Sonoma activist is County ‘Environmentalist of the Year’

The Sonoma County Conservation Council has named Teri Shore, North Bay Regional Director of Greenbelt Alliance, as its Environmentalist of the Year.

Shore is being recognized for leading the campaign for Community Separators, which won protection of over 53,000 acres from sprawl for the next 20 years. She also volunteers as chair of the Sierra Club Sonoma Group.

“The award really goes to my colleagues and the people of Sonoma County who stepped up in a big way for open space last year,” said Shore. “And I am so moved to be recognized by the environmental community, my tribe, now and forever.”

Sonoma County Conservation Council is a nonprofit, nonpolitical federation of environmental organizations serving Sonoma County since 1986.. Its annual award recognizes people who have recently made outstanding efforts to protect regional resources or advanced their better stewardship.

Shore has lived in Sonoma for 25 years and grew up in Marin and San Francisco. Before joining Greenbelt Alliance, she directed marine conservation campaigns to protect endangered marine species, sustainable fisheries, and oceans at the state, national, and international level.

The Greenbelt Alliance addresses a single challenge: how the Bay Area handles growth.

But even after decades of hard work and success at protecting the Bay Area’s greenbelt, Shore said, “293,000 acres of open space lands are in jeopardy of being lost to sprawl development over the next generation. That’s an area 10 times the size of San Francisco.”

“To get growth right, we all have to get involved,” Shore said. “We need to speak out to prevent development where it doesn’t belong—on our iconic greenbelt of farms, ranches, and natural areas. And just as much, when a plan, policy, or project is being proposed that will lead to more affordable and accessible communities, we need to speak up and say yes to the right growth in the right places.”

Shore and four other Sonoma County environmentalists will be recognized at the annual Sonoma County Conservation Action gala on June 10:

2017 Upstream Swimmer: Caryl Hart, Director, Sonoma County Regional Parks.

2017 Dick Day Community Activist Award: June Moes of Santa Rosa, an environmental activist best known for stopping the proposed highway over Spring Lake.

2017 Bill Kortum Innovative Leader Award: Dennis Rosatti, of Santa Rosa, a well-known and accomplished environmentalist and campaign consultant who was until 2016 the Executive Director of Sonoma County Conservation Action.

2017 Young Environmental Activist of the Year Award: Jazmín Gudiño a Roseland resident, is a Spanish-language interpreter, community organizer and champion for environmental cause and candidates.