About NDF
Mission Statement
In this age of climate change and mass extinction, it is paramount that we do everything within our power to preserve what we have left of our natural world and it's resources. From the coral reefs to the glaciers, our planet is on the brink of losing its ability to recover from what is now known as the Anthropocene Era, the era of man-made destruction. The survival of what is left of the wilderness, the creatures that inhabit it and our natural resources are dependent on our actions as human beings.
Who is Martha?
Martha Gerbode
In memory of her son, Martha Alexander Gerbode established the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation in 1951 in San Francisco. The foundation’s function was to the benefit of the arts, education, environmental conservation, public health and civil rights in the Bay Area and Hawaii. Martha was from a missionary family on Maui and perhaps got her sense of obligation from this upbringing; but from what all we know of her, she was not easy to categorize. Her daughter, Maryanna, writes:
“A woman driven by an internal sense of social responsibility, her influence is still felt in this changing world. Those who felt her presence knew she was important for the future generations and their survival. She was a humanitarian familiar with feeling the need to respond to her conscience in order to be at peace. She was, for her time, a "radical" in search of the meaning of life, with a social awareness which helped her to respond to the needs of society.”
During Martha’s lifetime, she spearheaded the funding in opposition to the Marincello development in Marin Headlands, the development of Alcatraz, and the nuclear plant that was to be built in Bodega Bay. In her honor, friend and environmentalist Huey Johnson designated the Martha Alexander Gerbode Preserve, later renamed Gerbode Valley, in the Marin Headlands. She supported organizations like Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Defense of Diamond Head, and Oahu Development Conference.
It was well known that Martha or “Tutu” (Hawaiian for grandmother) flew the ecology flag over her house as a reminder of the vital need to preserve open space. And since the reorganization of the Gerbode Foundation in 2015, the Nature Defense Foundation has the privilege to continue her goals of conservation and peace.
Gerbode Valley, Marin Headlands
Board of Directors
Sarah Shaw, Chairman
Alana Shaw, Vice Chair
Brian Gainsford, Treasurer
Emily Harisson, Secretary