Urban Outdoors builds on this legacy while responding to the opportunities and challenges facing Massachusetts today. As more people live in cities and climate impacts become increasingly visible, conservation must be relevant, accessible, and rooted in the places where people live their daily lives.

Through partnerships with trusted community organizations, municipalities, local land trusts, and residents, Urban Outdoors explores how conservation, stewardship, and community leadership can work together to protect, activate, and sustain urban green spaces. The initiative supports locally driven efforts that connect people to nature while advancing access to healthy food, climate-ready landscapes, youth leadership opportunities, and community wellbeing.

By investing in partnerships, youth leadership, shared stewardship of land, and climate resilience, Urban Outdoors is helping shape a more inclusive and community-centered approach to conservation—one that expands access to the benefits of nature while building long-term pathways for urban land conservation and stewardship across Massachusetts. 

Urban Outdoors reflects The Trustees’ belief that conservation is most effective when it is rooted in place, shaped by community relationships, and connected to the long-term stewardship of land. By working alongside local partners and residents, we are exploring how urban conservation can strengthen both communities and the landscapes they care for.  

This work advances The Trustees’ vision to be For Everyone, Forever by expanding who feels welcomed, represented, and connected to the outdoors, while helping ensure that vibrant, climate-resilient green spaces remain accessible to communities for generations to come.