Remembering Peter Douglas (April 2012)

Nationally recognized for his leadership in protecting coastal habitats, Peter Douglas is missed and remembered by many, including CNLM. For 26 years, Mr. Douglas was the executive director of the California Coastal Commission—the state agency with the mandate to protect and provide public access to the California coast. Moreover, he not only was the principal writer of the 1972 referendum that established the Commission, but he helped write the Coastal Act of 1976 that gave the Commission its authority and mandate. Funds to celebrate his legacy have been established (www.coastal.ca.gov ).

Mr. Douglas is remembered not only for his conservation successes, but for the passion and principles with which he lead the Commission. Although only a few CNLM preserves are currently within the Coastal Zone, Mr. Douglas’s perspective on the active and perpetual nature of conservation is strongly mirrored by CNLM’s mission and stewardship practices. According to a 2001 article in the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Douglas strongly believed that natural resource protection requires perpetual stewardship and defense, not simply legislation : “The coast,” he remarked, “is never saved. It’s always being saved."