With funding from CREDO members, Trust for Public Land is connecting everyone to the outdoors

Access to nature is a fundamental human right. Yet, 1 in 3 Americans don’t have a park close to home—including 28 million kids. Trust for Public Land is changing that by collaborating with communities to create parks, playgrounds, trails, and protect natural spaces.

In June 2021, CREDO members voted to distribute $49,095 to Trust for Public Land to help the organization continue leading a movement to put a park within a 10-minute walk of every American. With CREDO support, Trust for Public Land is partnering with historically marginalized communities to protect and develop new outdoor spaces so that all people have access to the health benefits and climate solutions that nature provides.Thanks in part to funding by CREDO members, over the past six months, the Trust for Public Land has opened many new community parks and protected vital public lands. Some examples include:

Cook Park in Atlanta, GA: The Trust for Public Landworked with the community to transform 16 acres of flood prone land into a vibrant new city park, engineered to alleviate the risk of future catastrophic flooding and provide multiple benefits to the neighborhood. Cook Park features a playground, splashpad, climbing boulders, outdoor fitness equipment, multi-use sports courts, public performance space, and a variety of places for visitors to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park in Dallas, TX: Hand-in-hand with the neighbors of South Oak Cliff, Trust for Public Landcreated a 1.8 acre park with all-weather fitness equipment, a rock climbing boulder wall, an outdoor classroom, and barbecue and gathering spaces. This is the first park in the new Five Mile Creek Greenbelt, which will become a network of parks and dozens of miles of trails in Dallas.

5+ Community Schoolyards in NYC and beyond: Transforming barren lots at schools into vibrant green spaces open to the entire community, with playgrounds, athletic fields, outdoor classrooms, gardens, and relaxation areas.

Meadowood, Connecticut: Protecting a historically significant 285-acre property, a former tobacco farm where Martin Luther King, Jr. worked during two summers as a teenager.

Cross F Ranch, Arizona: In conserving a total of 3,154 acres, Trust for Public Landprotected the Cross F Ranch, a spectacular 22,000-acre ranch that connects the Galiuro Mountains and Aravaipa Canyon on its west side with the Santa Teresa Mountains and Forest Service Wilderness to the east. The project has created guaranteed permanent public access to 40,000 acres of existing public lands and protected a substantial portion of the watershed for nearby Aravaipa Creek.

If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Trust for Public Land, please visit their website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.