Pittsburg is one of the most deprived cities of the county in terms of access to large open spaces and regional parks; it’s also home to more communities of color than nearby cities. Residents need to travel farther to reach large open spaces.

However, this situation could all change in the future. The East Bay Regional Park District is working to open a new 2,700-acre regional park—Thurgood Marshall Regional Park—in Concord along the ridge between Pittsburg and Concord.

The opening of Thurgood Marshall Regional Park presents an opportunity for new park access in Pittsburg.

However, one developer with a long history of environmental destruction in the region, Seeno/Discovery Builders, threatens to negatively impact the park with a development project.

Their Faria development project plans to build 1,500 houses on more than 600 acres on the ridge right above and next to Thurgood Marshall Regional Park.

Disparities in Park Access

Nationwide, marginalized communities face more restrictions and barriers to park access.

One assessment shows that communities of color are three times more likely than white communities to live in nature-deprived areas. And about 70 percent of low-income communities live in nature-deprived areas.

Data represents individuals who selected “white alone,” and does not include individuals who selected white as one or more races. Source: 2020 US Census

According to census data, Walnut Creek has the highest percentage of white-only residents. Walnut Creek residents have an abundance of opportunities to access nature, including Mount Diablo State Park and various regional and local parks.

Walnut Creek residents have access to Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area, Shell Ridge Open Space, and Lime Ridge Open Space among other parks, green belts, and open spaces.

Pittsburg is home to a higher percentage of communities of color than any other east Contra Costa County city. It has the highest percentage of Latino people, the second highest percentage of Black people, and the lowest percent of white-only people.

Much of Pittsburg is also mapped as a disadvantaged community by the California Environmental Protection Agency.

Compared to other cities in Contra Costa County, Pittsburg residents need to travel farther to reach large open spaces or regional parks.

Pittsburg is home to two regional preserves. Browns Island is located in the Delta and has access by arrangement only, making the preserve more similar to a conservation area than a park.

Bay Point Regional Shoreline is nearby but is very small, with only one trail. It is surrounded by industrial development.

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is located in the southeastern portion of Pittsburg’s planning area, placing it inside the city. However, there is no public access to the park from Pittsburg.

Trails leading into the park from Pittsburg are feasible. However, development or private land, often controlled by Seeno companies, blocks access.

Several regional trails go through Pittsburg, but don’t provide access to a regional park in Pittsburg.

Pittsburg has no access to state parks and very limited access to regional parks, and it’s a problem that has gotten worse.

As the city notes in its General Plan, the pace of park and open space acquisition has decreased in the last decade.

Sprawl Destruction and Inequity

Why does Pittsburg have more barriers to accessing parks and open space? In the Bay Area, urban sprawl has destroyed many natural spaces.

As sprawl pushes low-density housing further away from denser urban centers, it spreads out into open space, often destroying sensitive resources in the process.

Sprawl development in Pittsburg’s hills. Photo by Scott Hein

The effects of sprawl development can be catastrophic and often disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

During the early 2000s in Pittsburg, a Seeno-owned company was working on a subdivision project and discovered California red-legged frogs living in the ponds within the project zone.

The frogs are a federally protected threatened species, and so the ponds are critical habitat. Instead of building around the ponds, the company illegally drained and filled the two ponds, and bulldozed the creeks.

They wiped out the threatened species and its habitat.

Communities of color are far more likely to experience environmental exploitation than other groups.

According to one report, the United States experienced a loss of natural area to development at a rate equivalent to a football field every 30 seconds between the years 2001 and 2017.

Communities of color disproportionately lost more open space than white communities.

Improving Outdoor Equity

In recent years, a greater initiative has been taken to address systemic inequality to park access.

The 2021 Outdoor for All Initiative budget included an unprecedented $1 billion investment to improve access to related infrastructure and programs, focusing especially on disadvantaged communities.

The following year, Governor Newsom signed the Equitable Outdoor Access Act, making it a state policy that Californians have equitable opportunities to safe and affordable access to nature, which extends to local, regional, state, and federal parks.

Beyond the state level, equal accessibility to parks is emphasized at the county level. The Contra Costa County Climate Action Plan included increasing access to parks and open space as a major strategy toward climate equity.

The document states an ambitious target of “all residents being located within a half-mile of a park or other green space.”

New Park Access for Pittsburg

The creation of Thurgood Marshall Regional Park presents a new opportunity for park access for Pittsburg residents. The 2,700-acre park is located in Concord but is right next to the ridge between Concord and Pittsburg.

Proposed Seeno/Discovery Builders Faria project in relation to Thurgood Marshall Regional Park. Map by Save Mount Diablo

Bordering the park lies one of Seeno’s proposed development projects, the Faria project. The project as currently approved would build 1,500 units across more than 600 acres on the hills bordering Pittsburg and the new Thurgood Marshall Regional Park.

Seeno/Discovery Builders currently plans to bulldoze and build directly on the ridgeline.

That would negatively impact the park and could make access to the park by all Pittsburg residents more difficult (as Seeno/Discovery Builders has so far at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve).

In theory, this development offers a new staging area for the new regional park, but it’s tricky given the developer’s history.

Seeno is the same family responsible for previously destroying a federally protected habitat in Pittsburg. Seeno often shows as little detail in their projects as cities will allow them, and frequently change project details later.

To make matters more complicated, in 2020 Albert Seeno III sued the East Bay Regional Park District to halt the creation of Thurgood Marshall Regional Park.

The Faria project has the ability to dramatically impact the new regional park, for better or for worse. Multiple access points to the park and an open space buffer could promote park accessibility, if the project were restructured and a few units moved off the ridge.

Alternatively, building on the ridge would degrade the park’s natural aesthetics, destroy wildlife habitat and connectivity, and increase fire risk for homes in and below the development.

Now is a critical time, while new initiatives are creating new policies to promote equitable access to outdoor recreation.

Can a developer with a history of destroying habitat and suing to stop the creation of a regional park be trusted to create equitable access to open space—especially when it comes to a city that is currently underserved with recreational access?

The post Why Pittsburg Deserves More Access to Parks appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

The Discover Diablo outings series offers guided hikes, themed walks, and other outdoor activities: mountain biking; rock climbing; trail running; meditation in nature; plein air painting events; and property tours. All are free to the public.

Trailblazers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to choose appropriate outings from our extensive offerings.

In response to growing demand, Save Mount Diablo is offering a total of 36 excursions.

The ever-popular tarantula walk will be offered twice, and we are offering two plein air painting walks, two meditation hikes, and a trail run in 2023.

We will also be offering rock-climbing outings, mountain-biking events, and bilingual hikes in Spanish and English.

Generously sponsored by the Martinez Refining Company, the 2023 Discover Diablo free public hikes and outings series will begin on January 21.

“Through the Discover Diablo series, people are fortunate to be able to explore and discover the beauty of Mount Diablo with experienced guides,” said Ann Notarangelo, Community Relations Manager for the Martinez Refining Company. “Our refinery has sponsored these hikes since 2017 in the hopes people will enjoy learning more about the mountain, while spending quality time with family and friends.”

The Discover Diablo program was started by Save Mount Diablo in 2017 to connect local communities with the spectacular natural world of the Mount Diablo area and to build awareness about land conservation.

Hikes and outings take place on one of Save Mount Diablo’s conserved properties or on park lands in the Diablo Range. These include Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Stanislaus County, and National Park Service lands.

Discover Diablo hikes are guided by experts steeped in the natural history and lore of the region, who both educate and entertain while emphasizing the breathtaking beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer.

Save Mount Diablo hopes the Discover Diablo series will spark a passion for the Diablo Range and deepen people’s connections to the land and nature. All Discover Diablo hikes are subject to, and will honor, all applicable COVID-19–related restrictions then in place for our area.

According to Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, “It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people, Save Mount Diablo, and the land, helping our communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard. Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants, as that is what it will take to ensure the precious Mount Diablo associated natural areas are taken care of for generations to come.”

There is something for us all to discover in the nooks and crannies surrounding Mount Diablo and within its sustaining Diablo Range, so be sure to hit the trails in 2023 and find your own individual inspiration!

RSVP required. To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend, registration for hikes and outings in March onward will open two months prior to each hike’s date.

See our schedule of upcoming hikes and outings; view and RSVP online here: https://savemountdiablo.org/what-we-do/educating-and-inspiring-people/discover-diablo-hikes-outings/

You can also download and print a flyer of the schedule here: http://bit.ly/DiscoverDiablo

Summary: CONTRA COSTA, STANISLAUS, AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES—Discover Diablo is Save Mount Diablo’s free public hikes and outings series, offering an annual schedule of guided walks; hikes; and rock-climbing, mountain-biking, trail-running, and plein air painting outings open to any and all trailblazers. Generously sponsored by the Martinez Refining Company, the 2023 Discover Diablo free public hike series will begin on January 21. Discover Diablo offers 36 events throughout 2023—either taking place on a Save Mount Diablo property or hosted on a public agency’s land. Join Save Mount Diablo in exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful wild lands and open spaces.

Who: Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission

to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, watersheds, and connection to the Diablo Range through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide educational and recreational opportunities consistent with protection of natural resources. To learn more, please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.

What: Save Mount Diablo’s 2023 Discover Diablo annual free public hikes and outings program. Discover Diablo, Save Mount Diablo’s series of free guided hikes; walks; and mountain-biking, rock-climbing, trail-running, and plein air painting outings, shares a taste of Diablo’s wild lands in just a morning, evening, or afternoon.

When: An annual program that offers 36 free public events in the outdoors throughout the year.

Where: Contra Costa, Stanislaus, and San Benito counties—Walnut Creek, Clayton, Concord, Dublin, Livermore, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Danville, San Ramon, Patterson, Hollister.

How: RSVP required on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/discover-diablo-11942856866. To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend, registration for hikes and other events in March onward will open two months prior to each event’s date. Visit Save Mount Diablo’s website to view the Discover Diablo hikes and outings calendar for a schedule of upcoming events: https://savemountdiablo.org/what-we-do/educating-and-inspiring-people/discover-diablo-hikes-outings/

Why: In support of Save Mount Diablo’s mission, the Discover Diablo free public hikes and outings program seeks to build awareness of local land conservation efforts and convey the importance of protecting open space for habitat and recreation. We intend to reach audiences from all over the Bay Area.

Image Credit and Caption:

• Photo at top: Discover Diablo hikers exploring in Del Puerto Canyon. Credit: Sean Burke.
• Second photo: Discover Diablo hikers checking out the view from Bob Walker Ridge in Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Credit: Jennifer Willen

Additional high-resolution photos are available upon request. Contact lkindsvater@savemountdiablo.org

Questions about hike program details and RSVP information:

Denise Castro, Education and Outreach Associate, Save Mount Diablo

C: 925-286-9327, dcastro@savemountdiablo.org

MEDIA CONTACT:

Laura Kindsvater, Communications Manager

C: 925-451-8376, lkindsvater@savemountdiablo.org

###

The post Save Mount Diablo Expands Its Free Discover Diablo Hikes and Outings Program for 2023 appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

We recently planted our 2,000th plant for our 10,000 Trees and Plants project! On December 22, we planted purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) at Marsh Creek 4, officially bringing the total to 2,000 plants. 

Purple needlegrass is California’s state grass. It is drought and heat tolerant, can grow in poor soil with deep roots, and burns slowly. It also helps suppress invasive plant species and also supports native oaks.

Our 10,000 Trees and Plants Project 

As part of our Climate Action Plan, Save Mount Diablo committed to planting and protecting 10,000 trees and plants in 10 years. We started our 10,000 Trees and Plants project in summer 2021.

We’ve been able to make such good progress thanks to the hard work of our committed volunteer DiRT team.  Thank you to everyone who has been working hard to plant, protect, and care for these plants! 

Since planting these trees and plants, our stewardship volunteers have been watering them regularly, removing invasive weeds around them, and installing tree cages around native tree seedlings.

The cages protect the native plant seedlings from being eaten by small mammals.

We’re working to ensure that these plants grow and provide habitat to native animals for generations to come. 

Purple needlegrass, our 2,000th plant. Photo by Haley Sutton.

Habitat for Native Species 

This year, we’ve especially been making an effort to plant California milkweed plants throughout our properties. In 2022, the migratory monarch butterfly was officially declared endangered, a strong testament to how much the population has declined in recent years. 

Throughout the next few months, Save Mount Diablo will be planting hundreds of milkweed plants throughout various properties in the Diablo foothills. These plants were grown at the Watershed Nursery after we collected the seeds last summer. 

California milkweed is one of many plants that we’re planting on these lands. A variety of native plants is important for sustaining a variety of native animals. Our goal is to ensure that these areas remain as thriving ecosystems in perpetuity. 

Monarch caterpillar on California milkweed. Photo by Sean Burke

Strengthening Community through Restoration

Two thousand is no small number, and the only way we’ve been able to accomplish this much is with the support of our community.

Between our Diablo Restoration Team; our watering crews; and school, camp, and corporate groups, we had around 200 volunteers join us across 30 workdays in 2022.

Volunteers planting trees. Photo by Haley Sutton

What Else Have We Been Planting? 

Recently, our team has been planting at Mangini Ranch, Marsh Creek 4, and Curry Canyon Ranch.

In the fall, our DiRT volunteers particularly focused on Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve—they’ve been planting a huge variety of native plants near the trailheads.

Visitors will immediately be able to see these assorted species as they start their journeys through the preserve. 

Among the most planted species at our recent workdays are California aster, yarrow, and purple needlegrass. But visitors who look closely can also find plants like white sage and soap plant. 

DiRT volunteer native restoration project at Marsh Creek 7. Photo by Haley Sutton

Addressing the Climate Crisis 

Planting native trees and plants can be a powerful technique to help address the climate crisis.

Native grasses have roots that go deep into the ground, sequestering much more carbon that one would think looking at them from above.

Even if the grasses are burned away by fire, their root systems remain, keeping the carbon underground sequestered and preventing potentially catastrophic erosion. 

Help us plant and protect more trees and plants by volunteering at our DiRT days in 2023 and beyond! 

Top photo by Haley Sutton

The post We’ve Just Planted Our 2,000th Plant! appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

“He hit the ground running, and I think he’s still sprinting,” chuckled previous President and current Board member Scott Hein.

As the Bancroft Library conducted interviews for oral histories to celebrate Save Mount Diablo’s 50th anniversary, almost every participant attributed much of Save Mount Diablo’s recent success to one person, Ted Clement.

Ted has a vast background in conservation and nature education, all of which he ties into his current leadership.

Clement family in Thailand in 2019

Back to Nature: Growing up in Vermont

For his entire life, Ted has had a deep passion for nature. He grew up in Vermont; some of his earliest memories include camping in the Green Mountains and visiting farms to watch baby calves being born.

He entered the University of Vermont in the late 1980s to pursue environmental studies. At the time it had one of the biggest environmental studies programs anywhere.

Always one to get outside, Ted and some friends formed the “Breakfast Club” in college. Early in the morning, they would hike up to the top of nearby mountains to see the sunrise and eat their breakfast. Afterwards they would need to run down so they could make their 9 AM classes.

Ted Clement on the summit of Mount Whitney in 2022

Outdoor Education and Thailand

After college, Ted began teaching for Outward Bound where he saw firsthand the transformative power of getting students into nature. After doing that a few years, he then applied for the Peace Corps. He was accepted and sent to a national park in Thailand, Ramkhamhaeng National Park, where he was met with an unfamiliar approach to land conservation.

Ted Clement with his family

“The rangers patrolled with weapons, and a lot of old M16 rifles left over from the Vietnam War, and it was a very different approach to national resource protection. It was sort of, yeah, a shock and awe, strong arm of the law approach to protecting natural resources. And it was so alien to me, and I knew it was not right.”

The heavy law enforcement warded off the nearby community. The park felt like a place where they were supposed to be but didn’t want to, although the community valued the land. Ted sought to make the park feel like a friendlier place for youth.

The plan was to develop a program similar to Outward Bound, taking young people and schools out to the park. “I remember when I brought it up with some of the other park rangers,” he recalled. “It was a pretty macho group—they laughed at it. They thought it was something frilly, something childish. They needed to be out on patrol, busting poachers and all of this kind of stuff.”

However, once these young single park rangers learned that the schoolteachers were mostly young single women, they got on board with Ted’s plan, taking schools out into the park.

In contrast to the enforcement approach to conservation that Ted initially encountered in Thailand, he later learned profound conservation lessons from Thai Buddhist monks and earth-centered hilltribe people who he closely interacted with.

A Career in Land Conservation

After the Peace Corps, Ted returned to the United States with his new wife Boonsuay, and decided to further his conservation career by going to law school. It was a busy time.

While attending classes, he held two jobs, working at the Vermont Land Trust and a mountain shop store. His first child was also born during his first year in law school.

After graduating from law school, Ted began working at the Aquidneck Land Trust in 2000, starting as its Land Protection Director. By 2005 he became the Executive Director, holding that position until the end of 2012 when he was recruited for another job.

From 2013 to 2015, he worked as the Executive Director with the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust. He also taught a course at the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii about land conservation. He learned more deep conservation lessons from a number of his Hawaiian colleagues.

Near the end of 2015, Ted was recruited to become the Executive Director at Save Mount Diablo.

Lessons in Conservation: Addressing the Climate Crisis through Education

Ted Clement with some members of Save Mount Diablo’s band, Blue-Eyed Grass

“The climate crisis, from my perspective, is a materialization of our very poor relationship with nature,” Ted says.

“It’s that poor relationship materializing in devastating ways right in front of us. And if we don’t get to this underlying disconnect between people and nature, we will continue to be unable to solve the climate crisis.”

Addressing the climate crisis has been one of Ted’s main priorities since joining Save Mount Diablo. He was a major force behind our creation of our Climate Action Plan.

The plan outlines many ways that Save Mount Diablo can reduce its carbon emissions. It also describes ways in which we can sequester carbon from the atmosphere, such as protecting land and planting trees.

However, compared to other organizations, Save Mount Diablo’s Climate Action Plan touches on many elements that others may see as unusual.

Ted Clement on the summit of Mount Rainier in 2021

“So the education chapter in our Climate Action Plan,” Ted describes, “lays out a connect, educate, serve, and diversify philosophy for doing this: Provide experiences that help people meaningfully and directly connect with nature.”

He details some of the many ways that Save Mount Diablo is helping get people outdoors:

• opening Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve for free to the public;
• making Discover Diablo outings more diverse to include climbing, mountain biking, trail running, and bilingual hikes;
• working to create plans for more future trails and protected trail corridors;
• creating Conservation Collaboration Agreements for local schools and organizations;
• and teaching land conservation classes at CSU East Bay.

“Once people fall in love with something, that direct relationship, you then want to educate them about how to take care of that thing that they now love, and they’re going to be more open to learning about it once they have that loving relationship.”

Teamwork and Gratitude in Conservation

“One of the big reasons why I think teamwork is especially important in land
conservation,” Ted says “[is that] we make a promise to protect lands in perpetuity, and perpetuity is a long time. So you know, one individual’s not going to cut it. I might drive home tonight, I could have a tragic accident, and it’s done.

“You know, so you have to build up a team, and a strong team that’s been given the opportunity to grow and step up, to help carry that torch forward. So I think in land conservation, because we’re accepting things like permanent conservation easements and making that promise to our communities, our supporters that we’re going to protect these lands in perpetuity, well then if you’re serious about that, you have to be serious about developing a team.”

In Ted’s leadership and teamwork, he is known for his contagious gratitude and devotion to his team. When COVID began, and people were getting laid off across the country, Ted made it clear that his immediate goal was to keep all staff positions.

Ted Clement with Seth Adams on top of San Benito Mountain. Photo by Al Johnson

When Ted first joined, Seth remarked that Ted’s “initial focus was immediate—was really clearly about family and about team, and he really functions on that level. His watch words are compassion and gratitude, and he took an organization that had been dealing with growing pains and all kinds of difficult issues and made it a place where you want to come to work every day. It was the light that the end of the tunnel, it was a game changer, and it was where Save Mount Diablo matured to the next level of professionalism.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t do what I do without my wife and kids,” Ted says. “I couldn’t do what I do without the great team at Save Mount Diablo. So yeah, I’m very fortunate and I’m very grateful.”

To read more about Ted’s life and work, view his full oral history.

Top photo: Ted Clement at Summit Ranch. Photo by Al Johnson

The post Ted Clement: Through Nature’s Portal on a Deep and Diverse Conservation Journey appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

There are many new challenges that the organization faces. As climate change becomes increasingly acknowledged as the world’s greatest threat, what can Save Mount Diablo do to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis in the Diablo Range?

From protecting land and biodiversity in the entire Diablo Range to mitigating the impacts of climate change to expanding partnerships, Save Mount Diablo still has a lot of good work ahead.

This episode asks: what challenges does Save Mount Diablo face today? What can Save Mount Diablo do about climate change? What does the future of Save Mount Diablo look like?

Even more amazing, in the face of so many momentous challenges like the climate crisis, why does the Save Mount Diablo team remain endlessly optimistic?

Tune into the final third episode of the Berkeley Remix, “Save Mount Diablo’s Future,” to find out.

Listen to it on soundcloud here.

Read the transcript here.

Top photo by Stephen Joseph

The post 50 Years of Save Mount Diablo Podcast: Save Mount Diablo’s Future appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

But why is Save Mount Diablo still around? What may seem bizarre is that we are doing more now than ever.

Tune in to episode two of the Berkeley Remix, in the three-part series, “50 Years of Save Mount Diablo” as it explores Save Mount Diablo’s present.

From supporting ballot measures and fundraising efforts to cultivating relationships with nature enthusiasts and artists to collaborating with outside partners, Save Mount Diablo continues to “punch above its weight.”

This episode asks: now that Save Mount Diablo has conserved land, how does it take care of it? How does Save Mount Diablo continue to build a community?

How are artists activists, and how do they help support Save Mount Diablo? How does Save Mount Diablo sustain partnerships to conserve more land?

Listen to the podcast here.

Read the transcript here.

Top photo by Scott Hein

The post 50 Years of Save Mount Diablo Podcast: Save Mount Diablo’s Present appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

The podcasts look at land conservation through the lens of our organization, and how we have managed to successfully protect open space since December 1971.

Episode one explores Save Mount Diablo’s past. From its origins in the environmental movement to its successful political activism to its incorporation as a nonprofit, Save Mount Diablo built a solid foundation for 50 years of land conservation.

This first episode probes some of the major questions of our organization’s history, asking: Why save Mount Diablo? What did it take to save Mount Diablo? What sustained Save Mount Diablo?

People from throughout Save Mount Diablo’s history explore those questions, including Egon Pedersen—who was Vice President from 1972 to 1974 and President from 1974 to 1977—Malcolm Sproul, who has served as Board President multiple times; and Ted Clement, our current Executive Director.

Read the transcript here.

Top photo by Scott Hein

The post 50 Years of Save Mount Diablo Podcast: Save Mount Diablo’s Past appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

Imagine having the freedom to wake up, get on a horse, and be able to set off into the mountains, riding through streams and rivers, and escape from the city. For current Board member Burt Bassler, this was a dream for much of his life.

Burt grew up in the inner city of Chicago during the 1930s and 1940s, following the wake of the Great Depression.

His mother never went to high school, and his father, a painter and wallpaper hanger, had to drop out after the first semester.

Both needed to work to support their families. Still, they managed to travel occasionally.

One of Burt’s more notable childhood memories was spending a week in Montana at a working horse ranch, where he spent every day out riding.

By 1953, Burt had applied to the University of Illinois, and was the first of his extended family to go to college.

He studied business administration, and then started a career in human resourcing, working with companies like Exxon Research and Engineering, and Eastern Airlines.

From One Traffic Light to a Population Boom

In 1977, Burt had a house built and moved to Danville. “I don’t want to call it a cow town,” Burt said, “but, I mean, it was still a lot of ranches here or nearby.” This was before major development, and the town looked drastically different.

“[There was] a lot of open space. I think there was one—I’m making it sound more rural than it really was, but I think there was only one traffic light when I was here when we started.”

He even remembers seeing one bumper sticker saying, “Where the Hell is Danville?”

In Danville, amid the oak woodlands and grasslands, he leased a horse from Bob Marx at Summit Ranch. He was able to fulfill his dream, and take his horse out riding through the mountain. However, things quickly began to change.

“I can remember one morning I was getting ready to go to work,” he recalls,” and I heard this sort of loud rumbling outside. And I went out in the backyard, and, you know, not right next door, but maybe a block away, there was a big bulldozer and it was clear that they were going to start building homes there.”

Burt witnessed major suburban growth in the East Bay. The 1980s saw a major population boom everywhere.

The quiet solitude and the plentiful open space surrounding Danville he cherished was quickly coming to an end.

Bob Marx was one of the Board members at Save Mount Diablo, and through this connection, Burt joined Save Mount Diablo’s Development Committee in 1998.

Burt Bassler with Gloria Lotten and Claudia Hein. Photo by Scott Hein

Negotiating the Stock Market Crash

Burt has filled many roles at Save Mount Diablo throughout his more than 20 years of service. He’s been the steward of one of our properties, and served on the Development, Stewardship, Finance, Executive, and Governance Committees.

For many years, he’s been the organization’s Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair. Throughout the years, his proudest accomplishment has been raising funds during the 2008 stock market crash.

In 2006, Burt designed and implemented an investing program. At the time, Save Mount Diablo wasn’t investing any money.

At first, Burt’s program was going well; the investments were making a healthy return and the organization decided to put even more money into the program right before 2008.

Once the market crashed, tensions were high. As global financial systems collapsed, nobody knew which way the market would go, if it would further drop or make a comeback.

Although this was bad for the investment program and Save Mount Diablo’s funds, a new opportunity presented itself: land was becoming cheaper to buy.

Properties that the organization had been looking at for years were being put up for sale at affordable prices.

A dilemma faced itself: should the organization pull the money out of the market, accepting the loss of capital, so that they would have immediate funds to buy property? Or should they let it sit in hopes that the market would rebound?

The Board president at the time advocated pulling the funds out for land purchases. Burt felt otherwise. He stuck his neck out, swaying the Board to ride the market out, and won the Board’s approval.

After the recession, they entered a bull market, and started making returns on their investments. The gains from this decision have helped Save Mount Diablo pay operating expenses, retire debt, and buy properties.

Burt Bassler with Ted Clement

The Future of Save Mount Diablo

Burt remains optimistic for Save Mount Diablo’s future, and hopes the organization keeps doing what they’re doing.

He thinks the organization’s current course means it’ll keep getting financially stronger, have a larger donor base, and continue to maintain a strong staff and Board. This way, when challenges come, Save Mount Diablo can combat them.

As problems like climate change become increasingly clear, there is a real necessity for Save Mount Diablo, Burt believes. Land preservation is important to mitigate climate change.

“We’re not going to outlast our usefulness,” he says, “I really think the challenges are going to continue, and I think we’re going to—we will be able to meet them.”

You can read Burt’s full oral history here.

The post Burt Bassler: Working to Ensure the Financial Health of Save Mount Diablo appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

Throughout Seth’s more than 34 years at Save Mount Diablo, he has tried to demonstrate exactly what happens when you devote your whole heart to a cause.

As Save Mount Diablo’s first employee, Seth pushed the organization to improve in multiple dimensions and accomplished many things, such as

• reintroducing the peregrine falcon back to Mount Diablo
• protecting a massive amount of the Concord Naval Weapons Station
• passing funding measures that increased protected land to more than 120,000 acres in the Diablo region, and
• purchasing the 1,080-acre Curry Canyon Ranch.

Seth Adams during his 30th-anniversary celebration.

In fact, during Seth’s time at Save Mount Diablo, the amount of protected space in the East Bay Area tripled, much of it because of our work.

Early Years

Seth was first hired in 1988. By this point, Save Mount Diablo was still a young organization, but had built credibility, gaining the interest of some influential figures like Senator John Nejedly.

When Seth was brought on, there was not a clear idea of what the organization wanted him to do, other than assume the slack for some of the projects we were working on. So the possibilities were wide open.

At first, it was supposed to be a part-time job, working just 15 hours a week, but he immediately ignored that. He charged Save Mount Diablo for 15 hours a week but went wild in terms of the amount of time he was spending.

“When I was hired at Save Mount Diablo, I didn’t try to just focus on getting two things done. I threw 50 things up in the air and wanted to work on all 50. That’s sort of the structure of an entire organization, which is what I helped to create in terms of going from all-volunteer to professional,” he said.

“It turns out that starting things, for me, I think is the most important thing, and scaling up just happened through a lot of work through a lot of people, but if you get things rolling, they take on a life of their own.”

Fundraising and Relationships

Within his first nine months with Save Mount Diablo, Seth increased the organization’s budget. “Fundraising for me is easy,” he says, “I still do a lot of it.”

Seth says fundraising is not about asking people for money, but notes, “you’re giving them an opportunity to be part of something great, part of something cool, part of something successful, and they’re your partners, not your charitable benefactors.”

“We just had someone this morning who gave us $50,000 out of the blue and told us she would do that every year as long as she’s alive. That’s from developing relationships over the years.

Seth Adams during a land tour.

“We have donors who have been giving for 50 years, we have donors who—and we have a very visible, understandable cause that people love, so fundraising is easy.”

Developing these long-lasting relationships with donors is similar to the relationships Seth forms with landowners. With these long-lasting relationships, you often wait for many years until the landowner is ready to put the land on the market.

However, not all conservation comes from outright acquisition. “Last week,” Seth said, “we had a landowner, we had bought a property from her. She’s not really an environmentalist, but she’s in her eighties, and she called us out of the blue and said, ‘I’m thinking of donating my house and property to you, next to the one you bought from me,’ and that’s unusual.”

This kind of project may come from long-lasting relationships formed with land owners.

Conservation through Communication

Communication has routinely been a primary focus of Seth’s conservation work. Often, there are stories pop up that speak for themselves, such as Save Mount Diablo’s work in reintroducing the peregrine falcon.

Peregrine falcon in flight. Photo by Wallace De Young.

“I’m really good at messaging and so if you read it, you’d be caught by it. It’s like, wow, this is ambitious . . . it helps accomplish the goals that we’re trying to do, but it’s the sort of thing that people will like.”

Lately Seth has changed his focus towards publicizing the Diablo Range, which he’s dubbed “California’s next great conservation story.” Most people are still unaware that this 200-mile mountain range exists, even though it’s in their backyards.

“We wanted to put it on the map for people, we mapped it, and then we sponsored a supplement to Bay Nature magazine about it in which we did the great messaging of ‘California’s next great conservation story,’ and it really is. It’s the biggest missing piece of the state’s conservation story, and given its biodiversity, it should be way up the ladder.”

Seth Adams with Joseph Belli on their journey through the Diablo Range.

Lately, Seth has been coming up with various ways to help popularize the Diablo Range, such as our blog series, Diablo Range Revealed, which sheds light on the region’s rich ecology, geography, and landowners.

Save Mount Diablo has started conducting BioBlitzes in the northern Diablo Range, in the footprint of the SCU Lightning Fire Complex, unveiling the region’s biodiversity while also demonstrating how the ecosystem reacts to fire.

“That’s what I’ve done my entire history—expand the geographic area in which Save Mount Diablo is working over and over. Initially, it was small pieces, and now it’s—small expansions, and now, it’s big expansions.”

Learning from Mentors

Seth Adams and Bob Doyle holding the Mountain Saver Award in 2002. Photo by Ron Brown.

Over his 34 years at Save Mount Diablo, Seth attributes a lot of the skills he learned to his friends and mentors. 

“From Bob Doyle,” he said he learned, “intense negotiation skills, political skills. I could write his speeches, I know his voice. From Bob Walker, empathy, sensitivity, humor. I could already read the landscape like a map, but Bob Walker was this amazing collection of photographic talent, understanding the land, sense of place, and connecting with people, he was a rare individual. But it wasn’t just them, I mean those are the most important, but scientific integrity and integrity in general and getting it right from Mary Bowerman, hard work from Art Bonwell, writing skills from one Board member, grace and dealing with all kinds of people, from Sue Watson.”

The audience at Seth’s 30-year work anniversary celebration.

Now, Seth spends much of his time mentoring younger staff members while continuing his advocacy work.

“I don’t have any intentions of retiring,” he says, “and I don’t think anybody expects that I will ever have any intention of retiring. I love what I’m doing . . .  I’m the guy who will be the white-haired guy who takes people on tours.”

“If there’s a life lesson for me, it’s push past boundaries . . . have no fear, surge forward, and don’t let things stop you. There are hurdles, there are challenges, that’s just problem solving.”

To read more about Seth’s life and advice, read the full oral history here.

The post Seth Adams: What Goes Into Land Conservation appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.

Letter from the Executive Director

Dear Supporters, 

The last Save Mount Diablo Board meeting of the April 1, 2021–March 31, 2022 fiscal year was on March 9, 2022. It was also the first time in two years that we held an in-person Board meeting. For the past two years, the Board meetings had been done virtually via Zoom.

Way back in March 2020, we were wrapping up a hugely successful fiscal year in terms of accomplishments with our Strategic Plan goals. We ended the year deep in the black with substantial revenue generated.

The pandemic was also starting to become very visible in our area by March 2020.

The new fiscal year then started on April 1, 2020, and it was clear that we would be facing some major challenges.

Those challenges grew beyond the pandemic in the coming months; they included social unrest, numerous businesses (including nonprofits) going out of business or laying off staff, and other problems.

Despite all the darkness and fear at that time, we had a clear direction, detailed in our Strategic Plan, and a positive, grateful, supporting, and can-do team environment.

When that fiscal year was wrapping up in March 2021, it was clear that our team had not only survived the first year of the pandemic but thrived—and risen above the darkness and challenges—to deliver another successful fiscal year in terms of important Strategic Plan accomplishments and another year completed deep in the black.

Starting the new fiscal year on April 1, 2021—the pandemic was still raging and loads of people and businesses were hurting. Would we have the endurance as a team to succeed again in the new fiscal year amidst so many ongoing challenges?

Despite the continuing anxieties and fears all around us, we again started a new fiscal year with good and clear strategic direction, and a positive, grateful, supportive, and can-do team environment.

We also started the fiscal year with added confidence knowing we had succeeded in the prior fiscal year amidst historic challenges.

Great and positive teams, with clear strategic direction, can do amazing things—and thankfully we have proven we are such a team. You as a Save Mount Diablo supporter are an important part of our team.

It has been such an honor to work with you all—and I will be forever proud of, and grateful for, how our team not only survived the past two fiscal years amidst historic, global challenges, but thrived and successfully advanced our land conservation mission.

So, cheers and thanks to you and the rest of our team Save Mount Diablo! 

With Gratitude,

Edward Sortwell Clement, Jr. Executive Director

A Unique and Intimate Portal into Nature

Save Mount Diablo Opens Its Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve to the Public

On March 30, 2022, Save Mount Diablo opened its Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve to the public, the first of its kind in Contra Costa County.

People gathered at a special ceremony at the preserve during which Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Save Mount Diablo Board President Jim Felton cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening.

Save Mount Diablo’s Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve is now available for reservations free of charge to a variety of local schools and community groups, of all ages and backgrounds, pursuing educational purposes.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• environmental science classes
• nature photography courses
• yoga classes
• plein-air artists gatherings
• addiction recovery groups
• acoustic music in nature ensembles
• meditation classes
• grief counseling support groups
• church groups
• homeowners association groups
• hiking, trail running, and mountain bike clubs

Interested groups can submit a request to reserve the property for a day, up to six months in advance, by utilizing the online form on Save Mount Diablo’s website. The size of a group must be at least three people to no larger than 100 people.

The preserve is day-use only, so no camping. A Save Mount Diablo docent will greet and accompany any group that reserves the property.

Save Mount Diablo’s Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve is 207.8 acres situated between the Crystyl Ranch residential development in Concord and Lime Ridge Open Space in Walnut Creek. It’s near the CSU East Bay Concord Campus.

The preserve includes grassland, stream canyons, blue oak woodland, chaparral, and oak savannas.

It’s home to rare species such as the northernmost stand of desert olive, rare Hospital Canyon larkspur, and threatened Alameda whipsnake. Deer, coyote, burrowing owls, kestrels, and lots of other wildlife live here too.

The preserve’s high ridgeline provides views of most of central Contra Costa County and to Marin, Sonoma, and Solano counties.

As you move away from the staging area of the preserve and into the open space along Galindo Creek and up the ridgeline, the sounds of cars and radios fade. They become birdsong and gentle breezes rustling through trees.

Here you will find you are transported into another space where senses are heightened and connecting to nature is inevitable.

Our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve is waiting to provide you and your group an intimate and educational experience in nature. Make your reservation at Mangini Ranch today!

PRESERVE

Land Acquisition

In the April 1, 2021–March 31, 2022 fiscal year, Save Mount Diablo advanced various land acquisition projects it had worked on for many years, including the following two examples. 

Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association 

In December 2019, Save Mount Diablo and the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association signed a two-year option agreement, giving Save Mount Diablo time to raise over $1.04 million to permanently protect almost 154 acres of open space on Mount Diablo’s North Peak with a conservation easement.

Save Mount Diablo raised the necessary funds. Then on January 11, 2022, the parties closed escrow, with Save Mount Diablo successfully purchasing the conservation easement and thereby forever protecting this highly strategic land.

The mile-wide property is part of the “Missing Mile,” a square mile of privately owned open space land on Mount Diablo’s North Peak.

The property is adjacent to Save Mount Diablo’s Young Canyon property and our North Peak Ranch project and is also surrounded by Mount Diablo State Park on three sides.

This strategic Mount Diablo open space land had been vulnerable.

More than 15 houses and other buildings had been constructed near the approximate 154 acres of open space.

A conservation easement is a perpetual legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified organization, like a nonprofit land trust or government agency.

It restricts future activities and development on the land to protect its conservation values for the benefit of the public.

The newly protected land will continue to be owned by the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association, and Save Mount Diablo will monitor its conservation easement annually.

Black Point Addition to Mount Diablo State Park

After six years of collaboration and discussion with Save Mount Diablo, CEMEX USA announced in February 2022 that it is intending to donate 101 acres  of undeveloped land to the State of California to become part of Mount Diablo State Park.

This is highly strategic land in the Black Point area that Save Mount Diablo had wanted to see acquired for conservation and added to Mount Diablo State Park.

The tract of land that is to be donated is located close to CEMEX’s Clayton Quarry in Clayton, California, and borders Mount Diablo State Park. It features beautiful chaparral and oak trees within the canyon slopes of Mount Zion and lies adjacent to Mitchell Canyon.

Many wildlife species live there, including deer, birds, and protected species such as the Alameda whipsnake. A portion of the Black Point Trail, which has been popular with hiking enthusiasts at the park for decades, also runs through the property.

The land affords high conservation values for the benefit of our communities and can be easily seen rising above the City of Clayton.

CEMEX USA will continue to work with California State Parks to complete the donation process as soon as possible. We applaud CEMEX USA for making this conservation acquisition possible via a generous donation.

In addition to these projects, we remain busy on the acquisition front, where we are focusing on more than two dozen future strategic acquisition priority properties.

DEFEND

Land Use Planning & Advocacy

After two years of a global pandemic, we have not only continued our advocacy work to defend Mount Diablo—we have also expanded our area of action south to protect its connection to the larger Diablo Range and incorporated actions to confront the climate catastrophe into our land use planning efforts.

By working with partners and a number of coalitions, monitoring several dozen agency calendars, and responding to more than a dozen specific project and policy proposals, we are defending the wildlife, views, ecosystem services, and spiritual and mental refuge that Mount Diablo and its creeks, foothills, and neighboring landscapes provide us.

Expanding South: Del Puerto Canyon and Henry W. Coe State Park 

As part of our well-thought-out expansion of advocacy efforts south into other Diablo Range counties, we have reviewed, commented on, and supported legal action against the Del Puerto Reservoir, which would drown much of beautiful Del Puerto Canyon in Stanislaus County.

Similarly, we have also engaged decision makers and responsible agencies on the proposed Panoche Reservoir expansion project in Santa Clara County, which so far does not include sufficient mitigation to offset biological impacts and would negatively affect part of Henry W. Coe State Park.

As a public protected area, this land should already be protected from such projects.

Tesla Park

State Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan at Tesla Park victory party.

After many years of tireless advocacy, in the fall of 2021 Save Mount Diablo, our partners in the Friends of Tesla Park coalition, and other allies celebrated the permanent protection of Tesla Park through Governor Newsom’s signing of AB/SB 155.

This law forever removes the threat of off-road vehicles, which would have destroyed Tesla’s wildlife habitat, ecosystems, and cultural resources.

Tesla is also of critical importance because it is part of a wildlife corridor that links Mount Diablo to the rest of its sustaining Mount Diablo Range.

Though we must remain engaged to ensure that Tesla receives the high level of protection and management that it deserves, passage of AB/SB 155 was a huge victory worth much celebration.

This great achievement would not have been possible without State Senator Steven Glazer, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, and State Senator Bob Wieckowski, who have been great partners in their advocacy for Tesla Park.

Pittsburg

We have achieved not just one, but two victories in Pittsburg this past year!

In 2021, the Pittsburg City Council made the terrible decision to approve the Faria project, a bad proposal by Seeno development companies to build 1,650 houses on top of the beautiful scenic ridgeline between Concord and Pittsburg, and next to the new Concord regional park.

In February 2022, we filed a legal challenge in court.

The judge agreed with us that environmental review was inadequate, and ordered that the city must rescind its approvals and redo its analyses.

Then, Seeno asked the same judge to reverse the decision the court had just made, and the judge refused. Two victories! We remain engaged and will defend against any appeal, and demand the project be canceled or changed to protect the ridgeline.

Diablo Range: A Bigger Vision

This year has been one of Save Mount Diablo’s most significant in its 50-year history. We’ve dramatically expanded our geographic area down the Diablo Range. We’re on course to become an organization of statewide significance.

From the executive summary of our 2022–2023 Strategic Plan:

“It is increasingly important that we make sure Mount Diablo remains connected to the rest of its 200-mile Diablo Range stretching south across 12 counties, between Highway 101 and Highway 5. The Diablo Range includes more than 5,400 square miles, of which only 24 percent is protected, the remainder threatened by increasing urbanization, fossil fuel and alternative energy development, wildfires, and climate change. For that reason, we have begun an expansion of our activities. While primarily focused on protecting the remaining important threatened open space properties north of Interstate 580, we’ve expanded our land acquisition activities south to Corral Hollow, will consider accepting land or easements as far south as the Alameda-Santa Clara County line, and will conduct related preservation and advocacy activities in the seven northern Diablo Range counties—Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Merced, and San Benito. We will continue to popularize the entire 200-mile, 12-county Diablo Range, ‘California’s Next Big Conservation Story.’”

As part of the expansion, we considered capacity—we’ll continue to focus acquisition and stewardship efforts near Mount Diablo—and did a gap analysis of areas not getting much attention. We’ll focus on partnerships and collaborations.

We’re budgeting funds for advocacy in each of the new counties. As more than one member of our Board noted about defending more of the Diablo Range, “If we don’t do it, no one will.”

In 1930, Mary Bowerman was assigned Mount Diablo as a botanical research project, her work centered on the main peaks. When she co-founded Save Mount Diablo in 1971, its first priorities came directly from her research—protect the main peaks and canyons.

The hope was that Mount Diablo State Park would grow to 20,000 to 25,000 acres, the area covered by Mary’s original research, and the effort would end. Instead, it happened much more slowly, but we were more successful than anyone could have imagined.

From 6,788 acres in 1971, Mount Diablo State Park has grown to 19,431 acres and is part of a system of more than 50 different parks and preserves north of Highway 580 totaling over 120,000 acres.

In the East Bay as a whole, protected lands have tripled to more than 30 percent of Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

But if Mount Diablo is cut off from the rest of the Diablo Range, it will lose many of its resources. We have long dreamed about connecting south to Del Valle Regional Park and Henry W. Coe State Park.

By 2012, we expanded our geographic area to include both sides of Altamont Pass. We also began working further south to help protect Tesla Park in Corral Hollow, part of that narrowest choke point of the northern Diablo Range.

Planning for the future

In the time of climate change, big diverse wildlife corridors like the Diablo Range will be increasingly important.

In 2019, we doubled our geographic area south to the Alameda–Santa Clara County line. This did not represent a dramatic increase in our work, we were simply focusing on a larger area.

Our March 2020 Bay Nature magazine supplement was the first publication and map about the entire range. The 396,000-acre SCU fire in August 2020 provided another opportunity to focus public education, which we began that fall with our Diablo Range Revealed project.

The Diablo Range expansion project has been very successful. We helped stop the proposed Carnegie off-road vehicle expansion and helped turn Tesla into a new 3,100-acre state park.

We’re involved in a defense of Del Puerto Canyon from a reservoir project. We’ve heard from many donors and stakeholders about how they’ve been inspired by our vision.

This past year we took the next step, again expanding the geographic area in which we work, from the northern three of 12 Diablo Range counties, to include the northern seven of 12 Diablo Range counties.

Adding Stanislaus, Santa Clara, and Merced gets us to Henry W. Coe State Park and Pacheco Pass, through gaps in other conservation efforts. The seventh county, San Benito, is a special opportunity.

It includes the largest portion of the Diablo Range and its highest peak, San Benito Mountain, as well as Pinnacles National Park. Affecting land use decisions there will be cost-effective and could lead to significant conservation gains.

You can help us “Save the Diablo Range.”

Climate Action Plan

Volunteers protect tree seedlings, mostly young blue oaks, at Curry Canyon Ranch.

Save Mount Diablo has begun to take action to achieve the goals laid out in our Climate Action Plan, which we adopted last year.

Staff, volunteer stewards, and Conservation Collaboration Agreement participants have planted, protected, and nurtured native plants and trees as a part of our goal to plant and protect 10,000 trees in 10 years.

By planting and protecting 1,164 individual plants this past year, we are off to a great start in our efforts to restore habitats, which increases carbon pulled by these plants from the atmosphere.

To keep that carbon in the soil, staff have also started to measure residual dry matter on properties that we graze. Our ecological grazing practices increase soil health, species diversity, and carbon sequestration.

We have also made climate crisis education a main theme at our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve to inspire the public to think globally and act locally.

To reduce our organization’s greenhouse gas emissions, our staff works in the office on Mondays and Tuesdays but is encouraged to work from home the rest of the week.

In addition, reviewing how development projects mitigate their climate impact is now a regular part of our land use work.

RESTORE

Stewardship

With the help of our volunteers, we’ve planted and protected 1,164 trees and plants to kick off our new project: to plant and protect 10,000 native trees and plants over 10 years.

Many of the trees and plants, including native sycamores, oaks, bay laurels, pines, and shrubs, are protected via tubes.

We identify tree saplings that are coming up on their own and provide shelter to give them the best chance at survival. We also source native plants from the Watershed Nursery in Richmond for our restoration sites.

One of the most important parts of our restoration work is watering during the dry months. Our diligent volunteer watering crews have significantly increased the survival rate of our young plants. We are grateful for the help.

Stewardship staff and volunteers have also assisted our partners at the East Bay Regional Park District, California State Parks, and the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy to protect, understand, and maintain some of the most well-loved and utilized public areas on the mountain this year.

For the second year in a row, Save Mount Diablo organized a cleanup at Castle Rock in the Pine Canyon area, a sanctuary loved by rock climbers, hikers, and birdwatchers alike.

This year we partnered again with Mount Diablo State Park, EBRPD, the Bay Area Climbers Coalition, Save Mount Diablo’s Trail Dogs, and the Mount Diablo Interpretative Association to remove graffiti from the rocks.

Volunteers also removed trash from the surrounding towers, especially shards of glass, which have a hugely negative impact on wildlife.

Together we hauled 50 gallons of water and battery-powered pressure washers and applied a biodegradable product called Elephant Snot to remove graffiti on the stronger rock.

Additionally, we hauled five gallons of paint to encapsulate the graffiti found on more friable rock. It was an amazing effort connecting many diverse partners and user groups to care for a place that we all love.

Save Mount Diablo is also working with Nomad Ecology and Phytosphere Research to study what is causing the dramatic dieback of manzanitas and knobcone pines in the Knobcone Point to Wall Point areas of Mount Diablo State Park.

We’ve secured a research grant from the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy. Work includes drone mapping and soil sampling along a 10-mile strip of diverse geology to learn more about causes and guide management of the affected areas.

Thanks to Our Amazing Volunteers

6 cubic yards of waste and recycling removed

471 plantings

693 native trees and plants protected

276 stewardship volunteers

3,425 volunteer stewardship hours

5,000 stewardship staff hours focused on restoration projects

We would not have been able to accomplish so much without the help of our wonderful volunteers.

A total of 361 volunteers this past year donated 4,565.85 volunteer hours across all our programs.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave their time and skills. We look forward to providing more volunteer opportunities in the near future!

ENJOY

Recreation

In 2021, Save Mount Diablo scheduled 36 hikes and other outdoor events as part of our Discover Diablo program, a free, public, guided outings series.

This series focuses on providing opportunities for the public to explore different areas across the northern Diablo Range in a group setting.

COVID-19 county and state restrictions were constantly evolving throughout the year, and summer fires forced us to postpone some hikes, but we were able to safely lead 34 out of the 36 events.

A total of 392 participants attended the 34 events.

This was the first year that we added rock climbing and mountain biking to the Discover Diablo schedule.

The rock-climbing events took place at the Boy Scout Rocks in Mount Diablo State Park. Save Mount Diablo provided all the necessary equipment for the event, except rock-climbing shoes.

Participants of all ages had a wonderful time exploring and getting acquainted with the mountain in an entirely new way.

Our new mountain-biking events took place in two separate locations. The first began at Save Mount Diablo’s Mangini Ranch and continued into Lime Ridge Open Space. The second took place in two connected Save Mount Diablo conserved sites.

The ride began in Smith Canyon and went up into Curry Canyon Ranch (Lower 200). Ride leaders would stop occasionally to share the natural wonders and unique, rich history of the areas.

We’re excited to continue providing free outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, and we’re always looking to expand our outdoor events to include more user groups.

Our 2022 schedule continues to offer 36 outings, including our first Discover Diablo trail-run event (taking place at Save Mount Diablo’s Curry Canyon Ranch) and our first plein-air painting hike.

We would also like to thank all our wonderful Discover Diablo event leaders for making these experiences possible!

Moonlight on the Mountain

In 2021, we celebrated our 20th Moonlight on the Mountain! We raised more than $300,000.

Hundreds of people participated in our virtual gala fundraiser, coming together to support Save Mount Diablo’s important conservation and education work.

On September 10, 2022, we will be celebrating Save Mount Diablo’s 50th anniversary at Moonlight, where we’ll gather in person again at China Wall in Mount Diablo State Park. We hope to see you there!

LEARN

Education and Outreach

Community Conservation Collaboration Agreements Program

This year, we successfully held three Conservation Collaboration Agreements, with Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, Campolindo High School, and De La Salle High School.

The first CCA was held with Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in April of 2021. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, staff safely held a virtual class presentation. In place of field days, we provided students the option to do the environmental service project and solo at home.

They received directions during the first presentation and from a handout Save Mount Diablo put together with step-by-step instructions. The final component of the modified CCA program involved a debrief session.

This time is an opportunity for students to share what they did for their environmental service project and what they wrote or drew for their solo in nature.

We had our first in-person classroom presentation and field experience since the beginning of the pandemic in October 2021 with Campolindo High School. The field experience was held at Mangini Ranch and attended by 50 students.

The students helped Save Mount Diablo staff build trails, protect young oak seedlings, and flag native milkweed for mapping purposes.

The third CCA was held with De La Salle High School. The field experience was held at Marsh Creek 4 and 6, where students helped staff plant natives and mulch the trail.

We’re very excited to continue partnering with local schools for our CCA program and are looking forward to safely holding more field trips on Save Mount Diablo properties.

Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Program

In 2021, the Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Program held two grant rounds, one in April and the other in December.

The first round awarded four grants for research on the heritability of risk-aversion behaviors in California ground squirrels through genome sequencing, the transmission of social information among California ground squirrels, the habitat suitability of Pine Creek tributaries, and population fluctuations and reproduction of American kestrels.

The second round awarded three grants to research on the species using the Galindo Creek wildlife corridor, the continued research of the habitat suitability of Pine Creek tributaries, and the purchase of GPS transmitters to track California condors as they explore expanding their range.

We held our eighth Annual Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Colloquium December via Zoom; it was attended by more than 160 participants.

New Media

OpenRoad with Doug McConnell

We worked with Doug McConnell and his team at NBC Bay Area to create two new segments on OpenRoad with Doug McConnell.

The first focused on our work to protect seven properties through our $15 million Forever Wild Capital Campaign, especially our Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association project.

The second focused on introducing people to “the big wild in our back yard,” the Diablo Range, and the incredible wildflowers blooming as a result of the land’s recovery from the 2020 wildfires.

Audible Mount Diablo Guides

Save Mount Diablo Land Conservation Director Seth Adams was featured in a new Audible Mount Diablo guide—A Brief History of Mount Diablo State Park, celebrating the park’s 100th anniversary.

We also worked with Joan Hamilton, the producer of Audible Mount Diablo, to create a new video for our Diablo Range Revealed series, Condor Country.

FUNDING CONSERVATION

Forever Wild

In July 2021, Save Mount Diablo completed its $15 million Forever Wild Capital Campaign—the largest and most consequential fundraising effort in the organization’s 50-year history.

Through Forever Wild, the organization raised the necessary funds to protect 1,681 acres of land in nine different properties. The total land conserved amounts to 2.6 square miles, an area bigger than Emeryville or the San Francisco Presidio.

The strategically chosen land is rich in conservation values. For example, threatened wildlife like the California red-legged frog lives on several of the properties.

“Despite various challenges, like a long national crisis and pandemic period, we stayed strong and focused on our Forever Wild Campaign, and we cannot thank our great campaign donors enough for helping us successfully conclude this effort that will pay lasting green dividends to our communities and local flora and fauna,” remarked Save Mount Diablo Executive Director Ted Clement.

Save Mount Diablo launched Forever Wild in 2013 with a campaign target of $15 million. By the end of 2015, Save Mount Diablo had acquired the extraordinary 1,080-acre Curry Canyon Ranch—one of the most important and spectacular private properties remaining in Contra Costa County.

Since Curry Canyon Ranch, Save Mount Diablo has acquired Smith Canyon (28 acres), Highland Springs (105 acres), Big Bend (51 acres), Hanson Hills (76 acres), and Anderson Ranch (95 acres); it has also raised the funds to soon acquire North Peak Ranch (87 acres).

Additionally, with Forever Wild Save Mount Diablo protected the Rideau property (5 acres) with a conservation easement and now has also permanently protected the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association property (nearly 154 acres) with a conservation easement.

Although most of Forever Wild’s raised funds were for land acquisition, the campaign also raised substantial funds to develop a robust Stewardship Endowment Fund and Legal Defense Fund.

The Stewardship Endowment Fund will generate interest that can annually support native habitat restoration, fire abatement activities, invasive species removal, and other stewardship activities that keep land healthy and safe.

The Legal Defense Fund ensures Save Mount Diablo has the financial resources, when necessary, to legally defend its conservation easements and lands acquired. Together, these funds will help sustain Save Mount Diablo’s land conservation work for years to come.

Through Forever Wild, we also developed our fundraising capabilities to better support our time-sensitive land conservation mission into the future.

GIVING

Small Steps to Big Leaps

Gordon Monroe (in blue) on a Land Tour

Gordon Monroe has been supporting Save Mount Diablo for nearly 35 years, generously helping protect Mount Diablo’s wild lands.

He and his late wife, Donna, were a reliable presence at sponsored hikes, dinner events, land tours, and Moonlight on the Mountain. Gordon continues to enjoy the Executive Director speaker series.

But Gordon’s relationship with Mount Diablo began much earlier, even before Save Mount Diablo was founded 50 years ago. Both he and Donna spent their childhood years in what was then the lightly developed landscape of eastern Contra Costa County.

“As a Boy Scout, and then later as the Assistant Scoutmaster for my son, I remember many campouts up there on the mountain,” Gordon shared.

Donna Monroe (in middle)

He and Donna graduated from Mount Diablo High School in 1951. They purchased their Concord family home in 1960 and settled into a freshly established neighborhood with a “backyard that looks out over the Concord Naval Weapons Station.”

When plans to redevelop the Concord Naval Weapons Station began, Gordon appreciated finding a like-minded partner in Save Mount Diablo. Success of the redevelopment was important to Gordon not only because his home neighbors the project, but also because Donna was born and raised in Port Chicago.

Gordon respected Save Mount Diablo’s advocacy approach—suggestions for redevelopment that were ambitious, pragmatic, and a careful balance of the need to preserve open space alongside a growing community.

Thanks to the support of Gordon and others like him, Save Mount Diablo continues that advocacy work today, promoting land conservation and sound development strategies in Concord and across the northern and central Diablo Range.

Since 1988, Gordon has generously supported Save Mount Diablo through annual gifts, contributions to the Heritage Tree and Forever Wild campaigns, as well as a memorial gift in honor of Donna.

He is inspired by the extraordinary commitment of Save Mount Diablo’s Board of Directors, and he praises the skillful leadership of Executive Director Ted Clement. Gordon marvels at Save Mount Diablo’s growing number of successful and significant projects: “They just do things right!”

In acknowledging and giving thanks for decades-long partnerships with supporters like Gordon, we are reminded that the timeline for land conservation is long and progress is incremental.

The success of Save Mount Diablo’s programs depends on resolute partners, like Gordon and Donna Monroe, who have nurtured every small step and enabled tremendous expansion over time. Thank you!

For more information about how to support Save Mount Diablo in your philanthropy plans, please contact Samantha Kading at 925-947-3535 or skading@savemountdiablo.org.

Financials

These pie charts include financial information for Save Mount Diablo’s annual operating results (revenue and expenses), as well as land transaction capital items.

For FYE 22 (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022), Save Mount Diablo successfully raised more operating revenue than operating funds expended, thereby achieving a large surplus with its general operating budget.

However, in the pie charts above the expenditures are larger than the revenues received, because on the expense side we spent over $1 million on land acquisition from non-operating Forever Wild funds we raised in the last few years.

Save Mount Diablo’s total revenue for FYE 22 was just over $3.38 million. This pie chart shows the importance of individual contributions: 80 percent of our funding comes from donors like you. Thank you!

Expenditures for FYE 22 totaled approximately $4.08 million (including operating and non-operating expenses like land acquisition).

Program expenses other than land acquisition include stewardship projects on 21 properties and conservation easements we own, education and outreach programs, and advocacy to counter land conservation threats.

Numbers are based on unaudited FYE 22 financials. Please visit our financials page to see our most recent 990 tax returns.

Land Acknowledgment

In early 2022, Save Mount Diablo’s Board of Directors approved a Save Mount Diablo land acknowledgment honoring the native peoples of the area in which we work:

“Save Mount Diablo recognizes that we are on the unceded ancestral lands of the Bay Miwok, Muwekma Ohlone, Northern Valley Yokuts, and other tribes and tribelets—peoples who have loved and cared for Mount Diablo as a sacred mountain since time immemorial. Many of these peoples continue today as thriving members of the diverse communities of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the larger Diablo Range region. We acknowledge and honor the Bay Miwok, Ohlone, and Northern Valley Yokut tribes, as well as all of the indigenous people of the lands which Save Mount Diablo serves.”

THANK YOU!

To Our Save Mount Diablo Supporters:

Donors, Partners, Volunteers, and Advocates

Save Mount Diablo extends its gratitude to all donors. Your generous support makes it possible to balance open space with the demands of increasing population and development pressure in our area. Together, we can preserve, defend, restore, and enjoy Mount Diablo and its foothills, and connect Mount Diablo to its sustaining Diablo Range.

• Diablo Legacy Circle—Making a long-term gift is an act of generosity beyond measure. We give special thanks to our Diablo Legacy Circle members, those who have included Save Mount Diablo in their estate planning. Their generosity ensures Mount Diablo, its foothills, and its wildlife will be preserved for generations to come.
• Monthly Donor Circle—This special circle of donors helps provide steady, reliable support by donating monthly. Their generosity ensures Save Mount Diablo can continue to preserve, defend, and restore Diablo’s wild lands.
• Company Matching—Many generous employers will match their employees’ donations, thereby doubling the impact of the employees’ gifts. These companies matched donations to Save Mount Diablo, allowing their employees to help preserve, defend, and restore more land for all of us to enjoy. Ask if your company matches too!
• Young Friends—Our young friends (students and people under the age of 21) are stepping up to become a part of the next generation of future conservationists and activists who will help preserve Diablo’s natural lands for years to come.

We also thank the many foundations, sponsors, and partners who help make all that we do possible. We couldn’t do it without you!

Special thanks to the following contributing photographers and artists whose work is featured in this digital publication: Scott Hein, Stephen Joseph, Nate Campi, Laura Kindsvater, Floyd McCluhan, Ted Clement, Cooper Ogden, Joan and Bruce Hamilton, Roxana Lucero, Denise Castro, Sean Burke, Parker Kaye, Al Johnson, and Dan Fitzgerald.

The post Save Mount Diablo’s Annual Report: 2021-2022 appeared first on Save Mount Diablo.