PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST
MARCH 2019
The unmatched beauty of the San Mateo Coast—sandy beaches, mountain forests and pastoral farms in between— have been central to the land protection work of Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) since 1977. Our commitment to the coast has deepened since completing our first projects for the Farmland Futures Initiative in 2015 and then publicly launching a fundraising effort in 2016. With the help of local farmers and landowners, we’re working hard to preserve half of this area’s farms and cropland by 2025. Like you, we value all of the benefits that agricultural lands bring to our landscape and that farmers bring to our communities. As a result, we’ve been investing in a variety of projects that improve infrastructure and ensure farmland remains available for farming operations now and in the future. In this Coastal Community Update you will find information about these investments and major projects completed in the region since 2015. This holistic approach is an exciting evolution for POST that we hope will continue to gain strong support thanks to many partners. In addition to farmers, ranchers and landowners, key partners have included the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD), County agencies and representatives, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and many nonprofit partners, community members and donors. You can find more information about this work at www.openspacetrust.org/farmland. Thank you for helping to make the San Mateo Coast such a special place. Benjamin Wright Farmland Program Manager bwright@openspacetrust.org 650-854-7696 Ext. 307
Our commitment to the San Mateo Coast is reflected in the more than $26.3M POST has invested in the region since 2015.
LAND PROTECTION $23,265,000 INVESTED
STEWARDSHIP PROJECTS $2,675,000 INVESTED
POST has been actively pursuing opportunities to preserve farms and expand public access along the coast. Since launching FFI, POST has invested over $23M to purchase land and conservation easements.
Through FFI, POST is actively investing in infrastructure projects, particularly for buildings and water systems in the Pescadero area. Since launching FFI, POST has directly invested over $2.6M with substantial additional funding coming from key stewardship partners.
SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPPORT $226,000 INVESTED
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS $165,000 INVESTED
Recognizing that POST owns a large amount of tax-exempt acreage in the La HondaPescadero Unified School District, we support the schools with voluntary payments in lieu of taxes. POST continues to pay full assessed taxes on all farmland.
POST has made direct contributions to key community partners whose work complements and extends beyond our own focus on land protection. Examples include sponsoring the Pescadero Farmers’ Market and grants to local school foundations.