POST's 35th anniversary: don't postpone the gift!

I already told you about this organization but it was 5 years ago already (yes, time flies...), so worth a refresher and another... solicitation...

The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) was established in 1977 and helped save more than 70,000 acres of our most precious open space in the Bay Area since then. A picture is worth a thousand words, see below for yourself how much greener our area has become over a single generation (click on the map for more details):

While these areas might have been green already (redwood forest, farm land, grassy hills), the accomplishment is to have protected these areas against developers and further urban expansion.

Back to my title, two angles to my invite:

1. First and foremost, if you live in the area and are not familiar with all these parks and opportunities to breath and (re)connect with Mother Nature, be our guest! Having these treasures at your doorstep is a GIFT that very few other large urban areas have (believe me, I travel a lot around the world... ;-)
2. Second, preserving this precious and valuable land against other interests has a cost. And, given the pricey real estate around, it is actually very costly. So, while we are blessed with very generous donors thanks to the wealth created by local entrepreneurs, any contribution is welcomed! I was actually surprised that, over the 35 years of POST's history, they have only counted 17,000 distinct donors. For a population of several millions, over so many years and with such impressive track record, I hope this does not reflect the size of the community enjoying the outdoors and our nearby open space in particular... By the way, if (I mean when...) you decide to chip in, and in case you work for a large corporation, please check if your employer would not match your GIFT (IBM does! :-) but you have to follow these specific instructions).

Thank you in advance for considering supporting this cause so essential to our local sustainable development and see you on these trails then, in the open... space!