Dick Dolan, Northern Rockies Director of The Trust for Public Land and based in Bozeman, writes in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that access to quality community parks is vital, and vitally important during the restrictions and medical responses needed in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dolan writes: “…just as I’ve never been more grateful for my local parks and trails than I am right now, I’ve also never been more aware of the costs to the many communities that don’t have safe and welcoming access to the outdoors. Across the country 100 million people in America—including 28 million children—don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. That means they lack a place to connect with neighbors, exercise or just get some fresh air.”
His article ends with this: “In Bozeman, nearly 20 percent of us still don’t have a park within walking distance of home. With projects like Story Mill Community Park, which my organization, The Trust for Public Land, opened last summer, we’re making progress, but we still have work to do to reach the goal of equal access to the outdoors for all.
I know that our community is resilient and life will return to normal eventually. When it does, we must stay focused on ensuring that every person, in every neighborhood, has access to a great park. In the meantime, let’s all keep our physical distance but close emotional distance by continuing to help one another get through this crisis.”
Photo of Story Mill Community Park