Gail Raabe
8+ years of experience
Co-Chair
How did you get involved with CCCR?
Through Ralph Nobles, a long-time Board member of CCCR and friend from Redwood City who I met during the campaign to save Bair Island from development in the early 1980's. When he was getting ready to "retire", he asked me to attend meetings with him.
Identify if you lead or participate in another local group that is part of CCCR.
Friends of Redwood City and Redwood City Neighbors United.
What is your background and the skills you bring to CCCR?
Before I retired, I served as the Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer for San Mateo County. In that position, I became familiar with the responsibilities and environmental regulations of many government agencies, local land use planning and CEQA. My educational background includes a B.A. and M.A. in Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University.
How long have you been an active member of CCCR? 
Since 2010
How long have you held your current position on the board?
Co-Chair since 2016
What is your favorite species at the Refuge?
Long-billed curlew, a large and beautiful migratory shorebird that really likes the tidal mudflats on Inner Bair Island.
What is the one project with CCCR that has been your greatest achievement?
Working with other environmental groups and Redwood City residents to stop the Cargill/DMB Saltworks development proposal. The massive project included building a new city of 12,000 houses and a million square feet of commercial space on 1400 acres of former salt ponds, an area within the Refuge expansion boundary. The Saltworks proposal faced fierce community opposition and was withdrawn in 2012, but these ponds, which could be restored back to tidal marsh, are still at risk of being developed.