The Future of Local Landscapes

My family has been involved with POST since it started working to protect the landscape of the Bay Area 40 years ago. My grandfather, a local farmer by the name of Vince Garrod, joined the board of POST after seeing the over development of the Los Angeles basin and fearing that the natural beauty of the Bay Area would be lost.

Over the years the organization has accomplished a great deal by protecting 75,500 acres. But the biggest opportunities – and challenges – are still ahead of us.

I believe that in my lifetime every acre of land in the Bay Area will be spoken for. It will either be developed or set aside for preservation or farming. The economic forces powering development are very strong, which is why organizations who represent the collective interest on the other side are so important.

Without organizations like POST many critical systems we depend on may be compromised. Wildlife doesn’t just live in parks, they have critical corridors they must travel to survive. Water systems aren’t just important for local fish but also for our own use and must be protected at the source, not just in reservoirs. Farmers who supply our food shouldn’t have to bring it in from other counties or countries. And all of this is in addition to the natural beauty our landscape provides us which is valuable to all of us in its own way whether we go out hiking or biking or just drive past it on the highway.

I joined the board of POST along with my uncle Jan Garrod to do my part to ensure the Bay Area finds a balance between the needs of those of us who live here today and the responsibility we have to steward this land for generations to come.

Below, Andrew Bosworth (third generation POST board member) and his uncle Jan Garrod (second generation POST board member) reflect on what’s ahead for POST:

Andrew Bosworth serves on the board of directors for the Peninsula Open Space Trust. He is the Vice President of Ads and Business Platform at Facebook. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he has keen interest in the future of our region.