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Guest Opinion: Translating a vision into an open future

by Richard Gordon

Thirty years ago there was a vision. It was simple and it was powerful. And it was this: Our natural resources must be protected.

This vision grew from an understanding that land, once used for human purposes, can almost never be returned to its natural state. It also understood that we must protect the trees, water, habitat, and species if we are to protect human beings.

This vision has had a huge impact. It has changed our community -- forever and permanently. In 30 years the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has preserved more than 47,000 acres of open space land.

In so doing, the District has provided the natural backdrop for our Peninsula. Today they call it smart growth. Other regions struggle to reign in sprawl and draw the greenbelt around themselves. On this Peninsula we did smart growth before it was smart.

The District's open space preserves have also provided us with recreational opportunities. They serve as a relief from our urban and suburban environment. In these preserves we have been able to educate our children about the natural environment and the inter-connectedness of all living things.

This vision for open space was not achieved without a struggle. There have been developers who coveted these same lands. There have been those who, because of principle or pocketbook, did not want you to collect and spend tax dollars. There have been those who wanted to apply their own definitions of how you could use these lands.

But the District prevailed because the vision was powerful.

And now the District has announced an expanded vision to extend the boundaries of the District to include the San Mateo County coast.

I have the honor and privilege of representing the coast on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. I know first hand what an incredible place it is. There is really nothing else like it. It is clearly one of the largest, expanses of natural coastline in close proximity to an urban and suburban region.

The vision for expansion will not be achieved without a struggle. You will have to deal with farmers who do not trust that open space advocates can be stewards of the land. There will be property rights advocates who believe that all open space, even that fairly purchased on the open market, represents a "taking." There will be those who distrust government and are tired and afraid of regulation.

I would suggest to the District that if you are to be successful in achieving your vision for the San Mateo County coast, you will need to keep three things in mind.

First, fear can only be overcome by trust and trust must be earned. Talk will not be sufficient. You will need to be able to point to demonstrable acts and real deeds.

Second, you will need to keep in mind that we are the stewards of this time and place. Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something that is entrusted in our care. The question is who will take responsibility for the future of this region? Who will protect this environment for future generations? It must be us.

Finally, and most importantly, I would remind you that there is power in a vision. Vision is the ability to see beyond self and the present moment. It is the ability to dream. I believe that what holds us back is not the pressure of reality, but the absence of dreams. For if the dream is strong enough, no reality can stand in the way.

John Kennedy called for placing a man on the moon within a decade. The scientists said that they did not have the technology. Congress said that it did not have the funding. And yet, the dream was powerful and the realities of technology and funding were overcome.

Martin Luther King had a dream and this county and the world has been changed forever.

In 1962, Nelson Mandela was jailed in South Africa because he had a dream. Twenty-eight years later, still holding fast to his vision; he was released ... and four short years later he was elected as the first-ever black President of South Africa. In his inaugural address Nelson Mandela said this: "A person without a vision is lost and a lost person cannot be a leader."

I would remind you that leadership is the art of convincing others that their dreams can be realized and that their actions will make a difference.

For 30 years the leadership of this District has helped us realize dreams. This Peninsula is a better place because of those efforts. We must all hold fast to that vision as a bright and shining torch, held high for us all to see and to light our way to an even greater future for open space.

Richard Gordon is a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and was keynote speaker at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in mid-November.