Interior Department Grants 14 Communities Funding for Outdoor Rec Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of the Interior announced yesterday $58.3 millionin grants to communities through the National Park Service's Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership(ORLP) program.

ORLP was started in 2014 to help economically disadvantaged communities with little to no access to public outdoor recreation spaces by funding the creation or improvement of outdoor recreation amenities. It has funded dozens of projects over the past 10 years, including the Belle Isle Park Athletic Complex in Detroit, Michigan, and Three Mile Creek Greenway Project in Mobile, Alabama.

The grants will be distributed to 14 projects in 11 states, including:

• Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  • The city will receive $747,966 to rehabilitate Friendship Park.
• Detroit, Michigan
  • The city will receive $1,300,000 to improve Patton Park to reduce heat island effects and improve access.
• Laredo, Texas
  • The city will receive $3,799,966 to develop the Zacate Creek Green District Corridor, including new hiking and biking trails, pathways and more.
• New York City, New York
  • The city will receive $6,000,000 to renovate and increase accessibility in Spring Creek Park on the Brooklyn/Queens border.
• Richmond, Virginia
  • The city will receive $1,000,000 to create a nature park at Broad Rock Creek, including new trails and amenities.
• San Francisco, California
  • The city will receive $8,124,800 to renovate three of five park blocks comprising Buchanan Street Mall. The other two blocks were renovated with support from a previous ORLP grant.

In response, Jackie Ostfeld, Campaign Director of Sierra Club's Outdoors for All, released the following statement:

"We are in the midst of a climate crisis that is only exacerbated by society's growing disconnect from nature. With 84% of Americans living in urban areas, there is a critical need to protect and expand green spaces, parks and recreation opportunities to ensure people have access to the natural world and protection from the impact of the climate crisis. Park projects can address problems such as urban heat islands, storm-water runoff and the lack of access to safe parks and trails.

"This announcement from the Interior Department is a step toward improving the lives of the millions of people who will benefit from improved parks and recreation facilities, and it is great to see communities that have experienced years of disinvestment and deprioritization receive new investment and support."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.