THE TRUTH FOR PUBLIC LAND
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But not all TPL projects involve conservation easements or
large parcels of land. The Clinton Community Garden in New
York City is an urban Eden of magnolia trees, grape arbors,
and flower and vegetable plots greening a tiny, city-owned
lot.
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About six years ago, concerned neighbors rescued the lot
from trash-strewn neglect and converted it into a lush
garden and neighborhood park. When the city later decided
to sell the lot, worth about $900,000, TPL and concerned
Clinton neighbors launched a "Square Inch Campaign" in
hopes of raising enough money to save the garden.
The campaign received substantial media attention,
ultimately raising about $100,000 - an incredible
demonstration of grassroots support, yet far short of the
goal. Fortunately, an intense lobbying effort finally
convinced Mayor Ed Koch that the site was of critical
import to New Yorkers as an urban breathing space. By
executive order, the mayor transferred the lot from the
city's Division of Real Property to the Department of Parks
and Recreation. The Clinton Garden was saved, and the
$100,000 raised through the Square Inch Campaign was placed
in a fund to maintain Clinton and protect other Manhattan
community gardens threatened with loss of their sites.
A sampling of other TPL-assisted land conservation
projects:
• Working with concerned residents to organize Puget Sound's
Whidbey-Camano Land Trust. In partnership with TPL and the
National Park Service, this local group has accepted its
first easement protecting a panoramic trail area in the
Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve.
• Helping guide the
Thousand Islands Land Trust into existence. TILT works to
protect an area of more than 1,700 islands on the St.
Lawrence River by acquiring easements that restrain the
development pressures threatening to mar the pristine
character of this great waterway.
In addition to working with individual donors and local
conservation trusts, TPL also acts directly to acquire
property that has environmental or public-use significance,
frequently negotiating below-market-value purchases.
Property thus acquired is then conveyed to public agencies
or private nonprofit organizations for long-term
management. Any profit accruing to TPL is used to cover
operating costs or recycled to finance future land
conservation acquisitions.
