NEW YORK - The Trust for Public Land in Action: 2018

The Trust for Public Land in Action: 2018 C E L E B R AT I N G W HAT YO U M A D E P O S S I B L E IN NEW YORK AND BEYOND

TIMOTHY SCHENCK

Piagentini & Jones Educational Complex Throggs Neck, Bronx, NY

Introduction The need to connect to nature unites us. At The Trust for Public Land, we know that great parks and access to nature are essential components for sustainable environments, healthy economies, and strong communities—and supporters like you are critical to moving our mission forward in the places that need it the most. Thanks to your investments, today more than 8 million people live within a 10-minute walk of a place created or protected by The Trust for Public Land.

People across the country can now enjoy multibenefit parks that provide places to enjoy the outdoors while helping to reduce climate change impacts like flooding, polluted runoff entering our waterways, and excessive heat. We are proud that cities like Oakland and Philadelphia are building on the success of our vibrant playgrounds program here in New York—which this year celebrated the

opening of our 200th playground in New York City! Beyond city limits, people are connecting to nature and enjoying outdoor recreation experiences in places we helped to protect—from Corbin Hill alongside the Appalachian Trail in upstate New York to the sacred landscape of Pu’ukua in Waimea Valley, Hawai’i.

We believe that change comes through action, education, and inspiration. These principles are the foundation for all that we do and help ensure that our work has staying power for generations to come.

Read on to learn about some of our favorite examples of the transformative impact your support has made here in New York, and, more importantly, look to the future with us as we continue to work to make New York a more livable, healthy, and sustainable place for all.

ALEXA HOYER

PS 19

East Village, Manhattan, NY

Over the past year, your support helped to…

PS 19 isn’t the only place where remarkable transformations like this are happening. In this past year, our playgrounds program put a new greenspace within a 10-minute walk of 250,000 more people—that’s equivalent to the population of Buffalo!

ALEXA HOYER

ENGAGE AND TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES From ages three to ninety-three, our green schoolyards are valuable resources for all New Yorkers. On a typical morning, the playground at PS 19 in the East Village is alive and humming with neighbors and park users from all walks of life—thanks in part to the innovative design ideas contributed by residents at the Sirovich Senior Center across the street and, of course, the wonderful students at PS 19.

Students garden side-by-side with seniors in their new schoolyard—learning about edible plants and the different gardening tasks required each season.

Regarding this budding relationship, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer eloquently said, “It’s a testament to what is possible when schools and community-based organizations work together to fully utilize community resources.

You’ll be able to engage in gardening and participate in intergenerational programming related to nutrition. This is so special.”

ALEXA HOYER

AFTER

BEFORE

PS 19

East Village, Manhattan, NY

P R O T E C T A C L O S E -T O - H O M E WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE Imagine Corbin Hill’s sprawling, natural landscape completely obscured by a 50-unit housing subdivision. That was nearly the fate of this spectacular vista along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in Pawling, NY. Thankfully, this year The Trust for Public Land permanently protected 219 acres in an effort to enhance and protect the A.T. and its surrounding landscapes. We transferred the property to the National Park Service, which will permanently protect and steward the land for generations to come. This success gets us that much closer to realizing our vision to protect recreational opportunities, habitat, and many more benefits for communities alongside the majestic 2,190-mile trail stretching from Georgia to Maine.

As one of the most accessible and visited portions of the trail, this scenic part of the A.T. is reachable via commuter rail from New York City; hikers can take a weekend train from Grand Central Station in the morning, hike all day, and then return by train in the afternoon. This is the only mass transit stop along the A.T., and it serves as a model for sustainable and equitable access to hiking for all.

In addition to protecting this beloved experience for locals and day hikers coming up via train,

the Corbin Hill project has also preserved the wilderness experience of the Appalachian Trail for the thousands of thru-hikers who take the trail each year.

“Adding this highly scenic and historic farm land to the Appalachian Trail is significant in furthering the original intention for building the nearly 2,200-mile trail—to provide millions of urban dwellers in the eastern United States with easy access to a corridor of immense natural and cultural resources,” - Suzanne Dixon, President and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy

FRANCIS O’SHEA

Corbin Hill Pawling, NY

In the years ahead, your support will help…

We envision a New York State that is green, healthy, and livable—where all people have access to quality parks and the great outdoors regardless of where they call home. Whether you live in a small town, rural area, suburban community, or in the heart of New York City—we are working with communities to protect public land and create new outdoor spaces where everyone can thrive. Thank you for helping us to move this vision forward!

EXTEND A TRAIL TO CONNECT ALL NEW YORK Imagine being able to ride your bicycle end-toend through New York State, and envision all the towns and communities that would benefit along the way. The Empire State Trail is a bold vision— and we believe it should not stop in New York City as currently proposed, but should extend to the 7.5 million residents of Long Island.

The trail is a world-class multi-use path combining on and off-road paths to span from the Canadian borders near both Plattsburgh and Buffalo and is currently planned to end in New York City. It provides an innovative and uniquely New York response to explosive interest in bicycling and hiking for recreation, health and wellness, and the desire to boost the economy through tourism and recreation.

For the path to serve as a true statewide resource, an extension to Long Island is essential and reflects local demand throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

The Trust for Public Land will work closely with the New York Bicycling Coalition to develop this nearly 175-mile plan and help make the trail extension a reality. We believe this project will allow us to do what we do best—leverage grassroots advocates, regional organizations, municipal governments, and neighbors—to ensure that the plan truly reflects community needs and a forward-looking regional vision.

Over the next four years we will expand our green infrastructure playgrounds program to other cities across the state, providing one million more people access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home, while also improving air and water quality and reducing the risks of flooding and extreme heat.

We are building new partnerships with hospitals and healthcare providers to bring our Fitness Zone program to New York City residents for the very first time. In many neighborhoods, places to exercise are too scarce, too far away, or too expensive. Installed in existing parks or outdoor spaces, Fitness Zone areas offer top-quality, durable exercise gear that is free and easy to use, appropriate for teens and adults of all levels of fitness, and resistant to weather and vandalism.

To date, The Trust for Public Land and our partners have created over 100 Fitness Zone areas across the country, in cities like Miami, Los Angeles, Newark, Denver, and Stamford—and now we are launching it in New York City in an effort to provide New Yorkers with close-to-home outdoor and public spaces where they can actively recreate.

Each of these parks will reflect its neighborhood’s special identity, culture, and character, and each park represents huge opportunities to bring great parks and outdoor amenities to even more people.

These spaces will help make New York State a more healthy, livable, and resilient place for generations to come.

ALEXA HOYER

CONNECT MORE PEOPLE TO DY N A M I C O U T D O O R P L AC E S TO E X P E R I E N C E N AT U R E We believe that everyone deserves a park—a vibrant and safe place to enjoy the outdoors.

We’ve seen the transformative power of these spaces when communities are engaged in the process from the very beginning, from Fitness Zone® areas to neighborhood parks and green infrastructure playgrounds.

PS 581

East Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY

“Watching my ideas and opinions take shape in this schoolyard over the past few months has been extremely rewarding.

As my teammates’ and my ideas took physical form outside the windows of our classroom, we felt a huge sense of pride.

Our ideas and opinions matter here at PS 213.”

- Allison Cruz, 5th grade, PS 213 in New Lots, Brooklyn.

New York State Advisory Board 2018 We are so grateful for the support of our exceptional leaders!

Steven G. Horowitz, Chair David Amerikaner Dudley Del Balso Vanessa Ana Barboni Craig Dessen Alexander Durst Sarah Jackson Tom A. Javits Chuck Laven

Beth A. Maher Richard A. Miller David Ragins Celeste Rault Lisa Sarajian Rohan Singal Sharon Volckhausen Jonathan Wiesner Peter Wolf

Leadership Circle Joseph DiMona Penelope I. Low Caleb Linville Alex Kendall

ALI GOLDFARB

Thank you

to all of our donors and partners who inspire us to protect land and create parks for people in New York.

We couldn’t do it without you!

Photo: PS 213, New Lots, Brooklyn

Join us.

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.

tpl.org

Carter Strickland New York State Director The Trust for Public Land 212.574.6868 | carter.strickland@tpl.org Leslie Brauman Senior Director of Philanthropy The Trust for Public Land 212.574.6890 | leslie.brauman@tpl.org 666 Broadway, 9th Floor New York, NY 10012

COVER: TOP LEFT, DOROTHY REILLY; TOP RIGHT, HANNAH LOZANO; MIDDLE LEFT, ALI GOLDFARB; MIDDLE RIGHT, TIMOTHY SCHENCK; BOTTOM, MARNI HORWITZ.