POST relies on its strong partnerships with private organizations and public agencies to fulfill its land-saving mission. Strategic collaboration with these groups helps POST pursue ambitious land protection goals and effectively leverage donor contributions for maximum impact.
Since 1983, POST has partnered with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) in protecting thousands of acres of open space. The two organizations have complementary strengths: As a private nonprofit organization, POST can negotiate quickly and privately with sellers, as opportunities arise, to purchase critical open spaces. MROSD, created by voters in 1972, uses its tax-generated income to acquire new lands, and also has the capacity to manage properties. For resource protection and to open land for low-intensity public recreation, POST may seek to add places we acquire to the park system.
California State Parks, another POST partner, works to preserve the state's biological diversity, protect its natural resources, and create recreational opportunities by managing more than 270 parks. To ensure permanent protection and public access to the lands, POST may seek to add places we acquire to the park system. One successful example includes Cowell Ranch. In February 2005, POST transferred Whaler's Cove, a property adjacent to Pigeon Point Lighthouse, to California State Parks.
The National Park Service has been an important public partner for POST over the years. Manager of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is one of the largest urban national parks in the world, NPS and POST partnered to transfer the 1,252-acre Phleger Estate into its park system. POST has worked closely with NPS to expand the boundaries of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to include the 4,262-acre Rancho Corral de Tierra. Once the U.S. Congress approves appropriations for the transfer, this land will form a southern entrance to the spectacular 75,000-acre national park.