By Jondi Gumz
Visitors to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park marvel at the redwoods, but do they know who built the bridge that makes it possible for the trail to cross the creek to reach a spectacular waterfall?
Volunteers with the Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks building a bridge in the early 1980s. Geoff Alexander, wearing a beard, is at right. The VW bus is also his.
The answer is the nonprofit Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks, co-founded by Sandy Lydon in 1992 and shepherded for 30 years by Geoff Alexander of Soquel.
Alexander is one of the 33 individuals and organizations to receive Be the Difference awards, hosted by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County on Wednesday, May 8, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove Ballroom.
A Renaissance man able to write software, make apple cider and design his own home, Alexander served as president, vice president, chairman and secretary of the board, holding the Advocates together when times were hard and money was tight.
Fellow board member William Stauble called him a “thought leader” able to pull in donors to fund projects and talented volunteers to complete them.
Alexander oversaw construction of Margaret’s Bridge at Nisene Marks, on the trail to the seasonal waterfall. He also built restrooms and seasonal bridges needed to cross creeks filled with rain, championed improvements to trails and roads, and did dust abatement and education projects.
He has been in ill health but hopes to attend the ceremony in a wheelchair.
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List of Honorees
Arts & Culture
- David Lyng Real Estate, Capitola
- Sue Dormanen of Soquel, Santa Cruz Shakespeare
- Pat McVeigh, Habitat for Humanity
- Judy Stabile, Pajaro Valley Arts
Building Community
- 100+ Women Who Care
- Crew Point Logistics LLC
- Erica Chapin, Volunteer Center’s disaster response team
- Terri Fisher, Santa Cruz Hostel
- Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay “Golden Hammer Crew”
- Gerry Jensen, Capitola advocate and activist
- Nancy Murray, Santa Cruz County Mounted Posse
- Santa Cruz Elks Lodge
- Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability
- Ecology Action Bike Repair Program
- Geoff Alexander, Soquel, Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks
- Nicola Wagner, Homeless Garden Project
- Suzanne MacLean, Homeless Garden Project
- Dean Spieller, Homeless Garden Project
- Tom and Libby Purdy, Ben Lomond, Wilder Ranch State Park Docents
Families & Youth
- Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County
- Daryl Wise, Shared Adventures volunteer
- Debbie Falconer, Santa Cruz SPCA
- Dora Gonzalez, CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates
- Natalie Martinez, Watsonville community volunteer
Health & Wellness
- Gardenia Amor Y Bienestar Para La Mujer
- Teen Kitchen Project Delivery Angels, Soquel
- Gary Bencomo, Dientes dental and nonprofit champion
- Gerri Ashton, Hospice of Santa Cruz County
- Jennifer Fenton, The Equine Healing Collaborative
Social & Economic Justice
- The Santa Cruz Welcoming Network
- Dennis Cavaille, Felton, tutor with the Volunteer Center Literacy Program
- MaryJo Van Verth, Aptos, Team Just Us
- Sister Rosa Dolores Rodriguez, Casa de la Cultura, Pajaro
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Tickets for the luncheon cost $60. Purchase at https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?id=67&name=E162036
TOP PHOTO: Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks gather for a birthday party in 2020. Geoff Alexander is the bearded fellow at the head of the table.