Media Contact
Thank you for your interest in POST—we hope you find these resources useful. If you are looking for more in-depth information, please contact our public relations firm:
Robin Carr
Landis Communications Inc. for POST
(415) 766-0927
Email Landis
About Us
POST’s Work:
POST is creating a network of protected lands where people and nature connect and thrive. These lands are preserved forever so present and future generations benefit from the careful balance of rural and urban landscapes that makes our region extraordinary.
To learn more about our mission, our process and our programs, click here.
Press Releases:
Learn about some of our most notable achievements, including land acquisitions, stewardship projects and events here.
Boilerplate:
POST protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. As a private nonprofit land trust, POST has been responsible for saving more than 90,000 acres since 1977. POST works with private landowners and public agencies to connect people and nature. Visit openspacetrust.org for more information.
POST Experts
POST is a leader in the conservation field, with experts on hand to guide decisions and transactions ensuring the best possible outcome for our region. Please email Landis Communications if you would like to schedule an interview.
Gordon Clark, President
Summary
- A leader in land conservation and fundraising since 2007
- An experienced spokesperson comfortable with live or taped interviews, video and photography
Areas of Expertise
- Land conservation and acquisitions
- Fundraising and donor engagement
- Climate resilience and biodiversity protection
- Public access to open space
- Non-profit leadership and development
- Environmental policy and advocacy
Bio
- Gordon Clark is an expert in land conservation, fundraising, and organizational leadership.
- He joined Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in 2007 as a conservation project manager focused on land acquisitions, later taking on leadership roles in fundraising and development.
- Worked for land trusts in Maine and Alaska and for the Henry P. Kendall Foundation in Boston, a philanthropic supporter of healthy food systems in New England.
- Has led significant land conservation projects, including the acquisitions of San Vicente Redwoods, Rancho San Vicente, and multiple properties in Santa Clara County.
- Under his leadership, POST’s annual fund has more than doubled, supporting the protection of nearly 90,000 acres of land across the Peninsula and South Bay.
- Serves on the board of Canopy, a Palo Alto-based urban forestry nonprofit, and previously volunteered as a docent for California State Parks.
- Holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University and a B.A. in environmental studies and history from Bowdoin College.
Walter Moore, Former President, Advisor
Summary
- A thought leader in the field of land conservation
- An experienced spokesperson and is comfortable with live or taped interviews, video and photography
Areas of Expertise
- Land conservation
- Natural communities
- Wildlife linkages
- Conservation law
- Topical news stories relating to land conservation and state and national environmental policy
Bio
- Walter Moore is an expert in land conservation and law.
- President at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) 2011-2025.
- Volunteered with POST in 1993 before joining as general counsel in 1995.
- Has nearly doubled the number of protected acres and funds raised during his tenure.
- POST has protected nearly 90,000 acres of land.
- Decades of experience working with public, private and nonprofit stakeholders to plan land acquisition, management and transfer to public agencies.
- Adept at balancing the numerous social, economic and environmental aspects of land conservation and preservation, including opening land for public access whenever possible.
- Past board chair and current board member of the California Council of Land Trusts.
- Former board chair of the Bay Area Open Space Council (now known as TOGETHER Bay Area)
- Founding member of the Land Trust Alliance Land Trust Leadership Council in 2012
- Recognized by Bay Nature as a 2018 Conservation Action Local hero.
- J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a B.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Irina Kogan, Director of Landscape Conservation
Summary
- A leader in landscape conservation, specializing in floodplain restoration, wildlife linkages, forest health and regional impact projects
- An experienced spokesperson comfortable with live or taped interviews, video and photography
Areas of Expertise
- Landscape conservation
- Landscape restoration
- Forest and restoration project management
- Environmental planning
- Natural resource management
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Climate change
Bio
- Irina Kogan is an expert in landscape-scale conservation and restoration management.
- She has worked in environmental resource management for over 20 years.
- Her experience includes moving up the ranks at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in 2017 to become a director of landscape conservation.
- Previously, at POST, she was senior stewardship project manager and senior landscape conservation manager, managing a 9,000-acre redwood forest and planning landscape-scale restoration in Coyote Valley.
- Previously worked at San Mateo County Resource Conservation managing stewardship programs in climate and agriculture, river and floodplain restoration, and rural roads on working lands.
- She also served as a resource protection specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a professional geologist for 7 years in the private sector.
- Has a master’s degree in Marine and Coastal Geology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor’s in Geological Sciences from Tufts University.
Peter Cowan, PhD, Director of Conservation Science
Summary
- An expert in the field of conservation science and ecological analysis
- An experienced spokesperson and is comfortable with live or taped interviews, video and photography
Areas of Expertise
- Conservation science
- Climate change
- Natural communities
- Ecological analysis
- Redwood ecosystems
- Environmental regulations
- Topical news stories relating to conservation science, state and national environmental policy and scientific research
Bio
- Dr. Peter Cowan is an expert in conservation science with experience in both public and private sectors.
- Experience includes being director of conservation science at Peninsula Open Space Trust, a conservation analyst at Save the Redwoods League and consulting for the Senate Office of Research and the Environmental Quality Committee of the California State Senate.
- Was a policy fellow at the California Council on Science and Technology where he worked with the California Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, and a STEM fellow at Adams Middle School where he collaborated with middle school science teachers to develop curriculum and lessons.
- Teaching experience as a graduate student instructor at UC Berkeley. At the same school he led classes on evolution, ecology and botany, plant ecophysiology and plant community ecology.
- Contributed to a number of research publications that have appeared in academic journals such as American Journal of Botany and International Journal of Wildland Fire.
- Has a PhD in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley, a Masters in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and a Bachelors in Biology from Kalamazoo College.
Marian Vernon, Program Manager, Wildlife Linkages
Summary
- Expert interdisciplinary conservation scientist and practitioner
- Knowledgeable spokesperson comfortable with live or taped interviews, video and photography
Areas of Expertise
- Wildlife conservation
- Ecosystem restoration
- Landscape-scale conservation
- Wildlife crossings and connectivity
- Natural resources policy and management
- Strategic conservation planning and research
- Program development and management
- Conservation science
- Topical news stories relating to human-wildlife conflicts and decision-making in wildlife management
Bio
- Expert in wildlife conservation, wildlife connectivity, and landscape conservation.
- Experience includes being wildlife linkages program manager at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST).
- Previous experience includes acting as a strategic initiatives analyst at Sonoma Land Trust and working as a Sierra Meadow adaptation leader for Point Blue Conservation Science, where she worked on ecological restoration projects in the Sierra Nevada.
- Co-authored eight peer-reviewed scientific articles related to wildlife conservation and ecological restoration in addition to numerous other plans, studies, and reports
- Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Yale School of the Environment and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from DePaul University.
- Graduate thesis work focused on elk migrations, management, and policy in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
