People. Nature. Big Ideas.

For more than a century, metro Atlanta hid the Chattahoochee River behind subdivisions, behind golf courses, behind railroad tracks, behind warehouses. Behind, behind, behind.

Now Atlanta is rediscovering its river—and changing the story it tells about itself.

In this episode, we follow forty paddlers, one writer, and a podcast producer on a three-day, 28-mile camp-and-paddle trip down the Chattahoochee. Along the way, we find out how a river once called “dead” was revived, and how the Chattahoochee RiverLands, a 100-mile project creating parks, trails, and river access across 19 cities and seven counties, is changing the way a whole region thinks about community, access, and a 485-mile river that has been hiding in plain sight.

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What do a 17th-century cow pasture, fourteen timber cabins in Rocky Mountain National Park, a limestone elementary school in Kansas, and a brand-new community schoolyard in Boston have in common? They’re all part of the same story — America’s evolving idea of what deserves protecting, and why.

As America marks its 250th year, host Ronda Lee Chapman traces that idea through four eras: Origin, at Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park; Evolution, at Rocky Mountain National Park, where a 42-acre inholding reveals how unfinished “America’s best idea” remains; Disruption, at the Monroe School in Topeka — a building at the center of Brown v. Board of Education, saved from the wrecking ball; and Revolution, at Boston’s Chittick Elementary, where the students themselves designed the newest kind of public space.

Take action: ​Tell Congress to protect the parks, public lands, and historic sites that preserve our full American story → tpl.org/public-policy#take-action 

Featured in this episode

• Brown Revisited, a project of Oyez — brown.oyez.org — The audio of the Brown v. Board 
• The Freedom Trail Foundation — thefreedomtrail.org
• Friends of the Public Garden — friendsofthepublicgarden.org
• Boston Parks and Recreation — boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation
• Rocky Mountain National Park — nps.gov/romo
• Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park — nps.gov/brvb
• TPL’s Community Schoolyards® program — tpl.org/community-schoolyards
• Find a park within a 10-minute walk of home — tpl.org

People. Nature. Big Ideas. is a production of Trust for Public Land in partnership with PGP Productions. Executive producer: Thomas Clayton Miller. Editorial director: Deborah Williams.

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This month's episode flips the script. PNBI host Ronda Lee takes the hot seat as guest Gabaccia Moreno throws the tough questions.

Ronda and Gabaccia met as strangers on a shuttle to Big Sky, Montana, where both were completing their PSIA/AASI instruction certifications through Women of Winter, a program centering women of color in snow sports. Together, they unpack Ronda's decade in the mountains of Utah, the complicated joy of reclaiming spaces that haven’t always felt welcoming to them, the very real cost of access, and the particular power of age diversity on the slopes.

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Brought to you from the first, Black-owned radio station in the country, WERD Studios, this month’s PNBI recording is a very special one. 

Host Ronda Lee traveled to the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia— birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—to celebrate the grand opening of the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, where Dr. King, and many other Black leaders, catalyzed the early Civil Rights Movement.

On the third floor, WERD Studios was the movement’s first communications base. In the newly refurbished space, Ronda sits down with an elite panel of guests instrumental in bringing the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge to life. They talk about the origin of the project, the role of the Masons, the history of the Sweet Auburn neighborhood and its future, and what’s next for this important Black historic site.

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As the year draws to a close, People. Nature. Big Ideas. revisits three remarkable efforts—and one defining issue—that embody our mission at Trust for Public Land to connect everyone to the outdoors and reveal the deeper ties between land, community, and purpose. 

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We’re living in what some call the golden era of outdoor recreation. Participation is high and outdoor spaces are being recognized; not just as places to visit and play, but as critical infrastructure for our health, our economy, and our democracy.

But this golden era is under threat.

There are real efforts underway to sell off public lands, gut conservation funding, and roll back programs that center equity and climate resilience. If we care about the outdoors—who it belongs to, who it serves—this may be one of the most pivotal moments in our history.

This episode is about that moment. We’ll explore how outdoor recreation is powering jobs, especially in rural communities, shaping identity, and why protecting public access to the outdoors is a national priority.

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Are you crushing hard on a neighborhood park? Maybe one with rolling hills and super tall trees that sway gently in the summer breeze? Or maybe you’ve got a second crush, too—another park with waterfalls and vistas that just won’t quit? Well, you're not alone! 

On this month’s episode, Ronda takes to the Denver parks to discover the secret (and not-so-secret) “park crushes” local residents have on their favorite outdoor spaces.

And then, Bianca Clarke—Associate Vice President of TPL’s 10-Minute Walk Program & Parks Initiative—shares some takeaways from ParkScore 2025.

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On April's People. Nature. Big Ideas., you'll learn what makes folks Happiest Outside when a mother/son duo, a delirious birder, and a wellbeing advocate share their stories of joy and connection in the outdoors.

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In this episode, host Ronda Lee Chapman is at SXSW! Discover how outdoor programs transform the lives of young people of color through experiences in nature, understand historical exclusion from outdoor spaces and ongoing self-exclusion in communities of color, and learn how these programs cultivate strong, resilient, mentally healthy leaders.

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Ronda celebrates Black History Month by opening her box of family photos, reflecting on family members and others—past and present—who have uplifted their communities and who, amidst the threat of erasure, persist with rigor, joy, and love.  

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