizes resilient communities and access to nature for all. Thank you for standing with us today as we create a greener, healthier, and more sustainable tomorrow for everyone.
Sincerely,
Jon Goff Pennsylvania Director of Philanthropy
Kennedy Schoolyard ribbon cutting
PHOTO BY SENECA RYAN
Fish Tales Come True
This text is excerpted from the 2025 Fall/Winter Land + People “Fish Tales Come True” by Amy McCullough
Ray Youngblood has been fishing in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, for 80 years—but the local waterways still hold surprises, even for him. When he and a friend saw a brown trout in Hazle Creek last year, “It was like a religious experience,” he says. “We were transfixed. It was totally astounding.” Hazle Creek had been considered dead for over a century. It’s an unlikely fish tale, but it’s true. And it’s coming true near Weatherly where creek restorations could render this stretch of the Pocono Mountains a recreation destination.
Thanks to leaders like Borough Manager Harold Pudliner, Weatherly’s future looks bright. Wracking his brain for new means of economic development, Pudliner extended his gaze about 5 miles east to the 165-mile Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Known as the D&L, the corridor’s multiuse trail sees close to 300,000 visitors annually. Pudliner knew connecting Weatherly to the D&L would not only improve access to nature and recreation for residents; it could also draw tourists— and their spending power—to his humble borough. But you can’t build a trail without land.
Enter Ellen Lott, a project manager at TPL. Pennsylvania born and bred and well-connected to landowners in the Poconos, she was familiar with an old uranium road
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on a nearby mountain. Lott knew it was used by local mountain bikers and saw its potential to be much more than a well-kept secret. TPL purchased the mountain’s 1,125 acres , now known as Penn Haven , and transferred the parcel to the state’s Bureau of Forestry in May of 2025.
Beyond recreation, this land is home to critical wildlife habitat and connects to more than 24,000 acres of public forest, including state-managed hunting grounds and Lehigh Gorge State Park. The forest provides essential food sources for wildlife and access to fresh water, and the restorations at Quakake and Black Creeks will further improve the area’s water quality.
“I used to fish when I had time,” Youngblood says, “and to find a natural stream is very difficult. A lot of people go to the Lehigh, but that’s a stocked area. I think once the word gets out that we have a good fishing stream, people will come.”
Penn Haven. PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRE DA VEGA
Growing our Impact through Community Schoolyards
TPL is dedicated to building community and improving health, climate resilience, and education outcomes in Pennsylvania. Through our Community Schoolyards initiative, we partner with local schools to transform underutilized playgrounds and lots into vibrant, inclusive, green spaces that improve the daily lives of students, educators, and surrounding communities.
In Scranton, one in five residents lack access to nearby park space, and many students long for green places to play. TPL used our national community schoolyard prioritization tool, which evaluates water quality, urban heat, and mental and physical health, to identify the Scranton School District as one of the districts nationwide that would benefit most from green schoolyard transformations.
This summer, we celebrated the grand opening of our first Scranton Community Schoolyard at John F. Kennedy Elementary School. Thanks to our student designers at Kennedy and input from key community stakeholders,
I
am beyond grateful for the work that TPL and Valley in Motion have done here at JFK. The students, and the community, deserve a place where they can safely connect with nature and relieve stress during and outside of the school year.”
Dr.
Erin Keating,
Scranton
School District Superintendent
the new schoolyard includes a track, basketball court, picnic tables, newly planted trees and garden, and an outdoor classroom for hands on learning in nature. In addition, new ADA accessible ramps and play equipment with sensory panels for students across the autism spectrum will ensure that all 400 students at Kennedy can play in a welcoming environment. When school is not in session, the new schoolyard will serve as a community space for the approximately 2,500 residents within a 10-minute walk of campus. Kennedy is the first of three Scranton community schoolyard transformations that will fuel learning, play, and community connection in the neighborhoods that need them most. Our next two schoolyards will be coming to Whittier and Willard
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Kennedy Elementary Schoolyard. PHOTO BY SENECA RYAN
Philadelphia Schoolyards in Progress
Over the past 10 years, TPL has completed 15 community schoolyards in Philadelphia, and we are just getting started! We anticipate opening three new Philadelphia community schoolyards in 2026.
Overbrook Elementary in West Philadelphia is a K–8 that currently lacks a gym as well as cafeteria or auditorium space. We worked with Mr. Dearry’s third grade class throughout the winter and spring of 2025 to design a green and welcoming schoolyard that can serve as a place for exercise, school gatherings, and fun.
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Webster Elementary is a K–5 Community School in Kensington that prides itself on being a home for their students. This schoolyard is a unique opportunity to make an investment in a diverse and underserved community that helps students and residents feel valued. In addition to basketball hoops, play equipment, and new trees, the Webster schoolyard will feature a separate play area specifically designed for younger students.
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Logan Elementary is a K–5 Community School that has been working for years to incorporate more outdoor learning and activities into its massive two-acre asphalt schoolyard. Thanks to help from the students and community, we are building our largest schoolyard in Philadelphia with two full-size basketball courts, a play area, multiple areas for outdoor learning and relaxation, as well as biking and walking trails through expansive nature areas.
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Trails as Cultural Catalysts
Whether commuting to a nearby recreation destination, exploring a new neighborhood, or enjoying the freedom of close-to-home green space, trails promote healthier, more connected communities. Over the last 50-plus years, TPL has led the creation and protection of over 3,100 miles of rural and urban trails, from continentspanning national trails to local greenways and paths treasured by residents and visitors.
In Northampton County, the city of Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Nearby, the 144-mile D&L hiking and biking trail connects towns and cities across five counties and runs directly alongside its namesake rivers. As Easton works to build its cultural vibrancy, it aims to expand recreational opportunities to its citizens and increase tourism within its burgeoning business district. For the City of Easton and the Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP), the solution is obvious: Easton needs a better connection between its growing downtown business and residential corridor and the nearby D&L trail. That’s where TPL comes in.
Directly adjacent to downtown Easton, an elevated rail bridge offers expansive views of the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers and nearby Mt. Ida. TPL is in the early stages of acquiring the rail bridge and creating plans for a highline park. The Easton Highline
would transform this aging infrastructure into a destination with future trail connections to the D&L.
This new park and trailhead will create opportunities for individuals to safely travel to and from Easton’s thriving downtown restaurant district. In addition, the project’s trailhead is located directly across the street from public housing for senior citizens who will benefit from safe, nearby park space. Active transportation projects like the proposed Easton Highline provide outsized benefits to individuals who cannot or do not drive due to age, financial limitation, or disability, and will increase access to important services in Easton’s suburbs.
The Easton Highline is a multifaceted opportunity to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. We are proud to be working with the City of Easton and GEDP to improve connections between the city and its nearby regional trail networks, and to preserve Easton’s waterfront for future community resilience and recreation.
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Easton Highline trail. PHOTO BY ELLEN LOTT
TPL and Subaru: Growing Camden Together
TPL is committed to working with partners across Camden to create, protect, and steward the nature-rich places that are vital to our well-being. Subaru of America, one of the largest corporations headquartered in Camden, has emerged as a powerful partner in our mission.
Erica McLeod, Subaru’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, shares more on Subaru’s commitment to the planet and TPL:
Tell us more about Subaru’s commitment to protecting the planet.
At Subaru, we believe that what we leave behind is a reflection of who we are. That’s why, for more than two decades, Subaru has remained committed to protecting and preserving the Earth for future generations.
In partnership with our retailers and nonprofit partners, we take meaningful action to reduce waste, conserve resources, and protect natural spaces. Most recently, Subaru partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation™ to provide and distribute 100,000 trees nationwide. Our Camden headquarters is LEED certified and operates as a zero-landfill facility. Globally, all Subaru vehicles are assembled in zero-landfill manufacturing plants.
When it comes to Camden, what is Subaru’s vision for creating a healthier, safer community?
Camden is our hometown, and the Subaru Love Promise®, our commitment to show love and respect to all people, is at the heart of everything we do. It drives us to be responsible corporate citizens and thoughtful, engaged neighbors.
Through our five core Love Promise pillars—Environment, Health, Education, Pets, and Community—we strive to create meaningful change and have a lasting
impact on the community. As part of our Subaru Loves the Earth® initiative, we proudly support Mayor Carstarphen’s Camden Strong Community Clean-ups. In 2024, 50 Subaru volunteers dedicated 133 hours across 13 Camden Strong neighborhood clean-up events.
Why
did Subaru decide to invest in TPL as a community partner to help achieve that vision?
Over the last few decades, Camden has become a shining example for urban revitalization, thanks to the collaboration of many organizations committed to public safety, economic development, educational outcomes, and community. Subaru began its partnership with TPL in 2023, through a collaboration with the Reimagining the Civic Commons project. Our employees have joined TPL planting trees in Elijah Perry Park and look forward to supporting TPL’s We Grow Camden Initiative. As a driving force in the community, TPL continues to implement programs that deliver measurable benefits to the community. Subaru and the Subaru of America Foundation, Inc. saw the value in partnering with TPL to advance our mission.
Campbell’s Ledge
The 246-acre Campbell’s Ledge property in Luzerne County is an iconic natural landmark, an important habitat for wildlife and plant species, and a popular outdoor recreation destination for residents of Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. The property consists of forested land, streams, a waterfall, a 20-acre lake, public trails, and an exposed 700-foot cliff area with an overlook providing a 30-mile view of the Wyoming Valley. Its steep cliffs, rare species, and distinctive topography have earned Campbell’s Ledge a designation as a Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Area and a statecertified unique geologic feature.
In addition to its conservation value, Campbell’s Ledge offers exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities for nearby communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The public has long enjoyed access to the site’s waterfall,
THANK YOU
for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in Pennsylvania and beyond.
lake, hiking trails, and outstanding scenic views in an area where much of the land has otherwise been impacted by development. After years of private ownership that has left the property largely untouched, unmanaged, and open to the public, Campbell’s Ledge was recently listed for sale. Now, we are working to raise the necessary funds to purchase the parcel and permanently safeguard this special landscape for generations to come. We aim to close this project by the end of 2025.
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Your support will help us protect Campbell’s Ledge in perpetuity.
Jon Goff Director of Philanthropy
Jon.Goff@tpl.org
267.939.9262
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Help ensure everyone has access to the outdoors. Every park we create, schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you.
tpl.org/donate
2401 Walnut St, Suite 703 Philadelphia, PA 19103