Peninsula Open Space Trust
A Palo Alto land trust protecting farms, ridges and coast across three counties since 1977.
Acerca de
Peninsula Open Space Trust, better known as POST, works from an office at 222 High Street in downtown Palo Alto, a few blocks from University Avenue and the Caltrain station. It is a private, non-profit land trust, not a clinic or social-service agency as the chamber's original category suggested, and Francisco Melo is the manager on the record. Founded in 1977, the organisation says it has protected more than 87,000 acres of open space, farms and parkland across San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
How the trust works
POST buys land outright, negotiates conservation easements that keep working farms and ranches in private hands while restricting development, and funds ecological restoration on the properties it holds. Much of the land it has acquired has since been transferred to public park agencies, which is why many of the ridgeline preserves and coastal trails on the Peninsula trace back to a POST purchase.
Its stated mission is to protect open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. As of 2023 it employed 64 staff and drew on several hundred volunteers.
Ways to get involved
Members of the public deal with POST in three main ways: as donors, as volunteers on restoration and trail days, and as landowners considering a sale or an easement. Donors should ask how gifts are allocated and whether a particular project can be designated. Volunteers should ask what the schedule looks like and what to wear and bring. Landowners should ask how easement terms are set, what tax implications to raise with their own adviser, and how long a transaction usually takes; these are multi-month conversations, not quick calls. Visits to POST-protected land follow the rules of whichever agency now manages it.
Territory
The office is in Palo Alto, but the work spans the ridges and coast from Menlo Park, Redwood City, Mountain View, Los Altos, Stanford and Sunnyvale south through Santa Clara County and out to the San Mateo coast.
Reach the office at 650-854-7696 or through openspacetrust.org.
Servicios
VerificadoBuying ecologically or agriculturally important land on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, often holding it until a public park agency can take it on for permanent protection.
Agreements with private owners that keep farms, ranches and forests in private hands while permanently restricting development, one of the trust's main tools for protecting working land.
Funding and organising habitat restoration on protected properties, from creek and wetland work to removing invasive plants, with staff and volunteer crews doing the field work.
Protecting farmland, ranchland, forests, habitat and open space in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, the geographic scope the trust states for its work.
Detalles
Ubicación y zona de servicio
Palo Alto, CA 94301-1040
Preguntas frecuentes
Típico de este tipo de negocioCan I visit land that POST has protected?
Much of it has passed to public park agencies and is open under their rules; some stays in private farming under easement and is not open to visitors. Check the managing agency's website for the specific preserve before you go.
How do I volunteer?
Land trusts run restoration days, trail work and outreach events through the year. Ask for the volunteer calendar, whether training or a minimum age applies, and what to bring for a day in the field.
I own rural land; what does an easement involve?
A conservation easement is a permanent restriction recorded on the title, negotiated case by case. Ask the trust how terms are set, what appraisal is needed and how long it takes, and discuss the tax side with your own adviser.
How are donations used?
Ask for the organisation's annual report or audited figures, which show how much goes to land protection versus administration. As a 501(c)(3), it can also tell you whether a gift can be directed to a named project.
Antes de contratar
- Confirm the organisation's 501(c)(3) status and look up its filings before making a large gift.
- Ask for the annual report to see how funds are split between land protection and overhead.
- For a land sale or easement, involve your own attorney and tax adviser early.
- Ask for the volunteer schedule and what training or equipment is provided.
Resumen en español
Peninsula Open Space Trust, o POST, es una organización sin fines de lucro con oficina en el centro de Palo Alto que se dedica a conservar tierras: compra terrenos, negocia servidumbres de conservación con propietarios rurales y financia la restauración ecológica. Fundada en 1977, afirma haber protegido más de 87,000 acres de espacios abiertos, granjas y parques en los condados de San Mateo, Santa Clara y Santa Cruz. La gente participa como donante, voluntario o propietario de tierras. El contacto registrado es Francisco Melo; el teléfono es 650-854-7696 y el sitio es openspacetrust.org.
Los datos marcados como verificados se comprobaron el 29 de septiembre de 2026 con linkedin.com, openspacetrust.org y facebook.com. Los demás datos vienen de registros comerciales públicos o describen lo típico de este tipo de negocio, según se indica. El negocio aún no los ha confirmado.
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