New Director for TPL’s Ohio Office

Cleveland, Ohio, 7/9/07 – The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land conservation organization, announced today that Bill Carroll has been appointed Director of the Ohio Office.

Carroll replaces Chris Knopf, who will assume the position of Director of Regional Programs for The Trust for Public Land’s regional headquarters in St. Paul, Minn. The transition, which concludes a nation-wide search, comes as the office celebrates the recent milestone of protecting 10,000 acres in Ohio.

Widely regarded as the most successful, results-driven land conservation organization in the state, The Trust for Public Land works at the invitation of private landowners, public agencies, park districts, and communities to create parks and protect green space. The TPL accomplishes its mission in partnership with private donors, businesses, local officials and funders.

Carroll, who takes the Ohio Director post July 16, joined The Trust for Public Land as a program manager in 2006, after 33 years with the National Park Service. Most recently, he held the position of deputy superintendent of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

“I am excited about taking on this role for the Trust for Public Land in Ohio,” Carroll said. “And I am eager to continue the important work of protecting land for Ohioans. I hope to build upon the many accomplishments Chris Knopf achieved during his tenure.”

Knopf’s departure comes after nine years at the helm of the Ohio office, where he spearheaded numerous conservation successes, including the demolition of the Richfield Coliseum and the transfer of the 327-acre site to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the creation of the 574-acre Bass Lake Preserve in Geauga County, and the conservation of nearly 2,600 acres in Erie County as part of the East Sandusky Nature Preserve and Edison Woods Preserve.

“Chris Knopf leaves behind a legacy of land conservation that will benefit Ohioans for generations to come,” said George Klein, chair of The Trust for Public Land’s Ohio Advisory Council.

“I look forward to the new opportunities that I will have as Director of Regional Programs and am proud of the work that I have been part of during my nine years as Director of the Ohio Office,” Knopf said.

In addition to the change in Ohio directorship, The Trust for Public Land also announced plans to expand the staff of the Ohio office, further strengthening the group’s ability to accomplish its land-for-people mission here. A grant from The Cleveland Foundation will support the addition of one program-manager position, which will focus primarily on conserving land along the Cleveland waterfront. That work includes efforts to extend the Towpath Trail into a new downtown park to be called Canal Basin Park and to extend the trail system to the shores of Lake Erie at Whiskey Island.

Also, Catherine Timko, Ohio Director of Development, has been promoted to Regional Development Director, Central Region. She will remain in the Cleveland office. A search is underway for a new Ohio Director of Development.

“This is an exciting time for The Trust for Public Land in Ohio,” said Klein, TPL’s Ohio Advisory Council chair. “As our staff grows, we intend to broaden our reach throughout the state. There is still significant work ahead of us as we pursue our mission to protect the places that are so important to all of us.”

Since it was founded in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has helped protect more than 2.2 million acres of land in 46 states. In Ohio, The Trust for Public Land has protected 10,000 acres valued at more than $67 million. The Trust for Public Land depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve its mission to preserve land for people. The organization receives leadership support from the George Gund Foundation, the Cleveland Foundation, the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation and the George B. Storer Foundation.