Archive Record
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Metadata
Title |
Oral History of Martin Rosen |
Collection |
Oral History |
Scope & Content |
In this oral history, lawyer and conservationist Martin Rosen recounts his life and his work in conservation. Of Eastern European Jewish heritage, Martin was born in Los Angeles in 1931. He attended UCLA and then moved up to the Bay Area to go to law school at UC Berkeley. After a stint in the Air Force, Martin moved to Mill Valley in 1963 with his wife Joan and their two young children, Dirk and Marika. Martin gives a detailed account of the Marincello development project in the 1960s and his role in the ultimately successful effort to stop it from going forward. He discusses his friendship with fellow open space activists Doug Ferguson and Huey Johnson, and their creation of The Trust for Public Land. For nearly two decades Martin served as president of the organization, overseeing its national growth. Invoking Aldo Leopold's "land ethic," Martin describes his view of conservation as making sure local communities have their voice heard in decisions about land use, while also maintaining access to open spaces for underserved populations. Living in Carmel and "gainfully unemployed" at the time of this oral history, Martin describes himself as a "pathological optimist" who continues to be involved with various environmental non-profits. |
Audio and Transcript |
Click here to hear recording. Click here to read the transcript. |
Dates of Creation |
2017-12-29 |
Interviewee |
Rosen, Martin |
Interviewer |
Schwartz, Debra |
Extent and Medium |
Transcript: 23 pp Recording: 01:14:14 |
Search Terms |
Aviation Breiner, Dick Conn, Bob Conservation of natural resources Environmental issues - Marin County Environmental policy Environmental protection Ferguson, Doug Golden Gate National Recreation Area Gulf Oil Hiking Homestead Valley Johnson, Huey Land use Law & legal affairs Marincello National Park Service Nature Conservancy Oral history - Nature and conservation Oral history - Volunteerism, activism Praetzl, Bob Rosen, Joan Ross, Ed The Trust for Public Land |
Object ID |
2018.010.001 |
Object Name |
Recording |
Copyrights |
Recording and transcript copyright Mill Valley Public Library, 2017. Materials are made available for research purposes only; all rights are reserved to the Mill Valley Public Library. Requests for permission to quote for publication or for any other usage must be obtained from the Library. |