In December, two long-time Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board members retired after a combined 40 years of service.
Pete Siemens
Director Pete Siemens was first elected in 1994, winning a four candidate race to represent Ward 1, encompassing Cupertino, Lexington Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga.
Prior to joining the Midpen board, Siemens was a rocket test engineer and served the Town of Los Gatos as a councilmember and mayor and helped initiate the first joint project between the town and Midpen to purchase St. Joseph’s Hill Open Space Preserve. As a board member, he also advocated for a joint land purchase with Saratoga to help make the Saratoga-To-The-Sea trail possible. In addition, Siemens served on the Los Gatos Trails Committee and was a member on the Santa Clara County Transportation Commission for 10 years.
“I am happy to have helped chart the course of the District over the past 28 years and see it set on a firm foundation for the future,” Siemens said. “On a local level, it’s been rewarding to see the hills around my ward preserved and opened to the public, particularly Bear Creek Redwoods, St Joseph’s Hill, and the Saratoga-to-the-Sea trail.”
In addition to service on the board, Director Siemens volunteered for several projects, including restoration of the Grant Cabin at Rancho San Antonio and design and replacement of the sound system in the new boardroom. He and his wife Diane also welcomed visitors to the Daniels Nature Center and worked on redesigning a kid’s interactive pond display.
Director Siemens said he will miss the interactions with the Board and staff. “Working relationships have been cordial and productive, and the resulting friendships important to me,” he said. “Passing the torch along to my energetic successor will be satisfying and I will continue to follow Midpen progress with great interest.”
Larry Hassett
An active member of the Skyline community and former owner of several local hardware stores, Director Larry Hassett was first appointed to the Midpen board in 2000 to fill the unexpired term of Betsy Crowder to represent Ward 6, which includes the communities of Atherton, La Honda, Ladera, Loma Mar, Menlo Park, North Fair Oaks, Pescadero, Portola Valley, Redwood City, West Menlo Park and Woodside.
In addition, Hassett has been involved with several other community organizations, including Achieve, a school for autistic children, Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, Museum of American Heritage, Leadership Mid-Peninsula, Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, South Skyline Association, South Skyline Volunteer Fire Department, Peninsula Conservation Center, and Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.
Director Hassett says he is particularly proud of being part of several accomplishments, such as opening Mount Umuhnum, opening La Honda Creek Preserve, Ravenswood Preserve, and Bear Creek Preserve. He’s enjoyed shepherding the developmental plans for the new administration office and being part of several committees to design Midpen’s new logo.
An experienced world traveler having been as far as Nepal, Machu Picchu and the Galápagos Islands, Larry is looking forward to traveling without committee meeting deadlines but says when he’s home, he wants to remain close to Midpen lands. “I’m interested at tabling at different preserves when needed, visiting some new trails, watching the District grow, and seeing our grandchildren being introduced to the preserves,” he said.
Bay Area Congresswoman Anna Eshoo recently entered tributes to directors Siemens and Hassett into the Congressional Record of the 117th U.S. Congress, recognizing their generous gifts of time to their communities through their service to Midpen and other organizations.,
We are grateful to both Pet and Larry for helping people, plants and animals thrive across the more than 70,000 acres (including the recently purchase of Cloverdale Ranch) of land Midpen cares for. Read the bios for Midpen’s new board members for Ward 1 and Ward 6 (link each ward to bios when posted).
Midpen would like to convey our deep appreciation for Pete’s 28 years of service to furthering the vision of caring for the land that cares for us.