In 1973, not long after the formation of Midpen, Herb Grench became its first general manager. While working in his previous position at Lockheed as a nuclear physicist, he spent his personal time as a conservationist, serving as a Palo Alto planning commission member, a leader in the local Audubon society chapter and on the Committee for Green Foothills. Herb’s passion and determination made him the perfect fit for the role. “I just changed my avocation into a vocation,” he said at the time.
Herb began by helping Midpen set up headquarters, develop a basic policy and master plan, collect a modest property tax, and begin buying land for open space. “Although the District was created by the voters in 1972, we had no tax revenue for a year and a half,” said Herb. “Our supporter’s expectation (or our own) seemed to be that we’d start saving open space on Day One. My challenge was to build an organization and make some progress as soon as possible.
Herb counts the creation of the Peninsula Open Space Trust and its partnership among the high points of his career at Midpen. “Aside from the 30,000 acres of land preserved during my tenure, the accomplishment I’m most personally proud of is conceiving of POST and getting it going. It has been instrumental in not only saving land but also in building important public, political and landowner support for open space protection.”
When asked what he believes is the biggest shift in public perception about open space since the 70s, Herb says, “I think the general public has grown to appreciate more than ever the importance of open space simply as relief from our increasingly congested urban environment. ‘Room to Breathe’ is more than just a slogan; it’s a necessity.”