[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19086]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING AUDREY RUST FOR HER WORK AT THE PENINSULA OPEN SPACE 
                                 TRUST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 20, 2006

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Audrey Rust for 
her tireless efforts to preserve the natural beauty of the San 
Francisco Peninsula. For nearly twenty years, Audrey Rust has been the 
CEO of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, an organization that has been 
highly effective in protecting well over 55,000 acres of land in San 
Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, California. I congratulate her for this 
great achievement, and I am proud that she resides in my congressional 
district.
  The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) owes much of its great success 
to Ms. Rust's ability to create partnerships between public agencies 
and private landowners to bring significant tracts of land under 
permanent protection. Highlights of POST's work include securing the 
preservation of the 7,357-acre Cloverdale Coastal Ranches, the 3,681-
acre Driscol Ranch, the 1,623-acre Bair Island in Redwood City, and the 
2,438-acre Rancho Canada del Oro in San Jose. Also, POST played a 
significant role in the creation of Cowell Ranch State Beach. When it 
opened in 1995, it was the first state beach created in California 
since the early 1980s.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the most impressive preservation efforts by Ms. 
Rust and POST was saving the Rancho Corral de Tierra from planned 
development. The 4,262-acre region contains awe-inspiring views, rich 
farmlands, important watersheds, miles of public trails, and diverse 
wildlife. Under Ms. Rust's leadership, POST was able to secure millions 
from private donors to purchase this beautiful land. Senator Feinstein 
and I were inspired by the pristine grandeur of Rancho Corral de Tierra 
and introduced to include the ranch within the boundaries of Golden 
Gate National Recreation Area. We were successful in that effort with 
the passage of Public Law 109–131 in this Congress.
  Prior to her years of leadership at POST, Ms. Rust worked with the 
Sierra Club, and Yale and Stanford Universities. She has served on the 
boards of numerous local, state and national organizations, primarily 
in the fields of conservation and housing. Over the years, Ms. Rust has 
received several major awards, including the Times Mirror-Chevron 
National Conservationist of the Year Award, the League of California 
Voters Environmental Leadership Award, the Cynthia Pratt Laughlin 
Medal, the Garden Club of America's top environmental honor, and the 
Jacqueline Kennedy Award from JFK University for her achievements in 
land conservation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Audrey 
Rust for her integral role in preserving the natural landscape of one 
of our nation's most beautiful regions. I am inspired by Ms. Rust's 
dedication to maintaining the pristine beauty of the San Francisco 
Peninsula.

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