$10,475 raised by 17 donors
21% complete
$50,000 Goal
Since 1972 we've been connecting communities to the outdoors - and to each other. We've created more than 5,000 special places and protected more than 3.6 million acres nationwide - from neighborhood parks to national parks - including over 43,000 acres in Texas. We have a rich history of partnering with cities and engaging communities in planning, designing, building, and stewarding innovative park projects in cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Austin, and countless more. In partnership with public agencies, the philanthropic community, and our Texas Advisory Board, we are advocating and advancing our 10-minute walk vision across North Texas.
The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Only 66 percent of North Texas residents have access to a park or trail within a 10-minute walk of their home, meaning far too many families are without safe access to an outdoor space to exercise, play, and enjoy nature. We are working across Dallas and Fort Worth to change that and bring a park or trail within walking distance of everyone who calls North Texas home!
Your North Texas Giving Day gift will support all of our work to bring parks and trails within walking distance of everyone in North Texas.
Five Mile Creek Connected Communities Vision (A Big, Bold Vision for Dallas Parks)
Winding through the hills and valleys of southwest Dallas, Five Mile Creek’s 70-square-mile watershed includes Blackland Prairie, limestone creeks, old-growth forests, and wildflower meadows. Yet many of these natural features are inaccessible and disconnected from the city’s parks and trails—until now.
Throughout 2018, the Trust for Public Land collaborated with hundreds of local residents to develop a bold vision for a network of parks and trails along Five Mile Creek and its many tributaries. The results will provide opportunities for residents to hike, bike, play, exercise, learn, and enjoy nature’s bounty in the heart of Dallas. The Five Mile Creek Greenbelt lays the foundation for nearly 13 miles of new trails, 124 acres of parks, and the comprehensive revitalization of a unique natural asset.
Trust for Public Land will oversee the design and development of three initial projects within the greenbelt: the 1.8-acre South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park, which opened in November 2021; the 40.4-acre Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park near Paul Quinn College, the first phase of which will open in 2023; and the 82-acre Woody Branch Park in Glen Oaks. As the first phase of the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt, these three projects will demonstrate the power of parks to improve the quality of life for nearby residents and the greater North Texas region.
Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park
Dallas’s historic Highland Hills neighborhood is home to the scenic Five Mile Creek, which carves a series of hills and valleys through the community before merging into the Trinity River. But despite being home to some of the city’s most beautiful scenery, the area lacks the parks and trails that are so common in other parts of Dallas—only 54% of residents have a park within a 10-minute walk of home, compared to 73% of Dallas residents.
Named in honor of long-time community leader Judge Charles R. Rose, who served for many years as a justice of the peace for the Highland Hills neighborhood, the park will provide countless people the opportunity to build community and find joy in the outdoors. Access to the outdoors is a fundamental human need, and all communities are stronger, healthier, and more connected when everyone can get outside
Mayor’s Greening Initiative
For nearly a decade, TPL has partnered with the City of Dallas and its communities to improve park access and equity. The results speak for themselves: since 2015, the number of Dallas residents served by a park within a 10-minute walk of home has increased by nearly 300,000, improving citywide park access from 54 to 73 percent. We are proud of our work to bring together city leadership, neighborhood advocates, and partner organizations that has made possible this dramatic improvement.
Using TPL’s cutting edge computer mapping tools, we identified over 350 vacant properties that could be suitable green space, and then prioritized them based on their ability to cool neighborhoods during heat waves, protect against flooding, improve the health of residents, build equity in underserved neighborhoods, and connect communities.
In May, Mayor Johnson announced $1.25 million in funding for the greening initiative. We are now working with the Park Department and neighborhoods to begin developing many of the properties into new community greenspaces. These meaningful actions and partnerships ensure Dallas residents, no matter where they live, can easily connect with quality parks and open spaces.
The Trust for Public Land is committed to comprehensive organizational development to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, internally and externally, including defining authentic and credible roles for The Trust for Public Land, understanding issues that hinder our progress, and leveraging our place in the conservation movement to drive change. We recently developed and launched a comprehensive DEI Action Plan, which examines every facet of the organization, including company culture, recruitment and hiring, and helping advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the conservation field.
Organization name
Trust for Public Land
Causes
Parks and Greenspaces, Environment & Conservation, Community Improvement
Operating Budget
$3,000,000 - $9,999,999
Counties Served
Denton, Collin, Cooke, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Kaufman, Johnson, Hunt, Hood, Grayson, Fannin, Erath, Ellis, Dallas
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
3000 Pegasus Park Dr., Suite 752