Press Releases
Client: Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST)
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Present “An Evening with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer” on May 15, 2022
Live in-person and online event with author of best-selling Braiding Sweetgrass
Palo Alto, Calif. – March 29, 2022 – On Sunday, May 15, at 7 p.m. Pacific Time, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area will present an evening with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of the best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
The event will take place in person at the California Theater in downtown San José, CA. Tickets range $10-$20 and include reserved seating. The event will also be available online for FREE, as a live simulcast and as a recording until June 4. Advance registration is required for access: https://openspacetrust.org/event/braiding-sweetgrass-an-evening-with-dr-robin-wallkimmerer/.
Kimmerer’s talk will focus on themes featured in Braiding Sweetgrass, including the intersections of traditional ecological knowledge and science. These intersections, in turn, inform how native traditions and scientific disciplines provide different languages for interpreting the world and how the two can provide a roadmap for how people can come into relationship with the land, while both honoring the past and planning for a more sustainable future.
Charlene Nijmeh, Chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, will host the event. Nijmeh will also share details about the launch of the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation, a nonprofit land trust that will support the Muwekma Tribe’s goals related to preservation and strengthening of the Tribe’s culture, identity and connection to its aboriginal homelands. In addition, Tribal Vice Chairwoman Monica Arellano will deliver a land acknowledgment and blessing, along with other Muwekma tribal members.
Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, which has earned Kimmerer wide acclaim. The book was listed as a bestseller by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Her first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. Her other work has appeared in Orion, Whole Terrain and numerous scientific journals. Lead sponsors for this event include The Bill & Jean Lane Endowment and Sand Hill Global Advisors, with additional sponsorship by Alex & Lily Wang, the Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati Foundation, IBM and Pie Ranch.
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About the Peninsula Open Space Trust
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 80,000 acres since its founding in 1977. POST works with private landowners and public agencies to connect people and nature. Visit openspacetrust.org for more information. About the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe & the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is comprised of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Dolores, Santa Clara and San Jose, and who were also members of the historic federally recognized Verona Band of Alameda County. The aboriginal homeland of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe includes portions of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Santa Cruz counties. The missionization policies deployed by the Catholic Church and militarily supported by the Spanish Empire brought many distantly related, intermarried tribal groups together at the missions. The Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation was established in 2020 by a vote of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council to create a nonprofit land trust to support the Tribe.
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Client: Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST)
Peninsula Open Space Trust, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and National Wildlife Federation Present “Tails of Two Cities: Wildlife Connectivity from the Bay to LA” on January 19, 2023
Free webinar with California environmental leaders discussing mountain lions, bobcats and wildlife crossings
Palo Alto, Calif. – December 6, 2022 – Why did the cougar cross the road? It probably didn’t have a choice and was lucky to make it to the other side. On Thursday, January 19, at 7 p.m. PST, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (LTSCC) and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) will host a free webinar with environmental leaders from Northern and Southern California to discuss wildlife linkages and land conservation: “Tails of Two Cities: Wildlife Connectivity from the Bay to LA.”
Panelists will discuss habitat conservation for wildlife, including mountain lions and bobcats, and wildlife linkages, including the Laurel Curve wildlife crossing under Highway 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz and other projects to improve linkages in Coyote Valley and across the South Bay with a variety of local partners. The panel will also discuss the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon on the 101 freeway, plus a forthcoming second crossing near Aromas, both in Central California.
Panelists for the event are:
Beth Pratt – California Regional Executive Director, National Wildlife Federation: Pratt has worked in environmental leadership roles for over 25 years in two of the country’s largest national parks, Yosemite and Yellowstone. She leads the #SaveLACougars campaign to build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which broke ground in 2022.
Marian Vernon – Wildlife Linkages Program Manager, POST: Vernon works to protect and enhance connectivity for wildlife through land transactions, restoration and wildlife crossing infrastructure projects in partnership with public agencies and other organizations.
Sarah Newkirk – Executive Director, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County: An energetic conservation strategist with a passion for innovation, collaboration, and communication, Newkirk finds joy in bringing nature into communities by uncovering the myriad values that the land has for people. Newkirk and LTSCC are in the process of finalizing plans for a new wildlife crossing on the 101 freeway east of Monterey, Calif., to increase wildlife access to the Gabilan mountain range.
Attendees must register and are encouraged to submit questions in advance at https://openspacetrust.org/events/. A recording of the webinar will be available online after the event.
The event is also supported by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen), Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (SCVOSA) and Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency (SCVHA).
Note to Media: For additional photos, please visit the event media kit. For interviews, please contact Andy Lowe at POST@landispr.com.
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About the Peninsula Open Space Trust
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 80,000 acres since 1977. POST works with private landowners and public agencies to connect people and nature. Visit openspacetrust.org for more information.
About the National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation works across the country to unite Americans from all walks of life in giving wildlife a voice. The organization has been on the front lines for wildlife since 1936, fighting for the conservation values that are woven into the fabric of our nation’s collective heritage.
About Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
The mission of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County is to protect, care for, and connect people to the extraordinary lands that make this area special. For more information, visit LandTrustSantaCruz.org.
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