{"id":35036,"date":"2018-06-11T12:32:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-11T19:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=35036"},"modified":"2019-05-13T10:37:17","modified_gmt":"2019-05-13T17:37:17","slug":"rewilding-our-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/rewilding-our-cities","title":{"rendered":"Rewilding Our Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a co-op, we\u2019re a different kind of company. We put purpose before profits and act with the long-term interests of our members in mind. Being a co-op also means we act transparently. That\u2019s why we publish our annual Stewardship Report.<\/a> It\u2019s our way to show what we did in the previous year to get more people outside, operate more sustainably, and protect and create access to our outdoor places\u2013none of which we could have done without you. <\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat if we reimagined how people connect to the outdoors in cities, and how the outdoors connects to cities?\u201d challenges Kristen Ragain, philanthropy and community partnership manager for REI. Over the course of the past several years, this question has inspired a new line of community investment and partnering by REI\u2014what we call our Rewilding Projects.<\/p>\n

At REI, we’re on a mission to ensure every American can have the same transformational experiences in the outdoors that we die-hard outdoorists love. Of course, we do that through gear, classes and REI Adventures trips. But we also do it through co-op philanthropy, which is substantial for a company of our size and scope. In 2018 alone, we\u2019ll invest approximately $8.8 million in projects, outdoor places and organizations that are increasing access to the outdoors. \u201cWith almost 80 percent of the United States population living in urban areas\u2014and the fact that the average American spends 95 percent of their life indoors\u2014we decided it was the <\/em>time to rewild cities,\u201d Ragain added.<\/p>\n

Three years ago, we launched the first of our Rewilding Projects, part of our long-term strategy to help provide millions of people easier access to nearby outdoor places. The goal is to reshape how people in large urban and suburban areas connect with the outdoors. Rewilding investments are a logical progression from other REI community investments. They\u2019re bigger, broader geographically and longer in scope.<\/p>\n

\"Bikers

Bikers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail Ride. (Photo Credit: Scott Markewitz)<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the course of the 20th century and continuing into this one, Americans gradually have been spending more and more of their days indoors. REI wants to help reverse that trend. These impact investments are about integrating the outdoors into people\u2019s daily lives\u2014meeting them where they live, work and play. As we began to explore this idea, five regional projects quickly presented themselves as exciting rewilding opportunities:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Accelerating efforts to complete the 550-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail (370 miles are complete), which surrounds 8 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area.<\/li>\n
  2. Improving access to and enhancing outdoor recreation infrastructure at the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, which is located within an hour\u2019s drive for 10 million people in the greater Los Angeles area.<\/li>\n
  3. Reimagining Southeast Chicago as an outdoor recreation hub just 25 minutes from the urban core, with a mountain bike park, trails, paddling, climbing and more.<\/li>\n
  4. Creating a world-class network of multi-use trails that are equitably distributed throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region providing healthy, low-stress access to open space and reliable transportation for people of all ages and abilities.<\/li>\n
  5. Restoring and improving access to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie area near Seattle, the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"\"

    Cyclist in D.C.<\/p><\/div>\n

    These projects involve many partners, stakeholders and funders. Using a combination of grants, relationships and expertise, we learned how REI can be uniquely positioned to support each project\u2014such as when our marketing team helped redesign the Bay Area Ridge Trail brand and logo. Our support for these projects ranges from making an organization stronger all the way to constructing outdoor recreation infrastructure. And these are the results so far:<\/p>\n

    San Francisco<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Taking one nonprofit to the next level\u00a0<\/b><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

    This 550-mile-long multi-use trail\u2014of which <\/span>375 miles are currently open<\/span>\u2014<\/span>traces the ridgelines ringing San Francisco Bay and serves 8 million people through nine counties, from Mount St. Helena to south of San Jose. REI\u2019s investment supported the construction of new portions of the trail while simultaneously strengthening our decade-plus partner, <\/span>Bay Area Ridge Trail Council<\/span><\/a>, through<\/span> trail and organization rebranding, a website rebuild, convenings, awareness campaign and a database system for communications and funding. All of this contributed to more donors, more funding, increased web traffic and better staff efficiency<\/span>\u2014which translated into more resources to finish the trail.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Los Angeles<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Providing access to the San Gabriel Mountains<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

    The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument serves as the backyard to the nation\u2019s second largest urban center. Thousands of miles of streams, trails and other recreational opportunities lie within one hour of the nearly 10 million people who live in Los Angeles County. Through the Rewilding Project, REI has collaborated closely with the National Forest Foundation<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>The Wilderness Society<\/span><\/a> to restore and reroute trails, enhance recreation infrastructure and increase access by linking urban trails and developing public transportation from the city to the mountains.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Chicago<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Building world-class recreation within city limits<\/b><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

    We partnered with the\u00a0Chicago Parks Foundation<\/a>, Active Transportation Alliance<\/a> and Friends of Big Marsh<\/a> to transform industrial dumping grounds into an outdoor hub in the Southeast side of Chicago. One of the initial projects is the completion of an incredible mountain bike park surrounded by trails for hiking and space for restored ecology. We\u2019ve also supported these community-led organizations by rebranding and building awareness of the new outdoor recreation opportunities, advocating for new transportation options to help Chicagoans get to what will one day be multiple connected parks and trails, and developing the Big Marsh property into mixed-use trails and one of the biggest mountain bike parks in the country. \u201cThe main thing that\u2019s important to understand is the relationship between outdoor recreation and ecology. The big story at Big Marsh is how the two have gone hand in hand,\u201d said Randy Neufeld, director of the SRAM Cycling Fund<\/a>, one of our partners for the project. \u201cThe space that was ruined by old industrial activities is being restored, because it\u2019s providing recreational opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Washington, D.C.<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Connecting a network of city trails<\/b><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

    In D.C., we supported the creation of the Capital Trails Coalition<\/a> with a $500,000 grant over four years, and worked directly with Washington Area Bicyclist Association<\/a>, Rails to Trails Conservancy<\/a> and the Trust for Public Land<\/a>\u00a0to help create a world-class network of over 600 miles of multiuse trails that are equitably distributed throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. Like all of the Rewilding Projects, we served as convener\u2014supporting meetings of a diverse array of stakeholders, in both the public and private sectors, to come together, develop a shared vision and create a high functioning coalition that will connect the region’s trail network. The coalition has spurred conversations about what it means to have a world-class trail network and has raised the priority of trail development with in D.C. region. \u201cGood jobs in D.C. typically take an hour and a half for my residents to reach via public transit,\u201d says Robert Looper, Ward 5 advisory neighborhood commissioner, \u201cand when this work is realized they\u2019ll just hop on their bikes to get there. I want to make sure the city recognizes that this is not just about building infrastructure, but that it affects people\u2019s lives and how they get around.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Seattle<\/h4>\n

    Connecting urbanites to open green spaces<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    One projects is underway in Seattle. This project seeks to restore and improve access to the\u00a0Middle Fork Snoqualmie area.\u00a0This wilderness playground is 20 miles from Seattle, the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation. Few other major population centers stand so close to such vast, accessible, public natural lands. We are partnering with Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to help chart a sustainable future for the Middle Fork, not only by building trails and facilities, but by forging a new model for locally driven, cooperative land management.<\/p>\n

    Tell us how you want to see your city rewilded in the comments below.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As a co-op, we\u2019re a different kind of company. We put purpose before profits and act with the long-term interests of our members in mind. Being a co-op also means we act transparently. That\u2019s why we publish our annual Stewardship Report. It\u2019s our way to show what we did in the previous year to get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":35041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,387,637],"tags":[1127,707,727,424],"internal-tag":[1680,1678,1492],"class_list":["post-35036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","category-hike","category-stewardship","tag-cycling","tag-hiking","tag-latest-posts","tag-rei-stewardship","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycling","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hiking","internal-tag-staff-featured-hp-stories"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/rewilding-our-cities","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Rewilding Our Cities","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/rewilding-our-cities","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/rewilding-our-cities"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/GGBridge_Peter_Rintels_RF_FLIKR.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/GGBridge_Peter_Rintels_RF_FLIKR.jpg?fit=1500%2C900"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycling","hiking","latest posts","philanthropy"],"dateCreated":"2018-06-11T19:32:56Z","datePublished":"2018-06-11T19:32:56Z","dateModified":"2019-05-13T17:37:17Z"},"rendered":"