Event Overview
Join us and other POST supporters for this special family-friendly gathering among the redwood trees. Barbecue lunch (with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options) and beverages will be served. We’ll have engaging activities, including stories of successful conservation efforts, and a chance to connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for preserving our beautiful local lands. As always, you will have the opportunity to talk directly with POST’s land transactions and habitat restoration teams at our program booths featuring the Public Access, Farmland, Redwoods, Wildlife Linkages, and Coyote Valley programs. We will be collecting questions for our speakers for the Q & A sessions during the programs in advance, so please use the registration form to submit them to us.
There is no formal dress code for this event, please dress comfortably for a summer picnic.
Date and Location
Saturday, June 1, 2024
10:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m.
Saratoga Springs | 22801 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Program
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:15 a.m. | Optional hike at Sanborn County Park |
| 10:30 a.m. | Refreshments & Mingling |
| 11 a.m. | Optional Taiji class (30 min) |
| 11:30 a.m. | Lunch |
| Noon | Welcome |
| Lakeside Ranch: Preserving and Restoring a Biological Gem | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Tunitas Creek Beach: Private Property to Public Park — A Journey from Concept to Completion |
Register
Please register for the event through the form below by May 6th. Due to limited space, you may register yourself and your partner or friend. Your children or grandchildren are also welcome, as we are planning kid-friendly activities for them!
Can't see the form? Please click here for a simplified version.
Hike at Sanborn County Park
Join us before A Toast With POST for a morning hike at Sanborn County Park. This beautiful hike will give you the opportunity to explore our redwoods forests while connecting with fellow POST supporters and nature lovers.
The hike will be 3.25 miles with 800 feet of elevation gain, much of which is concentrated on one steep uphill section. The hike will be on a mixture of single-track trail, forest service road and pavement. We will gather in the Sequoia Parking Lot at 8:15 a.m. Please note that there is a $6 parking fee for Sanborn County Park that can be paid at the self service station to your left just after driving through the entrance gate. Please sign up for the hike on the RSVP form. Space is limited.
Taiji Class
Taiji, also known as tai chi, is a meditative martial art practiced for vitality and healing. This introductory activity, brought to you by instructor VC Tang, shall include exercises to stimulate qi flow followed by a short poetic form. Join us for a 30 minute session from 11:00 – 11:30 a.m. You can sign up for this class at the registration table at the event. Space is limited.
Presentation 1
Lakeside Ranch: Preserving and Restoring a Biological Gem
This year we’ll be discussing two unique POST-protected properties: Lakeside Ranch and Tunitas Creek Beach. Our first presentation will focus on Lakeside Ranch, a sprawling 1,986 acre property in Morgan Hill that POST protected in April 2023. You’ll learn why this property was a conservation priority for POST for decades leading up to its acquisition, how we have stewarded the land to restore the ecosystem and which partners will oversee its long term care.
Speakers
Walter T. Moore, President
Ben Wright, Director of Land Transactions
Maria Trogolo, Stewardship Project Manager
Presentation 2
Tunitas Creek Beach: Private Property to Public Park — A Journey from Concept to Completion
Tunitas Creek Beach is a stunning strip of land with rugged cliffs along the coast just south of Half Moon Bay. What started out as private property where beachgoers would trespass to hold parties that created mountains of trash (and were a public safety hazard), will now become a beautiful public park for all to enjoy — opening later this year. Learn why POST prioritized this property, how we were able to protect it and partners we worked with that allowed a new public park to become a reality.
Speakers
Walter T. Moore, President
Taylor Jang, Coyote Valley Senior Project Manager
Zionne Fox, Public Access Program Manager
Questions?
Please contact Alicia Sierra at (650) 352-6227 or [email protected].
Meet our speakers
Walter T. Moore, President
Walter T. Moore joined POST as General Counsel in 1995, and later served as Vice President (1997-2006) and Executive Vice President (2006-2011), before becoming President in 2011. Prior to joining POST, he was an associate with the law firm of Thoits, Love, Hershberger, & McLean, in Palo Alto, where he specialized in real estate transactions and litigation.
Walter was a board member and past board chair of the California Council of Land Trusts and former board chair of the Bay Area Open Space Council (now known as TOGETHER Bay Area).
Walter graduated from U.C. Santa Barbara with a B.A. in English and received his J.D. from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco.
Ben Wright, Director of Land Transactions
Ben joined POST in 2015 as a Senior Land Transactions Project Manager specializing in farmland protection and later served as POST’s Farmland Program Manager before becoming Director of Land Transactions in 2020. Prior to joining POST, Ben worked for land trusts in central and eastern Massachusetts for six years on both land transactions and stewardship.
Ben is an AmeriCorps alumnus with a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Clark University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology (specialized in ecology) from the University of Kansas. Originally from the Midwest, Ben’s family owns a 360-acre farm in Missouri. Ben and his family now live in Loma Mar near Pescadero in the Santa Cruz Mountains and enjoy gardening, orchard keeping, and the many opportunities to experience nature on the coast from the beach, to local farms, to redwoods, and rolling hills.
Maria Trogolo, Stewardship Project Manager
Maria joined POST in 2023 as a Stewardship Project Manager. In this role, Maria implements a variety of conservation projects and nurtures collaborative relationships with key POST partners. She is also a part of POST’s core Tribal engagement team that leads the organization’s efforts to strengthen partnerships with local indigenous communities.
Maria brings rich international experience in cultural resource management and community engagement to her work at POST. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in a Bedouin village, she had the immense privilege to live in a traditional tribal society. Subsequently at the Petra National Trust, Maria led the team that developed the Petra Junior Ranger Program. Maria also led the Jordanian national Site Steward Program at the USAID Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through the Engagement of Local Communities Project.
Taylor Jang, Coyote Valley Senior Project Manager
Zionne Fox, Public Access Program Manager
Zionne joined POST in 2017 bringing two decades of expertise in trail design and planning at local and regional scales working throughout the United States and internationally. Her passion lies in choreographing visions into co-created realities that establish inclusive access to the power and medicine of being in relationship with the natural world.