Statement from Trust for Public Land President and CEO Carrie Besnette Hauser on the 2024 Election Results

Denver, CO - Trust for Public Land [TPL] President and CEO Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauserissued the following statement:

"As this election season draws to a close, voters across the nation, undeterred by the divides of our time, cast their ballots in favor of our parks, public lands, and access to nature for all Americans. Yesterday, Americans supported 22 of the 23ballot measures that TPL championed, with one measure still pending final results. Together, these measures have generated over $16 billion in voter-approved public funding for parks, climate resilience projects, and land conservation. In blue cities, red counties, and purple states, voters overwhelmingly chose to protect nature and create parks. From the passage of California's climate bond to vital conservation measures in Colorado, Minnesota, Georgia, and New Mexico, Americans have shown a powerful commitment to the outdoor spaces that connect us all-places to get outside, gather with family, and recharge.

For many years, Trust for Public Land has led, advised, and partnered with communities and elected officials across the country, helping pass 679 ballot measures in 556 jurisdictions, generating nearly $110 billion in public funding for parks, open spaces, and clean water. These wins build on TPL's legacy of working with leaders and policymakers from every political background to protect nature and support vibrant communities, ensuring future generations inherit safer, healthier, thriving communities.

Yet we cannot ignore the reality that parks and green spaces in communities across the U.S. remain underfunded. Today, 100 million people in this country lack access to a high-quality, close-to-home outdoor space, while funding for parks lags far behind other infrastructure priorities. State and local spending on roads alone surpasses in a single year what we've achieved for parks over three decades.

TPL will continue to advocate for meaningful, lasting solutions to protect our lands and waters, expand outdoor access, and strengthen our economy, such as the Outdoors for All Act. This act would codify and improve the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant program, a nationally competitive federal grant program, that provides funding for parks in economically disadvantaged communities - from rural to urban - with little to no access to quality outdoor spaces.

If the 2024 election proved one thing, it is that communities across America support investments in their local parks and the protection of their public lands-showing how measures like the Outdoors for All Act are critical. We look forward to working with the Senate and House to pass the Outdoor for All Act in the lame duck session. We call on our supporters to contact their members of Congress and tell them to pass Outdoors for All before the session ends.

This election has reaffirmed that our shared vision for public lands and climate resilience transcends politics. We at TPL are honored to carry this work forward, uniting our country around the goal of connecting everyone to the joys and benefits of the outdoors."

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About Trust for Public Land 

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,364 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, and raised $110 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.4 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org