Becky Cool Gives Nature a Boost as a Model for Taking Action By Contributor Louise Olfarnes

Becky Cool releasing a Palos Verdes blue butterfly at a restoration area in the Linden H. Chandler Preserve

Becky Cool, a business woman and resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, lights up any room she walks into and immediately connects with everyone present. Enthusiastic, supportive, eager to help, she always brings a group of her numerous friends to one of many social events. It is not surprising that when Becky Cool jumps into a cause, she jumps in with both feet.

Becky first learned about the Land Conservancy when she saw an article in the newspaper about plans to buy and protect land and to then restore the land with native plants. “I had just lost my husband, and I thought it would be a nice way to pay tribute to him. Also at that time, there was a matching grant which doubled my gift and that felt pretty exciting.” This led Becky to making a donation for an overlook named in honor of her husband, Tays Cool, and becoming a leading supporter for many of the successful acquisition campaigns that have resulted in 1,700 total acres owned or managed by the Conservancy.

Becky Cool with guests at Palos Verdes Pastoral: Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Becky lives by example and she loves to show others how they too can make a difference. Serving on the Conservancy’s development committee, originally led by Bob Ford and chaired by local architect Ed Beall, Becky was involved in creating ways to raise support for the White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro, the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve in Rancho Palos Verdes, a number of fundraising initiatives for the Linden H. Chandler Preserve in Rolling Hills Estates, and too many other projects to count. Her name lends itself to fun and in addition to the “Cool Overlook”, the Conservancy now has a “Cool Truck“ hauling equipment and plants to restoration sites in recognition of a generous gift. Not surprisingly, she was the first to provide a significant gift to the most recent $30 million Go Wild for the Peninsula Campaign to purchase 96 acres in Rancho Palos Verdes to create a wildlife corridor.

Becky Cool at the dedication of the Cool Overlook

“I grew up in the South Bay. As a former teacher, I have deep roots here, many friends, lots of memories of the beach, and life in Hermosa Beach as a teenager and young adult. When you grow up in a community and your own life takes its various twists and turns, it is so rewarding to find a way to give back and to be involved.”

Becky uses birthdays and tribute gifts to celebrate family members and friends, including KitKat, a chatty Siamese who rules the house. He even has his own space in Becky’s large camper, which she drives to various beautiful sites during the summer for getaways and fishing trips. From film screenings, goat adoptions to gourmet dinners and auctions, Becky is showing others in the community how to have fun and be "Cool" while becoming a conservation hero.