Julie Parish
“Thanks to Trust for Public Land, access to nature for ALL can be a reality.”
Julie Parish paddle boarding with her dog
To honor the late Charles Gresham, Trust for Public Land established the Gresham Challenge, with $1 million from his generous estate gift designated to inspire others to give. Keep reading to meet one of the first Legacy Partners to answer this call, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
Joining the Stegner Society has been on my “to do” list for at least a decade, but somehow, I never got around to it. Why? I was too busy, it felt too complicated, and too big a commitment. I worried that I might change my mind and I thought that I had plenty of time. Well, all that changed with COVID. This heartbreaking, terrifying pandemic has challenged me to face my own mortality and the fragility and uncertainty of life. It’s motivated me to realign my life and my philanthropy with my values. Procrastination is no longer acceptable—enter the Gresham Challenge. It was the shift in my perspective about life’s fragility, the reminder of the benefits of nature for ALL people during COVID, enduring confidence in Trust for Public Land, and the generous match that finally motivated me to take the Challenge.
What would I say to future generations? I believe in the power of awe. “Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world,” says Dr. Dacher Keltner, director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. His research has found that awe “leads people to cooperate, share resources, and sacrifice for others, all of which are requirements for our collective life.” In addition, awe stimulates wonder and curiosity and is important for health and well-being.
Here’s the good news—nature elicits awe, not just the majesty of Half Dome or the Grand Canyon. Opportunities for awe are within a 10-minute walk. Find nature in a park, a schoolyard, or the alley. Commit yourself to protecting land and creating parks so that everyone can have a chance to experience awe. We just might become our better selves individually and collectively and in so doing save our planet and our very existence.
I have so many favorite memories of being in nature throughout my life, but one recent memory stands out. We share land in west Sonoma with a non-profit called LandPaths. It is 1,000 acres of forest, native grassland, oak woodland, and a unique swathe of serpentine. It is a place where groups can hold retreats and camps and environmental education classes. One participant at an overnight retreat dreamed that she had been to that place before. Yana is from the local Miwok and South Pomo Tribe. Her mother, Gloria, confirmed that indeed she had brought her two daughters to that land to gather Angelica, an herb used for sacred ceremony. I had the great honor and privilege of joining that family at the very place where they’d harvested their precious herb. Gloria remembered exactly where it was. I will never forget the expression on her face of recognition, appreciation, and awe. I will never forget the confusion I felt about “ownership” of that land and what it means to be stewards. Thanks to Trust for Public Land, access to nature for ALL can be a REALITY.
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