Thanks to you
Will Rogers, President and CEOSomewhere out there, in communities across the country, children are playing in parks you helped create. A family is canoeing on a lake you helped protect. And on quiet mountain trails and bustling city playgrounds, people are experiencing nature and the outdoors because of your investment in The Trust for Public Land.
This report highlights some of our proudest accomplishments in 2015. As it shows, parks and natural lands are precious gifts that keep on giving for generations. For these gifts, millions of Americans give you their thanks.
Will Rogers, CEO
Vital to the local food economy, this permanently protected New Hampshire dairy farm plans to one day offer riverside camping and other agro-tourism activities.
Lower Deschutes River RanchPhoto credit: Isaac Lane Koval This vast and beautiful wildlife area in Oregon connects to the Deshutes River and protects thousands of high-desert acres for your enjoyment.
Photo credit: Marco Garcia Conservation of this historic Hawaiian battlefield protects important cultural sites and artifacts.
Turtle bay from the airPhoto credit: Sean Davey The rugged, unspoiled coastline of Hawaii's Kawela Bay is now permanently protected for surfers, beachgoers, and wildlife.
Upper Gros Ventre River RanchPhoto credit: Chris Deming / TPL Staff Protection of this ranchland in Wyoming guarantees access for outdoorsman and opens up critical wildlife migration routes.
Snowshoers in Vermont's Green MountainsPhoto credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman A new state forest for the people of Vermont will not only provide a multitude of recreation opportunities, but also improve flood resiliency and safeguard wildlife habitat.
Photo credit: Kevin Brusie Now protected in perpetuity, this treasured open space will forever provide year-round recreation opportunities to the people of Portland, Maine.
You helped to permanently protected this beloved nature preserve, providing Ohioans a recreation destination and environmental education hub for generations to come.
With the help of PS 111 students, we transformed their school's asphalt lot into an innovative play space with a turf field, track, outdoor ping-pong tables, forest walk, rain garden, and more.
Photo credit: Kim Kurian Hiner This new wildlife refuge along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque offers recreation opportunities and environmental education programs for the community.
An expansive new park in Colorado provides a place for Mayan and Cuban immigrants to connect with nature, exercise, and grow their own healthy food.
Photo credit: Kiefel Photography Thanks to you, Denver's oldest park now has a brand-new playground -- designed by the people, for the people.
This new park in Los Angeles County’s most crowded and park-poor community is now a neighborhood icon created in the cultural vocabulary of its largely Mexican-American residents. A 40-foot-long mosaic dragon, created by local artist Jolino Beserra, is the centerpiece of the park.
Photo credit: Allana Wesley White This year, you helped create 8 Fitness Zone® exercise areas in communities from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, bringing our total to 70 created since 2008.
Photo credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman In 2010, Mount Ascutney shut down its lifts. Now, thanks to a community of dedicated supporters, the old resort is on its way to becoming one of Vermont's hottest destinations for mountain biking and back country skiing.
Photo credit: Marin City Community Services District As Marin City’s only outdoor recreational space, Rocky Graham Park remained unused, an eyesore, for more than 20 years—until residents rallied with a petition to revive it. In July 2015, we celebrated the long-awaited re-opening of the park, now a central gathering space for the community
Photo credit: Tegra Stone Nuess A forested peak in the "Issaquah Alps," Squak Mountain is just a half-hour from the bustle of downtown Seattle, and the latest in our work to ensure that as communities grow, their access to open space grows, too.
The newly opened Watts Serenity Park covers barely more than an acre—but its importance to the neighborhood is out of proportion to its size. To make the most of the space, we worked closely with the community to build the features that people wanted most.
Local kids plant a tree at the future site of the Montbello Open Space. Photo credit: Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) Though they live in a state famous for outdoor recreation, most of the children in Denver’s Montbello community lack access to parks and green space. To change that, we helped secure more than five acres in the neighborhood for the future Montbello Open Space, which will be home to educational programs for youth who face barriers to experiencing the outdoors.
Photo credit: Mike Schirf With your support, we've been working to add access points and safeguard critical open space to surround and extend this 100-mile trail. Ultimately, we envision a 280-mile-long path between the Idaho border and the heart of Utah—connecting 40 communities and limitless possibilities for adventure.
Photo credit: Mim Adkins Just minutes from downtown Hanover, this recently protected New Hampshire farm provides urbanites with an escape to forests and fields as well as access to the Appalachian Trail.
Photo credit: Colin Cooke Thanks to you, a beautiful riverfront park in Newark connects the people of the Ironbound neighborhood and visitors to the Passaic River for the first time in decades, and is the recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency's National Award for Smart Growth Achievement.
Photo credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman There are 2,600 vacant lots scattered throughout Boston—and they've got potential. We recently acquired two of these lots in Dorchester for what is now a neighborhood farm that creates new job opportunities and provides residents with locally grown, nutritious produce.
Photo credit: Mim Adkins Photography This thousand-acre property is the largest piece of unprotected coastal forest between Boston and New York, and a subject of hotly contested development proposals for more than 15 years. But not anymore. Now protected for the public, this Connecticut forest will soon include upgraded trails and amenities and provide access to nature close to home.
Photo credit: TPL archive The newly established reserve in California returns ownership of the land to the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, reconnecting them with their heritage and the coast.
Photo credit: Christi Cooper-Kuhn With the land now officially secured, we are in the process of creating a unique city park in the heart of Bozeman—with trails, wetlands, and more!
Grand Opening of Frogtown Park and Farm in Saint Paul MinnesotaPhoto credit: Hunt + Capture Photography In a densely populated area of St. Paul where there's less green space than in any other neighborhood—just 0.006 acres per child—this urban park and farm serves as a hub for health, recreation, local food, and a much-needed connection to nature.
Nearly three miles long, The 606 provides a way to walk or bike above car traffic.Photo credit: Adam Alexander Photography Named for the 606 zip code prefix all Chicagoans share, this new elevated park and trail system brings together art installations and landscape design—providing a new way to bike, run, walk, and explore the city.
2015 by the numbers
The Power of Place
In 2015, we launched our first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign to connect more people to nature and the outdoors:
We call it The Power of Place—the power of parks and open spaces to improve our cities, our communities, and ourselves.
Make a private investment in the public good. Join our movement to transform communities across the nation today. Watch the video below to learn more.
| Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 with comparative information as of March 31, 2014 (dollars in thousands) | ||
| 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||
| Cash & Investments | 105,400 | 99,568 |
| Receivables & deposits | 34,655 | 25,809 |
| Land holdings | 66,461 | 96,711 |
| Charitable trust assets | 60,995 | 63,069 |
| Other assets | 1,480 | 1,459 |
| TOTAL ASSETS | $268,991 | $286,616 |
| Liabilities and Net Assets | ||
| Liabilities | ||
| Notes Payable* | 23,087 | 26,345 |
| Liabilities to beneficiaries of charitable trusts | 40,534 | 42,683 |
| Other liabilities | 26,876 | 21,264 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | $90,497 | $90,292 |
| Net Assets | ||
| Unrestricted amounts | 27,143 | 33,956 |
| Temporarily restricted amounts | 134,975 | 149,184 |
| Permanently restricted amounts | 16,376 | 13,184 |
| TOTAL NET ASSETS | $178,494 | $196,324 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS | $268,991 | $286,616 |
* Including $17,854 (FY15) and $22,731 (FY14) due within one year.
| Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 with comparative information as of March 31, 2014 (dollars in thousands) | ||
| 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenues and additions to net assets | ||
| Contributions of land and easements: | ||
| Fair market value acquired | 162,311 | 184,189 |
| Less consideration paid | (123,743) | (156,194) |
| Contributions of land and easement values received | $38,568 | $27,995 |
| Contributions and grants - other: | ||
| Restricted | 46,907 | 44,434 |
| Unrestricted | 28,038 | 48,298 |
| Future interests in charitable trusts | 90 | 1,157 |
| Change in value of interests in charitable trusts | 307 | 2,057 |
| Total contributions and grants-other | 75,342 | 95,946 |
| Project fees, interest, and other income (losses) | 21,232 | 23,244 |
| TOTAL REVENUES AND ADDITIONS | $135,142 | $147,185 |
| EXPENSES AND REDUCTIONS TO NET ASSETS | ||
| Program Services: | ||
| Contributions of land and easements to public agencies and other nonprofit organizations: | ||
| Fair market value conveyed | $189,726 | $209,292 |
| Less consideration received | (123,075) | (135,293) |
| Contributions of land and easement values made | 66,651 | 73,999 |
| Open space conservation programs | 60,047 | 46,041 |
| TOTAL PROGRAM SERVICES | 126,698 | 120,040 |
| Support services: | ||
| Development | 11,024 | 10,100 |
| Management and support | 15,250 | 13,524 |
| TOTAL SUPPORT SERVICES | 26,274 | 23,624 |
| TOTAL EXPENSES AND REDUCTIONS | 152,972 | 143,664 |
| Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets | (17,830) | 3,521 |
The condensed consolidated financial information as of and for the years ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 has been derived from The Trust for Public Land's 2015 consolidated financial statements, audited by Hood & Strong, LLP. The condensed consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the 2015 audited consolidated financial statements and related notes. To obtain copies of our complete 2015 audited consolidated financial statements, please contact us.
