Palo Alto's Nonette Hanko Honored For Life's Work As Conservationist

PALO ALTO, CA — Nonette Hanko, the founder of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, was honored by the Bay Nature Institute with the 2022 Conservation Action Local Hero Award this week.

Hanko, a Palo Alto resident who led a grassroots movement that led to voter approval for the district in 1972, was recognized during the 12th annual event celebrating Bay Area environmental leaders for more than half a century of commitment to the region’s natural lands.

Hanko served on Midpen’s board of directors for 46 years before retiring in 2018. During her tenure, the district preserved nearly 65,000 acres of open space land in 26 preserves and opened more than 245 miles of trails for public access, according to a news release.

“It’s a dream come true, being able to do something about saving our open spaces for people and animals,” Hanko said when she retired from the board. “There is still land that needs to be acquired and trails we need to connect. When you’re building something important, and we’re still building it, you never lose that joy.”

The awards were held at the David Brower Center in Berkeley on Sunday.

Midpen board member Cut Riffle called Hanko a Bay Area environmental pioneer.

“The undeveloped open spaces surrounding our communities, from the baylands south of San Francisco to the foothills and forested mountains surrounding San Jose, exist in large part because of the vision and vigilance of Nonette and her fellow conservationists,” Riffle said in a news release. “She served as the initial spark for the creation of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and her tenacious persistence over 46 years increased not only acres of protected land, but also miles of multi-use trails and restoration and protection of the flora and fauna that are unique to the Bay Area.”