The Mercury News profiles POST’s president Audrey Rust

Audrey Rust is the powerhouse behind the Peninsula Open Space Trust, and she’s nearing her goal of raising $200 million to protect the San Mateo Coastside—the largest fundraising campaign ever by a local U.S. land trust. Rust has $181 million so far.

The Mercury News has published an excellent profile of one of the people with the most influence on the Coastside. It also provides a fascinating picture of how she’s going about raising the tremendous sums necessary to do her work.

In many ways, Rust is in a race. Over the next 25 years, the population of the nine Bay Area counties is projected to grow by 1.6 million, the equivalent of adding a new San Jose and San Francisco.