The Green Foothills community was saddened to learn of the passing of former Green Foothills board member Ellie Huggins-Wendin. Ellie was an East-Coaster before moving to California with her husband Bob in 1954. She was born and raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She spent several summers during high school at the Putney School in Vermont, famed for its environmental programs. She would carry on with this interest after moving to California. She attended Mt. Holyoke College.

An early Green Foothills member, she was active in the campaign to create the Midpeninsula Regional Park (now Open Space) District in 1972. She established Midpen’s docent program, built on volunteers who helped run the District’s various programs.

At the same time she was on the Board of Green Foothills, serving from 1974-1981. She later was active with the Environmental Volunteers, who brought engaging, hands-on environmental science to students in the Palo Alto area.

Ellie later married Dan Wendin, who was the first President of Midpen’s Board of Directors. They moved to Truckee in the late ’80’s where they were both leaders in establishing the Truckee-Donner Land Trust. In fact, the initial meetings of its founders were around their kitchen table.

Ellie was an avid backpacker in the Sierra Nevada and over the years wrote a number of travel guidebooks and published several skiing history books about the Sierra Nevada. She also went on multiple hiking and bicycling trips in Switzerland. With Dan, she travelled the world, visiting every continent except Antarctica.

Ellie passed away quietly on February 13 after a long illness.