Thanks to you
No doubt about it: 2016 was an eventful year for public lands. But with the help of friends and supporters like you, we're standing up for parks and open space, and helping communities across the country protect the places that matter most to them.
Thanks to you, we saved threatened land for national parks including Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, and Saguaro. In small towns like Sand Point, Idaho, and Milan, New Hampshire, we empowered neighbors to protect the forests, streams, and trails that sustain local economies. And in cities from New York to San Francisco, we built parks and playgrounds that help people stay happier and healthier—while meeting the challenges of climate change head-on.
This is what conservation means to us—and we couldn’t do any of it without you. In the report below, we’re proud to share some of the many ways your support made a difference in 2016.
As we look ahead to a pivotal year to come, we are so grateful to have you standing with us. Thank you for all you do for parks and conservation in your community—and for your ongoing support of The Trust for Public Land.
Will Rogers
President and CEO
The wet soils in the meadow provide plenty of water for wildflowers.Photo credit: Robb Hirsch Ackerson Meadow is the largest addition to Yosemite National Park in 60 years—and it’s thriving. The sunny, peaceful mountain meadow is a haven for birds, wildlife, and rare plants… and now it belongs to all of us thanks to you.
Mill Creek, a part of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail project near Salt Lake City.Photo credit: Mike Schirf Just a 20-minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City, the trails through Mill Creek Canyon offer an easy escape to the wild Wasatch Foothills. The Trust for Public Land added more than 800 acres of once-private land to the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, ensuring public access forever.
Photo credit: DLX Skateshop Hilltop is home to the first dedicated skateboarding park in San Francisco. Residents of the city’s Bayview neighborhood helped us completely redesign their park, and it recently reopened with a much-improved skateboarding area, a Fitness Zone® exercise area, and benches to take in the panoramic views of San Francisco Bay.
Photo credit: David Stubbs The natural mineral spring near Jackson, Wyoming was once a favorite spot to relax in pools of hot, soothing water. But the springs have been off-limits since the resort there closed in the 1990s. With your help, we protected the springs this year and are working to design and build a 100-acre park with public soaking pools and a trail along the Snake River.
Visitors enjoy a walk along the Big Lake Trail in City Park, New OrleansPhoto credit: Andy Isaacson Our GIS experts are partnering with the City of New Orleans to determine which neighborhoods can benefit most from green infrastructure, which can help reduce flooding in this low-lying city.
Paddling along the shoreline on Hayden IslandPhoto credit: Stickeen, Inc. This still-wild piece of Hayden Island in Oregon’s Willamette River was once slated to be logged and mined for gravel. Instead, we helped set it aside as a nature park, a fitting legacy to the memory of conservationist Gail Achterman.
Newark Riverfront ParkPhoto credit: Colin Cooke Shovels in hand, we broke ground on the expansion of Newark Riverfront Park. The next phase of this ambitious project will feature the Horizon Wellness Trail, a Trust for Public Land Fitness Zone® area, chess tables, a dedicated bike lane, and four more acres of parkland along the Passaic River--increasing park access and opportunities for health and wellness.
Getting fit at Garvey Park Fitness ZonePhoto credit: Kevin Scanlon Fitness Zone® exercise areas are a free, fun, social way for people to get in shape. In Chattanooga, we’re using computer mapping software and public health data to determine which neighborhoods can benefit most from free workouts—we’ve built six Fitness Zone areas in the city in the past two years.
Photo credit: Flickr user Paul Frankenstein The rugged mountains of Saguaro National Park are the scenic backdrop for everyday life in fast-growing Tucson, Arizona. In August, we donated 280 acres to the National Park Service, ensuring thousands of giant saguaro cacti—and the wildlife that depend on them—will continue to thrive.
Flyfishing at the Dosewallips River.Photo credit: The Trust for Public Land The Hood Canal in Washington State is a magnet for boaters, hikers, birdwatchers, and anglers. You helped us add more than 300 acres to Dosewallips State Park, creating new access to the Dosewallips River and space for a new trail into Olympic National Park.
The Kashia Coastal ReservePhoto credit: TPL Archives After more than 150 years on a small, inland reservation, the Kashia band of Pomo Indians has at last returned to the California coast. Just a few hours north of San Francisco, the Kashia Coastal Reserve is 700 acres of redwood groves, wave-battered bluffs, and fog-swept prairie. Thanks to your support, it’s now permanently protected for the Kashia—whose ancestors lived here for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers.
Photo Credit: Jenna Stamm We transformed a once-barren yard at this Philadelphia school into a colorful playground with a turf field, a rain garden, a running track, and musical instruments—all designed by the students themselves.
Jogging along South Chickamauga Creek Greenway in Chattanooga, TNPhoto credit: Darcy Kiefel In Chattanooga, we built a bridge and trail connecting the Tennessee Riverwalk to the South Chickamauga Greenway, a big step towards our goal of a 23-mile car-free corridor linking the city proper with outlying neighborhoods and parks.
Photo credit: Jennifer Howard Residents of picturesque Northfield, Massachusetts banded together to save the pristine forested mountainside that overlooks their town, safeguarding their clean drinking water and access to a miles-long network of trails built by community members.
Sunrise on Little Berry Pond at Cold Stream watershedPhoto credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman 
River rafting on the Rio Grande near Pilar, NMPhoto credit: Rich Reid With your support, we added 2,500 acres to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument near Taos, New Mexico. This dramatic landscape, nestled between massive peaks and near the sheer Rio Grande Gorge, is now protected from development, and open for everyone to explore.
Fishing at Coney IslandPhoto credit: Andy Richter Together we protected the last piece of private land within Rocky Mountain National Park—a small resort of rustic cottages clustered on the banks of the Fall River. The Park Service plans to restore the land to its natural state, to welcome wildlife back to this stretch of river.
A family hikes on the Dowsville Headwaters property in Duxbury, VT.Photo credit: Jerry and Marcy Monkman You helped add more than 2,000 acres to Camel’s Hump Sate Park in Vermont. The headwaters of Dowsville Brook contain seven miles of trails for hiking, biking, and snow sports, and habitat for wildlife like black bears, bobcats, and grouse.
Kauleoli, a part of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.Photo credit: The Trust for Public Land The National Park Service now protects this Hawaiian fishing village on the Big Island’s Kona Coast, the newest addition to the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail. Kauleoli is home to ancient cultural sites, traditional farming areas, and an intact section of the trail that once circled the island’s entire coastline.
Photo credit: Cara Colson Littleton, Colorado, residents used to hurry past the auto salvage lot along the Big Dry Creek Trail. Now, the car parts are gone, and we’ve transformed the land into a nature park complete with a treehouse, climbing boulders and logs, and a water play area.
Photo credit: Flickr User John Wisniewski A new national monument in New York's Greenwich Village honors the history and accomplishments of the LGBT rights movement. The Trust for Public Land helped the City of New York transfer the property to the National Park Service.
Leaping into the Chattahoochee River More than 3 million people a year visit the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area outside of Atlanta. This year, you helped the National Park Service protect 47 acres along one of the most pristine reaches of the river, opening the possibility of a new public greenway trail.
Photo credit: Wikipedia As its population grows, Dallas is working to make sure its parks can keep up. This year we launched Smart Growth for Dallas—an ambitious data collection and analysis plan using computer modeling and conversations with park users to help decision makers prioritize investments in parks.
Photo credit: Annie Kuster In northern Idaho, you helped protect a key stretch of a waterfront biking and walking trail linking the communities of Sandpoint, Ponderay, and Kootenai.
Photo credit: Adam Alexander Photography Chicago is loving The 606! More than 10,000 people joined our outdoor community events this year—from block parties to scavenger hunts to free live music to a festive parade of holiday lights, Chicago’s elevated park and trail is connecting neighbors to nature—and each other.
Photo credit: Jose Azel / Aurora Photos Milan, New Hampshire, is a small town with close ties to its surrounding woods and waters. This year, you helped Milan residents protect the first pieces of what will eventually become a 1,300-acre community forest, supporting sustainable forestry and close-to-home nature.
2016 by the numbers
| Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 with comparative information as of March 31, 2015 (dollars in thousands) | ||
| 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||
| Cash & Investments | 90,139 | 105,400 |
| Receivables & deposits | 54,935 | 34,655 |
| Land holdings | 85,870 | 66,461 |
| Charitable trust assets | 54,525 | 60,995 |
| Other assets | 1,340 | 1,480 |
| TOTAL ASSETS | $286,809 | $268,991 |
| Liabilities and Net Assets | ||
| Liabilities | ||
| Notes Payable* | 26,518 | 23,087 |
| Liabilities to beneficiaries of charitable trusts | 34,997 | 40,534 |
| Other liabilities | 35,259 | 26,876 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | $96,774 | $90,497 |
| Net Assets | ||
| Unrestricted amounts | 27,769 | 27,143 |
| Temporarily restricted amounts | 144,631 | 134,975 |
| Permanently restricted amounts | 17,635 | 16,376 |
| TOTAL NET ASSETS | $190,035 | $178,494 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS | $286,809 | $268,991 |
* *Including $23,725 (FY16) and $17,854 (FY15) due within one year.
| Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 with comparative information as of March 31, 2015 (dollars in thousands) | ||
| 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenues and additions to net assets | ||
| Contributions of land and easements: | ||
| Fair market value acquired | 169,811 | 162,311 |
| Less consideration paid | (155,052) | (123,743) |
| Contributions of land and easement values received | $14,759 | $38,568 |
| Contributions and grants - other: | ||
| Restricted | 62,844 | 46,907 |
| Unrestricted | 36,354 | 28,038 |
| Future interests in charitable trusts | 1,346 | 90 |
| Change in value of interests in charitable trusts | (2,269) | 307 |
| Total contributions and grants-other | 98,275 | 75,342 |
| Project fees, interest, and other income (losses) | 21,381 | 21,232 |
| TOTAL REVENUES AND ADDITIONS | $134,415 | $135,142 |
| EXPENSES AND REDUCTIONS TO NET ASSETS | ||
| Program Services: | ||
| Contributions of land and easements to public agencies and other nonprofit organizations: | ||
| Fair market value conveyed | $146,761 | $189,726 |
| Less consideration received | (117,305) | (123,075) |
| Contributions of land and easement values made | 29,456 | 66,651 |
| Open space conservation programs | 65,470 | 60,047 |
| TOTAL PROGRAM SERVICES | 94,926 | 126,698 |
| Support services: | ||
| Development | 12,725 | 11,024 |
| Management and support | 15,223 | 15,250 |
| TOTAL SUPPORT SERVICES | 27,948 | 26,274 |
| TOTAL EXPENSES AND REDUCTIONS | 122,874 | 152,972 |
| Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets | 11,541 | (17,830) |
The condensed consolidated financial information as of and for the years ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 has been derived from The Trust for Public Land's 2016 consolidated financial statements, audited by Hood & Strong, LLP. The condensed consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the 2016 audited consolidated financial statements and related notes. To obtain copies of our complete 2016 audited consolidated financial statements, please contact us.
