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There's more to open space than the vision of open foothills and Skyline Ridge, Audrey Rust told attendees at the Athena Award luncheon Wednesday.

A bigger vision is to see coastside open space stretching many miles south to the Pajaro River, she said in her acceptance speech.

VIDEO: An open-space vision.

Rust received the award from the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce for her work as president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a nonprofit organization that seeks donations to help acquire open space lands.

The group then resells the properties to government agencies for permanent preservation, including the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, counties, and state and federal agencies.

Rust said POST is responsible for preservation of about 63,000 acres over the years.

See earlier story: Audrey Rust named 2010 Athena Award winner

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