The community organizers that envisioned the Southeast Greenway
A small group of local residents sat in the new Yulupa CoHousing living room to share ideas about the fallow land next door. They imagined a park with paths for walking and biking, picnic areas, community gardens, and places to rest and play. Before a park could be developed, the land would need to be purchased from Caltrans and transferred to the CIty of Santa Rosa. That was in 2009; little did they know that it would take 15 years to achieve.
As we celebrate the transfer of the Southeast Greenway property to the City of Santa Rosa, we want to honor four of our original volunteers who helped bring this dream to life.
Linda Proulx (1948-2024)
Linda was a founding member of the Southeast Greenway Campaign, a visionary and tireless leader for the project. She served as Campaign Co-Chair and led the Communications Team. The vision of a climate-smart urban Greenway with trails for walking and biking, community gathering places and gardens, and restoration of native habitat captured Linda’s imagination. She loved hiking with her husband Alan and knew that developing open space into an active transportation corridor would bring more people outside to enjoy our beautiful county. As the Southeast Greenway moves forward we honor Linda’s singular spirit, and for leading the Campaign with grace and tenacity.
June Moes (1929-2024)
A feisty and impassioned activist, June Moes started the Save Spring Lake movement in the 1980s. She came to Santa Rosa from Los Angeles partially to escape the overly paved environment, and thought the idea of building a bridge over Spring Lake to extend highway 12 to Sonoma was an outrage. Joined by historian and Press Democrat columnist Gaye LeBaron, opposition to the CalTrans plans steadily grew. In 2019, Santa Rosa’s City Council voted to negotiate the purchase of the CalTrans easement, a milestone for the protection of the land. Moes and her committee members laid the foundation for the Southeast Greenway Campaign, which continues to use her model for action: Don’t give up.
Bob Gaiser (1947-2023)
Bob Gaiser was a beloved and inspirational Co-Chair of the Southeast Greenway Campaign from 2016 to 2023. He brought 40 years of experience as a retired local government planner with two cities and two counties. In his 26 years with Sonoma County, he helped develop policies for water, biotic resources, urban boundaries, geologic hazards, gravel mining, noise, and stormwater. Well known in the community, he loved to collaborate with others and use his experience to problem-solve and improve our county. His friends on the Greenway Campaign miss him terribly and honor his memory by continuing his work.
Jonathan Glass (1976-2013)
With a backpack slung over his shoulder and a brimmed hat perched on his head, Jonathan Glass was the pied piper of trail walks for the Southeast Greenway and open space across the county. His love of the outdoors and natural play environments for his daughter prompted him to join a few others to begin the formation of what became the Southeast Greenway Campaign. Jonathan was a tireless advocate for good, sensible stewardship of the land, bringing expertise as the Field Programs Director at LandPaths. He was a soft spoken, diplomatic and thoughtful advocate for the formation of the Greenway Campaign and helped shape our goals for the property.
Our volunteers continue to advocate for the creation of this vital public space in partnership with Sonoma Land Trust and the City of Santa Rosa. As June Moes would say, “Don’t give up!” And we won’t. Why not join us? Donate, volunteer, come to an upcoming event. We’ll keep you posted!