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Stewardship Update

Written by Haley Sutton, Land Stewardship Associate and Kendra Smith, Education & Outreach Coordinator

Protecting Land with Conservation Easements

Of the properties that Save Mount Diablo protects, some are protected by purchasing conservation easements on privately owned properties. Conservation easements protect natural ecological resources and open space and scenic values on these properties forever.

These properties include values such as blue oak woodlands, creek habitat, and sensitive or endangered species habitat.

Staff do not visit these properties as often as those that Save Mount Diablo owns outright, but instead conducts annual monitoring visits to check that the conservation values of the property remain intact and record any natural or other changes over time.

Save Mount Diablo owns three conservation easements in the area on properties that are 17 acres, five acres, and 154 acres, respectively.

The 36-acre Mount Diablo Gateway property is owned by the Contra Costa Flood Control District and the easement is held by East Bay Regional Park District, but we complete monitoring for this fourth easement on their behalf.

We value our relationships with our conservation partners!

Stewards in the Field

This month, our property stewards enjoyed an abundance of avian summer residents in the area.

A horned lark was observed at Highland Springs, and a blue-grey gnatcatcher and orange-crowned warblers were seen amidst the trees and shrubs at Curry Canyon Ranch.

One steward at another property even spotted an Alameda whipsnake with its telltale lateral yellow racing stripes!

At Oak Hill Lane and Marsh Creek 5, oak trees and manzanitas are being protected, and wild pigs were observed at Mangini Ranch.

Stewards are also reporting the presence of invasive species (like artichoke thistles) to help staff identify where they need to be removed and are checking on native restoration plantings to see how they are faring in the summer heat.

Staff have been preparing for summer watering by visiting restoration sites and trimming the grass around them to get ready for the volunteer water crew in July.

Hanging Outside with CARES

The Mount Diablo Unified School District CARES Expanded Learning Program partnered with Save Mount Diablo to bring students to Save Mount Diablo’s Curry Canyon Ranch for several field days of stewardship and nature exploration.

Students from El Dorado Middle School, Holbrook Language Academy, Oak Grove Middle School, and Garden Academy helped protect blue oak seedlings on the slopes above the Curry Canyon Ranch field station as part of Save Mount Diablo’s 10,000 Trees and Plants initiative.

Using special blue grow tubes designed to create a beneficial microclimate, students found and protected 303 seedlings, even making a game of who could tube the most!

In the afternoons, Save Mount Diablo staff taught students how to use binoculars and led them on hikes up to the house pond in search of wildlife to observe.

They saw California red-legged tadpoles and mature frogs, predacious diving beetles, California dragonflies, and even several aquatic garter snakes on the hunt swimming through the water!

By the end of the day, students headed to the bus happier for the time spent outside. Thank you to the CARES students and staff for all of their help!

Connecting with Our Community

The start of summer has been tabling season for Save Mount Diablo staff and volunteers. In June alone, Save Mount Diablo attended seven events throughout Contra Costa County, sharing our mission with the community we serve.

This was our first year at the Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival, where hundreds of attendees visited our table to ask about our current projects, sign up for our email list, take flyers for Diablo Restoration Team workdays or Moonlight on the Mountain, and head home with some Save Mount Diablo swag.

Staff participated in the 50th anniversary of the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation to celebrate one of our partners in conservation and protection of open spaces.

Staff attended Exploration Station events at Brentwood, Pleasant Hill, and El Sobrante libraries, engaging kids and families with games about the native and invasive species found in the Mount Diablo area.

At Lindsay Wildlife’s Bee Bop event, Save Mount Diablo volunteers talked to guests about wildflowers and pollinators.

And finally, staff returned for the 15th annual Martinez Beaver Fest at Susana Park.

We are grateful to every community member who came to one of these events and visited our table!

Discover Diablo

On Belay – Rock Climbing, June 1st. Participants were guided by Land Programs Director Sean Burke on a day of beginning rock-climbing instruction at Mount Diablo’s classic Boy Scout Rocks.

After an easy hike to the rocks, participants were coached on a number of top rope climbs and given insight into the importance of climbing stewardship in outdoor recreation.

Plein Air Painting Hike, June 7th. Participants went out to Save Mount Diablo’s Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve for a warm summer evening of plein air painting, the act of painting “in the open air.”

Practicing the art of painting the landscape around them, participants captured the beautiful rolling grasslands and oak woodlands of the preserve as it transitions into golden summer.

Rescheduled All That Begin with B and Beyond, June 15th. After being postponed due to rainy weather, participants were able to explore Curry Canyon Ranch in search of birds, butterflies, blooms, and more!

Wildflowers were still abundant in the canyon as participants spotted species such as a northern checkerspot butterfly, monarch butterfly, common wood nymph, and black-headed grosbeak.

Trail Stomp – Run with Save Mount Diablo, June 28th.  Trail runners gathered at Curry Canyon Ranch to enjoy an evening run up Curry Canyon Road into Mount Diablo State Park.

Runners were serenaded by birds on the gentle shaded climb along Curry Creek followed by a breezy jaunt back into the valley.