A friend and mentor left us last week: Peter Douglas (1942 - 2012) was the director of the California Coastal Commission, one of the planet's greatest and most influential coastal preservation organizations.
Peter was also a great father of two wonderful sons, an excellent outdoorsman, and a mentor to thousands of surfers, activists, politicians and neighbors. Growing up in West Marin, I was best friends with Peter's younger son, Vanja, and we spent many wonderful days at their forested home in the hills bordering the Point Reyes National Seashore. His presence helped shape me into who I am today.
Recently I had the honor of working with Peter on a Coastal Commission resolution to recognize World Surfing Reserves. Peter was inspiring and very supportive of my work on this initiative. Better writers than I are remembering him now:
* New York Times Obituary
* Surfrider Obituary
Peter - you're resting in peace.
All photos in this post copyright 2012 by Josh Berry.
