More than 200 guests gathered at our 2025 Guardians of Nature Benefit to honor Garnetta Annable, a visionary leader whose three decades of advocacy have protected thousands of acres of Santa Clara County’s most iconic open spaces. The evening was filled with inspiration and gratitude as our community came together to celebrate Garnetta’s remarkable legacy and the latest advocacy successes of your Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we raised more than $105,000 to empower the Chapter’s ongoing work to protect our local environment. We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this event unforgettable, especially our sponsors Google, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Bay Nature, San José Clean Energy, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, and Loma Prieta Pride Sierrans, as well as our fantastic volunteers who ensured the evening ran as smoothly as ever.
Our heartfelt thanks also go to David Simon, Stan Ng, and Sheila Brady for devoting countless hours to creating a beautiful tribute video in honor of Garnetta Annable.
Whether you joined us in person or supported us from afar, we invite you to relive this unforgettable evening through our official event photo album, and help us continue the celebration by liking, sharing, and commenting on your favorite moments.
About the 2025 Guardians of Nature Honoree Garnetta Annable
Garnetta Annable is a visionary environmental leader and a founding force behind the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (OSA). Regarded as the mother of open space preservation in Santa Clara County, Garnetta has dedicated nearly three decades to protecting and advocating for the region’s open space, parks, and trail systems.
A lifelong advocate for open space preservation, Garnetta's love for the outdoors began in early childhood while exploring local parks of the Bay Area, where she was born and raised. Her understanding of the urgent need to protect public lands took shape in the early 1980s when she witnessed the sale of closed schools’ sites in her home community in the Cambrian area of San Jose. Although she lost her first battle, to preserve the land of the historic 100-year-old Cambrian Elementary School, with the support of then-San Jose City Councilmember Jim Beall, she was successful in protecting significant portions of the Camden High School site, now home to the Camden Community Center.
Garnetta then played a pivotal role in the formation of the OSA. She led early organizing efforts, building coalitions with county and city officials, state legislators, community leaders, and environmental groups, including our own Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, which served as a key resource in growing a grassroots campaign. She was also instrumental in securing the Authority’s first funding measure, laying the foundation for what has become a cornerstone of land conservation across the South Bay.
Garnetta’s environmental leadership encompasses service on various committees and commissions, including the San Jose/Santa Clara County Joint Open Space Implementation Committee, the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Long Range Land Utilization Task Force for the Coyote Creek Park Chain, all of which advance protections for regional parks and trails. Additionally, she co-founded Friends of Open Space and Yes On Parks, citizen-led initiatives that enhance funding and policy for local parks. A founding member and long-time Bay Area Ridge Trail Council board member, Garnetta is known for her ability to build bridges between people, agencies, and across generations. In Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's words, Garnetta is “someone who has been instrumental in creating the current network of open spaces that make Santa Clara County unique.” Garnetta remains a mentor, a connector, and a deeply respected figure in California’s conservation community, motivating others to protect the places we love for generations to come.
Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors!
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| $10,000+ Sigal Wilnai, Anonymous |
| $5,000+Lisa Barboza and Brian Roach, Mary Buxton and Ronald Hess, Kris Karnos |
| $2,500+Brian Carr, Anonymous x2 |
| $1,250+Sue Chow, Mary Gill, Nancy and David Crabbe, Ginny Laibl, Linda and Sid Liebes, Jeremy Minshull and Caroline Horn, Landa Robillard and Kelly Maas, Cheryl Woodward |
| $550+Kathy and Phil Battat, Shawn Britton, Shruti Chandrasekhar, James Coleman, Rick and Karen DeGolia, Susan DesJardin, Honorable Rod Diridon Sr., Nina and Steven Goodale, Terry and Mary Hines, Susan Hinton, Arthur Keller, Gracella Lenhart, Camille King, Rob and Lucinda Lenicheck, Inna Magner, Jennifer Normoyle, Dan and Helen Quinn, Lucas Ramirez, Jerry Hearn and Rebecca Raynolds, Johanna Schmid and Ed Reed, Enid Pearson and Emily Renzel, Bruce Rienzo, Lennie and Mike Roberts, Jamie and Charles Schafer, Linda Sell, Ruth and Angel Stoner Muzzin |
Thank you to our Honorary Hosts!
Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, City of East Palo Alto Councilmember Ruben Abrica, Santa Clara Valley Water District Director Shiloh Ballard, Loma Prieta Chapter Outings and Guadalupe Regional Group Chair Lisa Barboza, Santa Clara Valley Water District Director Jim Beall, Mary Buxton, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Director Helen Chapman, City of Redwood City Councilmember Isabella Chu, City of Mountain View Councilmember Chris Clark, City of South San Francisco Councilmember James Coleman, Town of Atherton Councilmember Rick DeGolia, City of San Mateo Councilmember Lisa Diaz-Nash, Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong, Santa Clara Valley Water District Director Rebecca Eisenberg, 2024 Guardians of Nature Honoree Anna Eshoo, San Mateo County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, City of Gilroy Councilmember Zach Hilton, City of Campbell Councilmember Terry Hines, City of Redwood City Councilmember Diane Howard, City of Santa Clara Councilmember Sudhanshu “Suds” Jain, City of Mountain View Mayor Ellen Kamei, Midpeninsula Open Space Regional District Director Zoe Kersteen-Tucker,2023 Guardians of Nature Honoree Florence LaRiviere, City of Palo Alto Mayor Ed Lauing, City of East Palo Alto Councilmember Webster Lincoln, City of Brisbane Mayor Pro Tempore Coleen Mackin, City of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Director Margie Matthews, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Director Margaret MacNiven, City of Milpitas Mayor Carmen Montano, 2019 Guardians of Nature Honorees Enid Pearson and Emily Renzel, City of Mountain View Councilmember Lucas Ramirez, 2016 Guardians of Nature Honoree LennieRoberts, City of Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Debbie Ruddock, City of Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Linda Sell, City of Mountain View Councilmember Pat Showalter, 2018 Guardians of Nature Honoree Joe Simitian, City of Palo Alto Councilmember Greer Stone, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Director Kathy Sutherland, City of Burlingame Councilmember Desiree Thayer, Town of Portola Valley Councilmember Helen Wolter
Event Committee
Sheila Brady, Wils Cain, James Eggers, Justyna Guterman, Barbara Muir and David Simon.
Contact us
Questions about the event and to volunteer: Justyna Guterman (Justyna.Guterman@sierraclub.org or 650-390-8494)
All proceeds benefit the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter. Ticket purchases and gifts to the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter are not tax-deductible; they support our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts.
Past Guardians of Nature Benefits
