From Beth Crizer:

Margarete and her husband Mike purchased a home here in 2014 and moved permanently to the area in 2019.
Margarete Schmidt is a Los Osos community organizer and volunteer extraordinaire. She is a Board Member of Save Cuesta Inlet, Inc. and our nominee for the 2025 Los Osos Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award.

The unofficial “headquarters” of Save Cuesta Inlet is the warm and welcoming Los Osos home of Margarete Schmidt and her husband Mike Lozito -- the epicenter of a three-year battle to save a unique and beloved coastal wetland in Los Osos.
With a motto of “Peace, Love, and Public Access”, Save Cuesta Inlet, Inc. is a community driven nonprofit dedicated to preserving Cuesta Inlet as open space, accessible to the public for recreation, enjoyment, and connection to nature. Margarete is not only a Board Member, but also the volunteer Executive Director. There is no paid staff, and when Cuesta Inlet was threatened by a sale, Margarete organized events and volunteers, built the spreadsheets, and kicked the fundraising campaign into high gear. Margarete has been the tireless hub of the many volunteers and countless donors who have rallied to the cause.

Margarete spearheaded the fundraising to buy the irreplaceable Inlet, with the effort beginning in earnest in May 2025 when Save Cuesta Inlet’s offer to buy the land was accepted by the sellers. The purchase price goal of $735,000 was accomplished just four months later. Donations large and small poured in--children sold lemonade, artists donated their works, neighbors opened their homes, and Los Osos businesses held events in support. A kiosk at our weekly farmer’s market and articles in the local press provided a much needed boost, and checks arrived in the mail from across the nation with notes of encouragement and gratitude. Volunteers organized and inspired by Margarete kept the social media posts relevant, and online donations were steady.

Cuesta Inlet will be preserved for future generations because of Margarete’s unique talents and selfless donation of countless hours. With a ready smile, and never-ending patience, Margarete has an uncanny ability to answer all questions with a boundless energy that inspires volunteers to show up for the next event (and there were many). Margarete has gone above and beyond to make Los Osos a better place, and her efforts will be enjoyed by kayakers and sunset watchers for many years to come. The citizens of Los Osos and their dogs love Cuesta Inlet, and Margarete is our hero.

Margarete meets the criteria environmentally by preserving this place for continued public access, conserving this open space for use by non-motorized water vessels, dog walkers, and those who appreciate the 13+ acre property’s beauty. She established the 501 3c status to create the Save Cuesta Inlet and is committed to service to our community of Los Osos
In the years to come.

From Linda Cordes:

Margaret attended and promoted many of the fund raisers for the purchase of the Cuesta Inlet. I believe she was also the treasurer of this fund.

From George Pilling:

Margarete has led the effort to Save Cuesta Inlet since the start 3 years ago. She started savecuestainlet.org and recruited volunteer board and committee members. She and the other volunteers got over $800,000 in donations from more than 500 different people while the property was in escrow for six months this year. Her efforts paid off when Cuesta Inlet became the property of Save Cuesta Inlet and will forever be open to the public.

From Bob Crizer:

Her years of work is clearly why the community moved forward to purchase Cuesta Inlet.

From Gerard Ages:

Margarete has been the dynamic force behind the Save Cuesta Inlet movement. She has worked tirelessly to organize and facilitate the purchase of Cuesta Inlet. Her diligence and dedication has inspired many in the community to come out, volunteer, fundraise, communicate and raise awareness.

Through her efforts and inspiration the sale and aquisition of Cuesta Inlet from the Ogle family was realized. Preserving this maritime park unique to our coastal community is a huge victory for Los Osos. I believe Margarete's efforts are emblematic of what dedication to a cause and the community are and certainly qualify her for recognition.
Margarete and Husband Mike Lozito have lived in Los Osos since 2020.

From Elizabeth Hale:

Margarete Schmidt has led the successful volunteer SAVE CUESTA INLET group and in the years long venture we have saved the inlet for community public access!

From Lyn Matasci:

Margarete Schmidt spearheaded Save Cuesta Inlet movement and worked for over three years to make secure the Inlet for generations for Los Osos. Her tireless efforts in fundraising, organizing, and negotiating on behalf of the community have made this large undertaking a reality for Los Osos. She never gave up when things got discouraging and held the committee together.
Margarete will say it was a group effort to secure Cuesta Inlet for Los Osos, but without her leadership and enthusiasm it would not have happened.

From Steve Harrell:

The SaveCuestaInlet group was begun, nurtured and run by Margarete. No other single person did as much as she to keep this group going and ultimately to find success in their efforts to purchase Cuesta Inlet in order to keep it as a place for the public to enjoy. She was amazing and selfless.

From Carol Ann Stephens:

Margarete has led the super successful group Save Cuesta Inlet. She brought a great team of volunteers with her from something that seemed almost impossible to making it a reality and she did it with strong leadership and grace - and fun!

From Kelly Fisher:

Margarete has lived in Los Osos for several years. She and her family have considered this area their second home for decades prior to moving here permanently.
• Margarete is the cornerstone of creating and leading the Save Cuesta Inlet (SCI) nonprofit. She spent countless hours and personal funds to optimize SCI momentum. She recruited volunteers, wrote hundreds of letters to donors, established bank accounts, managed the real estate negotiations, and opened her home for regular meetings and work groups to keep things moving for over 3 years.
• She was the executive director, secretary, head letter writer, and biggest cheerleader for SCI. I am sure she is also involved in other organizations but I know her for her selfless service and dedications to this project.,
• She was instrumental in leading SCI to raise several hundred thousand dollars of community funds to purchase Cuesta Inlet and keep this precious resource as open space for our community.

From Sherry Paul:

It is with great admiration that I recommend Margarete Schmidt for Citizen of the Year for her extraordinary dedication to saving Cuesta Inlet. During more than three years of persistent effort, Margarete’s tireless commitment, energy, and dynamic spirit kept our community motivated, inspired, and focused on the goal of protecting this vital natural treasure.
Margarete has a remarkable sense of humor, which she used to keep spirits high even during the most challenging moments. She welcomed every volunteer with warmth and enthusiasm, always celebrating their contributions while never seeking credit for herself. Her ability to bring people together, keep everyone engaged, and make the work enjoyable speaks to her unique leadership and generosity of spirit.

Through her vision, determination, and unwavering persistence, Margarete rallied neighbors, local organizations, and volunteers, ensuring that Cuesta Inlet remains a sanctuary for wildlife, a place for families to gather, and a source of pride for our community. Her leadership goes far beyond environmental protection; she created a lasting sense of connection and stewardship among all who call this area home.

Because of Margarete, Cuesta Inlet will forever be a place where nature and community thrive side by side—a legacy that will benefit generations to come. She is truly deserving of this honor.

From Sandra Chandler:

Margarete Schmidt has been the heart and brains leading the organization to save Cuesta Inlet for the community. She sustained the effort over 3 years to keep the momentum to reach our goal. She is smart and funny and a great writer.

From Marcel Stieber:

If there is one single person that made saving Cuesta Inlet possible, that would 100% be Margarete Schmidt. She was the face of Save Cuesta Inlet since it was founded in 2022, tirelessly keeping the organization running, the word spreading throughout the community, and never losing hope during the first years before the property owners finally accepted the purchase offer from the non-profit.

As a result, in 2025, Margarete single-handedly led the group of a few dozen core volunteers that organized the Capital Fundraising Campaign to raise over $800,000 to help secure the Inlet. Margarete officially serves as the Secretary for the non-profit, Save Cuesta Inlet Inc, but her role in this year was so much more than that. She opened her home to host bi-weekly committee meetings, spent countless hours working to answer questions from supporters and residents about the inlet, both in-person, by email, and by phone. She navigated large donors, organized various fundraising events from children's music events, to Art Galas, and live music.

Her leadership to the Capital Campaign volunteers is the reason we are here today, having officially closed escrow on Dec 5th, 2025 and secured the Inlet for our community of Los Osos. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of the Los Osos Citizen of the Year Award than Margarete. She is truly the reason we now have 13 acres of green space in Los Osos to preserve continued access for the benefit of the community and wildlife.

https://www.savecuestainlet.org/

From Vincent Devine:

She worked continuously for four years to develop a group of volunteers and community support to save an area of the Los Osos bay estuary from being sold for private use. She met with locals, estuary experts, government officials, non profits, real estate professionals and legal staff to assist the community of Los Osos to save a precious area of the bay for future public access. Many times the obstacles were immense but she was never discouraged. By year four a team of community volunteers & financial sponsors were able to purchase and "Save the Cuesta Inlet". Margarete was alway's there to explain our community goals, take the hard and impromptu inquiries and provide a pep talk to the volunteers who felt discouraged through the long process to acquire the inlet.

Margarete was the Los Osos CA, spokesperson and she never gave up the goal of saving the area of the inlet for all of us. A true and rare community leader, who does by example!

From Margarete Schmidt Lozito (probably not):

Margarete has lived in Los Osos about ten years.
She successfully lead Save Cuesta Inlet.
Cuesta Inlet is now permanently opened to the public because because of Margarete’s vision and hard work.

From Amy Barry:

Saved Cuesta Inlet