Spring 2018 Newsletter
AMLT WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS STEVE ABBORS AND ABRAN LOPEZ
By EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, AMLT Executive Director
(AMLT) is pleased to welcome two new members to its board of directors – Steve Abbors, the former General Manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen), and Abran Lopez, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band member and AMLT Native Stewardship Corps member.
Photo credit Steve Abbors
Steve Abbors brings over three decades of experience protecting and managing conservation lands to AMLT. Steve started his career as a naturalist with East Bay Regional Parks, went on to manage 28,000 acres in the East Bay Municipal Utilities District, and finished his career as General Manager for Midpen, overseeing 26 open space preserves totaling more than 63,000 acres. Steve helped Midpen achieve financial sustainability during the 2008 recession with the passage of Measure AA, and oversaw the redevelopment and opening of the summit of Mt. Umunhum to the public. One of his final tasks at the district was signing a precedent-setting cultural conservation easement with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, granting the Tribe land rights on the summit of the sacred mountain into perpetuity. Steve is a powerful addition to the AMLT team. As AMLT’s opportunities to steward, manage, and eventually own conservation lands expand, Steve’s decades-long experience managing large areas of conserved land will be of great value.
Abran Lopez removes invasive poison hemlock from Quiroste Valley. Photo courtesy Richard Morgenstein.
Abran Lopez is an active member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and a founding member of the AMLT Native Stewardship Corp program. Abran has specialized skills in wildland firefighting and a strong interest in returning cultural burning to his Tribe’s territory. Abran is deeply committed to his Tribe and he works to foster a sense of community in AMLT field activities. Abran also brings an important perspective to the AMLT board on how to expand Native youth engagement within the organization.
The addition of these two highly qualified individuals to the Board of Directors will help guide and support the growth and success of our organization.