Stewardship Update
Written by Haley Sutton, Land Stewardship Associate and Kendra Smith, Education & Outreach Coordinator
A Day Outside with Rossmoor Hiking Clubs
Rossmoor volunteers protecting trees at Curry Canyon Ranch. Photo by Roxana Keshmiry
On April 29, residents of Rossmoor joined Save Mount Diablo staff for a day of stewardship and hiking at Curry Canyon Ranch.
Two clubs, the Scramblers and Trekkers and the Amblers and Ramblers, took turns supporting our 10,000 Trees and Plants initiative by protecting blue oak seedlings on the hillsides behind the Curry Canyon Ranch house using blue grow tubes designed to create a beneficial microclimate.
Rossmoor volunteer gathering tools for protecting trees. Photo by Roxana Keshmiry
Through their efforts, an additional 160 seedlings were protected!
Each club group also got to enjoy a hike, led by Executive Director Ted Clement and Land Programs Director Sean Burke.
The Scramblers and Trekkers took the more ambitious out and back route up Knobcone Point Road, while the Amblers and Ramblers enjoyed a more mellow pace on the Lower 200 trail.
Everyone had a lovely day, enjoying the beautiful views and getting their hands on the land.
We look forward to hosting these and other Rossmoor groups in the future.
Welcome Christina!
We are excited to welcome Christina McLain to our team as a Land Stewardship Associate!
Christina grew up in Oakland and graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in molecular environmental biology.
She previously worked as an Environmental Scientist for California State Parks based out of Mount Diablo State Park, where she managed the natural resources within the Diablo Range District of California State Parks.
She also became very familiar with the ecosystems, flora, and fauna of the Diablo Range during her time there.
Before that, she worked as a biological field technician at an environmental consulting firm.
She enjoys reading, caring for her animals, crawling around looking for critters, and bird watching.
We can’t wait for you to meet her!
Earth Month at Curry Canyon Ranch
Curry Canyon Ranch received a lot of stewardship love this month!
Patagonia volunteers hauling branches to the chipper. Photo by Haley Sutton
We started the month with a field day with our friends from the Patagonia San Francisco store.
The enthusiastic group contributed to our ongoing thinning and burn pile construction work along Knobcone Point Road.
They chipped piles of brush created by the California Conservation Corps (CCC) during their second 8-day work week “spike” before embarking on a scenic and rainy hike back down to the valley.
April showers prevented the CCC crew from continuing work in the Knobcone area during the first few days of their third spike, so they pivoted to helping with tasks in the valley.
The crew helped with weeding around the ranch house as well as trimming and piling branches from a fallen oak tree nearby.
When the sun popped back out through the clouds and the roads dried up later in the week, the crew continued building piles and chipping back up along Knobcone Point Road.
In mid-April, we held our annual Earth Month Diablo Restoration Team (DiRT) day around the ranch house.
Volunteers helped us with a whole gamut of spring cleaning tasks including weeding the pollinator gardens, putting away materials, cleaning outdoor chairs, and other tidying up around the house.
East Bay Regional Park District ranger loading construction debris into dump trailer. Photo by Sean Burke
We also hosted another DiRT day down the road at Morgan Territory Regional Preserve in partnership with East Bay Regional Park District to clean up an old homestead area so it could be enjoyed as a campsite for our Four Days Diablo event.
Volunteers, staff, and regional park staff with a skid steer helped us load up construction materials like plywood, old barbed wire fencing, and other construction debris for removal off-site.
We wrapped up the month with a Boy Scout completing his Eagle Scout project at Curry Canyon Ranch. Matthew Beardsley led several other scouts in building a short split rail fence he designed to go around the two pollinator gardens near the ranch house.
Scouts in front of completed split rail fence at Curry Canyon Ranch. Photo by Haley Sutton
The hummingbird sage, sticky monkeyflower, and silver lupines were blooming and an Anna’s hummingbird kept swooping in to drink nectar throughout the day.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone that helped care for and beautify Curry Canyon Ranch this month!
Discover Diablo
Castles and Peregrine Falcons, April 7th.
Participants had a great outing at Diablo Foothills Regional Park.
The look on the hikers’ faces when they walked to the spot where the view of the rock formations is paramount was very gratifying. The group was lucky enough to cross paths with a man who spotted a peregrine falcon at its nesting site and kindly shared his binoculars.
Many wildflowers were spotted along the trail, which are always a treat to see.
Shell Ridge flowers and fossils outing. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Flowers and Fossils, April 14th.
There was a large turnout of participants for this outing, including many folks for whom it was their first time hiking at Shell Ridge.
The route took everyone through a gorgeous creek setting and then up to a restoration area where they met Phil Johnson.
He generously spoke about the soils, the creatures, the various plants, and all the effort required to preserve our native plants.
Lastly, the group explored the old quarry covered in fossils and, on the way back to the staging area, were treated to a clear view of Mount Diablo in all its splendor.
Sauntering and soloing hike at Mangini Ranch. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Sauntering and Soloing, April 17th.
Though the group for this outing remained small, that did not diminish the meaningful experience had on this breezy, sunny day at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.
Participants embodied the practice of “sauntering,” taking in the views of the rolling hills and beautiful wildflowers along the trail.
Everyone experienced a deeper connection to nature through their contemplative solo time, journaling about what nature means to them and how they can help take care of nature.
Las Trampas Oaks, April 19th.
Folks looking for a bigger adventure enjoyed the challenge of hiking one of the East Bay’s most spectacular ridges.
East Bay Regional Park District Naturalist Kevin Dixon shared about the oaks and their importance in the ecosystem as well as finding wildflowers and other fun plants along the way.
Green Ranch Rove, April 24th.
Participants enjoyed a peaceful saunter past spring wildflowers and other botanical wonders to the site of historic Green Ranch.
They got to explore the remains of the once celebrated house and surrounding structures and hear tales of the area’s fascinating history.
Green Ranch Rove outing. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Wildflower Hike – Mitchell Canyon, April 25th.
Mariposa lilies and Mount Diablo globe lilies were the stars of this beautiful wildflower hike in Mount Diablo’s Mitchell Canyon.
Although the sporadic rains impacted the variety of wildflowers, the numbers of the few species present were abundant!
Mitchell Canyon wildflower hike. Photo by Jim Lawrence
Mariposa lily in Mitchell Canyon. Photo by Jim Lawrence
Checkerspot butterfly in Mitchell Canyon. Photo by Jim Lawrence
