At Bayview Park KC Jones Playground, where Friday’s visit took place, Estenoz and other officials were there to show how $300,000 in federal grants helped renovate the playground and field. ball from the park, and paid for new features, such as adult exercise equipment. and a picnic area.

“It is through the collaborative efforts of local, state and federal leaders that Bay Area residents can enjoy beautiful parks, like the one we are in now,” Estenoz said. “At the Department of the Interior and in the Biden administration, we understand that nature is essential to the health, well-being and prosperity of every individual, family and community across our country. But not everyone has the same access to nature.

District 10 supervisor Shamman Walton recalled coming to the park as a child to practice with his church’s softball team.

“We were coming here and training on a pitch that didn’t look like this. The playground didn’t look like that,” Walton said. Still, “it was an asset to the community.”

“Seeing changes over the years and getting something that (the) community really, really fought for is something we’re excited about,” Walton added.

The Buchanan Street Mall project has received nearly $4 million in funding and is expected to open in 2024. The five-block stretch of mostly open space will be transformed into an outdoor recreation venue, including a community garden, basketball courts and more.

Funding comes from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, or ORLP, an eight-year-old program administered by the National Park Service and funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The program is designed to increase equitable access to urban green spaces and aligns with the Biden administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030.

So far this year, ORLP has made available $61 million in grants for projects in 26 cities across the country.

Research by the nonprofit Conservation Science Partners found that low-income and communities of color face greater nature loss and have less access to the outdoors.

Historically delineated neighborhoods, like Bayview, are less likely to have green spaces, according to a 2021 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. These neighborhoods are also disproportionately exposed to pollution, according to a report by the California Environmental Protection Agency.

A bill to reduce outside barriers for marginalized communities has been stalled in the state legislature for nearly a year. And earlier this month, a civil grand jury in San Francisco raised questions about the park’s accessibility and safety.

But there has been progress at the state and federal level in terms of addressing racial and economic disparities in outdoor access.

Earlier this year, the ORLP program was codified into law, with the passing of the Outdoors for All Act. California also highlighted its commitment to increasing equitable access to the outdoors through the Outdoor Access For All initiative, led by California’s first partner, Jennifer Newsom.

“Whether we’re in a local park, a state park, or a national park, everyone has the right to enjoy these places,” said Armando Quintero, director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, during the Friday’s event.

Chasity Hale is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]: @chas_hale