Last updated: July 12, 2024
Person
Martha Gerbode
Romaine Photography, Bancroft Library
Quick Facts
Significance:
Conservationist that helped with the early stages of Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Place of Birth:
Alameda County, CA
Date of Birth:
November 11, 1909
Place of Death:
San Francisco, CA
Date of Death:
October 19, 1971
Place of Burial:
Honolulu, Hawaii
Cemetery Name:
Mission Houses Cemetery
Martha Alexander Gerbode is remembered as an environmental patron, grassroots politician, humanitarian, conservationist, and philanthropist. She established the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and helped fund conservation efforts, including the creation of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, so that all generations, present and future, could experience the wilderness.
Though she often kept out of the spotlight, Martha Gerbode was described as a maverick and risk-taker. Huey Johnson of the Nature Conservancy stated that Martha Gerbode enjoyed supporting challenging and complex projects. He recalls her saying "Look, don't bring me any projects that other people would fund. I just want the tough, controversial ones."1
In 1970, Martha Gerbode learned that a 2,100+ acre parcel of land near the Golden Gate Bridge was being considered for new development. She loaned millions of dollars to help environmentalists and local groups including the Nature Conservancy to fund lawsuits to stop the development. In 1972, the Nature Conservancy was able to purchase the land for 6.5 million and hold it in trust until it became part of the National Parks. It was known as the Gerbode Preserve and later became Gerbode Valley, a part of the Marin Headlands in Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Today, visitors to Gerbode Valley can enjoy a network of backcountry hiking/biking trails with stunning views. The valley is home to a variety of wildlife including wildflowers, bobcats, and hawks. You can learn more about visiting the valley on the Golden Gate National Recreation Area website.
Citations and further Reading:
1. Gerbode, Martha. "Martha Gerbode: Environmentalist, Philanthropist and Volunteering in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaii." Interview by Harriet Nathan and Ann Lage in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1995.
Interview date(s) 1989
2. "Voices of the Marin Headlands." National Park Service - Golden Gate National Recreation Area. National Park Service, Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/the-voices-of-the-marin-headlands.htm