When was the last time you enjoyed the mountain bike trails at Duthie Hill Park, hiked Cougar Mountain or watched a game at Steve Cox Memorial Park?

If you’re like most of us, it wasn’t that long ago. Parks are among the few places left in our society where all people — no matter their age, income, or political beliefs — can come together, unplug, and enjoy something we all value: nature, connection, and space to breathe.

In King County, these outdoor spaces are key drivers for our quality of life and economy, while also serving as vital resources for social connection. In a time that often feels marked by division, our parks offer common ground where people can connect and soak in nature’s benefits, while reminding us what we share — health, happiness, and a love of the outdoors.

On Aug. 5, King County residents have an opportunity to continue supporting local parks and trails by voting to renew Proposition 1, the King County Parks Levy. The levy is a critical investment in Washington’s future that provides 85 percent of the King County Parks budget and essential funding for over 460 miles of trails and 220 parks. The King County Parks Levy supports countywide investments in the operations and maintenance of our treasured parks, trails, and open spaces that benefit all King County residents. No matter where you are in King County, the levy goes to support your local parks and trails. Renewing it is essential to ensure everyone has healthy and safe access to the outdoors.

Earlier this year, Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit dedicated to connecting everyone to the joy and benefits of the outdoors, released its 2025 ParkScore Index, which ranks the park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. The results underscore just how important parks are to community well-being and resilience.

Here in King County, Seattle ranked eighth on the ParkScore list this year, thanks to strong park investment from a mix of city, county, state, federal, and other funding, as well as access. Nationally, the findings were just as encouraging: 76 percent of residents in ParkScore cities now live within a 10-minute walk of a park, the highest level ever recorded. Communities are opening schoolyards after hours, expanding green spaces, and making record-level investments.

But what makes these rankings transcend mere data points are what they reveal about us as people. In a new national survey TPL released alongside the ParkScore rankings, 89 percent of respondents said they visited a public park at least once in the past year, including 92 percent of Donald Trump voters and 90 percent of Kamala Harris voters. Two-thirds said they’ve chatted with someone new in a park, one of the few places where that still happens in our polarized society.

Of course, this progress is not guaranteed. Much of the recent growth in park access and investment was made possible by federal funding. As budgets tighten, we risk stalling, or even reversing, the gains we’ve made. That’s why local leadership matters more than ever. City councils, school boards, and mayors have the power to ensure that parks remain a priority. And they won’t act unless residents — people like us — demand it.

We should be proud of what our parks say about us. They show we care about our kids having a safe place to play, about our elders having a shady spot to sit, about neighborhoods having room to breathe. They are testaments to our values, and blueprints for our future.

As we look ahead, let’s not take them for granted. King County, let’s keep investing, keep building, and keep connecting — so that each of us, and our communities, can be stronger, more resilient, and healthier.

Mitsu Iwasaki is Associate Vice President and Northwest Director of Trust for Public Land.