Al Poncia dies at 83; co-founder of MALT
Al Poncia, a longtime Tomales cattleman and a founding member of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, has died. He was 83.
Mr. Poncia had pancreatic cancer, said his son, Loren Poncia.
“He will be remembered as a genuinely honest, authentic man who did what he thought was right,” said Poncia, 48, of Tomales. “His land ethic was off the charts. He loved the place as much as he loved the people. He believed that if you do whatever is right for the land, the land will take care of you.”
Mr. Poncia advocated for sustainable agriculture and the shared interests of farmers, environmentalists and conservationists. His early efforts, alongside other environmentalists, stopped a countywide plan to establish housing for 125,000 people along the eastern shore of Tomales Bay.
Lily Verdone, executive director of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, said the efforts of Mr. Poncia are responsible for much of the protected land in the county.
“Without his tenacity and passion, our landscape would've faced the true threats of urban development,” Verdone said. “Al's legacy will always be remembered as a custodian of open spaces, a guardian of green pastures and a true friend of the earth.”
Ralph Grossi, the first chair of MALT's board of directors and longtime president of the American Farmland Trust, said Mr. Poncia's “insights, energy, and unabashed enthusiasm for agriculture in Marin were critical to MALT's successful early days.”
“Those same qualities have also left him with a legacy of innovation that is expressing itself in the next generation of the Poncia family,” Grossi said.
Mr. Poncia also served on the Marin County Farm