Where Everyone Belongs

Bill relished recounting his explorations to his fellow residents, but they were not following him into the woods. “So many of them were bottled up in their rooms,” says Bill. “I felt a responsibility to use the preserve to help them connect with nature, to replenish them.”

Around the same time, TNC was coming to a similar realization on a broader scale. A dedicated following of outdoor enthusiasts like Bill had appreciated the preserve’s quiet forests and wetlands since its formal protection in 1999. But in recent years, the population of the city of Manchester has grown and become more diverse. The 640-acre preserve stands as the largest natural area in the state’s most populous city.

“We saw an opportunity and an obligation to raise the profile of Manchester Cedar Swamp and to make it a safer and more inclusive place where neighbors, residents and visitors alike can explore and experience the benefits of nature,” says Megan Latour, a lifelong New Hampshire resident and TNC’s longtime marketing and communications manager in the state.

So Bill and TNC got to work.

Bill began writing frequent emails detailing happenings in the preserve. He sends his poetic commentary and photos to about 180 recipients, mostly residents of his community. “It gives people something to talk about, even if they aren’t able to get out there,” says Bill. “And the stories and pictures have motivated some to go see it for themselves.”

What those visitors see when they arrive has changed significantly over the past two years. Working in partnership with organizations that support people with disabilities, local Black leaders, LGBTQ+ advocates and many others, TNC designed a 1.2-mile-long All Persons Trail with a variety of features to increase accessibility. From a wide, flat trail surface to numerous viewing areas with benches for resting to restroom facilities that accommodate wheelchairs, every aspect of the space is intentional.

While the physical infrastructure of the trail is remarkable, so too is another element of the overall project: communications and outreach. Just as Bill discovered, compelling people to visit requires relevant information and resources to meet different needs.

“We created signage that includes natural, historical and cultural information to appeal to visitors of all ages and abilities,” Megan says, “and we wrote an audio tour that is available in English as well as Spanish, the second-most common language spoken in the area.” Megan publishes information and updates about the preserve on nature.org and in social media. “Through our community-engagement process, I learned how critical accurate content is to help people know what to expect and to feel safe, welcome and confident during their time at the preserve.”

At 83 years old, Bill thinks a lot about time. “All any of us really want,” says Bill, “is time. Out here, you lose your sense of it—and it is special that everyone can have that experience no matter their age or any other way we think about ourselves.”