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Land Conservation Is an Act of Love

“Love forms the foundation of good and lasting stewardship.” —Ted Clement, Save Mount Diablo Executive Director

When Ted Clement speaks about our mission, he often highlights that nature should be at the heart of our values and actions.

Building and nurturing relationships between people and nature provides the love and willpower we need to address our biggest environmental challenges. When we care deeply about people or places, we naturally strive to protect them.

In a world shaped by rapid technological advancement, there is a growing disconnect between people and nature, especially for young people.

That’s why education has become an essential part of our mission, and why we are continuing to invest more time and resources in our educational efforts.

The Rare Beauty of Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve

Some of the most meaningful relationship-building happens during our programs at our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.

Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve is a 208-acre preserve that Save Mount Diablo protected in 2007. It is connected to Mount Diablo State Park, Lime Ridge Open Space, and Crystyl Ranch Open Space, creating a larger network of protected land.

The preserve holds a rich diversity of habitats, including oak grassland, riparian areas, and chaparral.

Galindo Creek and its tributaries flow through the property, supporting a wide range of native plants and animals—from blue oaks, California buckeye, and bay laurel to American kestrels, coyotes, deer, and the threatened California red-legged frog.

A Protected Space

As an educational preserve, Mangini Ranch is a safe and accessible space where people can connect with nature in different ways.

Through programs like Young Diablo Explorers, Diablo Conservation Experience, Discover Diablo public hikes and outings, and our reservation system for group field trips, visitors are invited to spend meaningful time on the land.

With more than four miles of trails and dedicated access during programs, groups can explore the rolling hills at their own pace and fully immerse themselves in the landscape.

There is something incredibly hopeful about bringing students outside and watching their connection to the land unfold.

Inspiring Young Diablo Explorers

In our Young Diablo Explorers program, kids are invited to make observations, ask questions, and relate what they see to their own lives—igniting curiosity and joy.

A simple question, like asking second graders whether a snag covered in acorn-filled holes is alive or dead, and why, quickly sparks a lively discussion about what it means to be living.

“I think it’s living because bugs and animals live in it,” said one second-grade student on a field trip this past March. “I think it’s alive because you can see the roots going into the ground,” her classmate observed.

Moments like this show how curiosity can open the door to deeper understanding. It’s learning to ask questions and wonder about the natural world that helps build a lasting relationship with it.

For older students, our Diablo Conservation Experience offers a different kind of connection. Middle and high school students participate in a contemplative solo experience, sitting quietly in nature for 30 to 40 minutes.

This is a chance to slow down, quiet their minds, and set aside the stress or distractions they carry with them. With journals in hand, they reflect on questions like, “What is nature?” and “What is my part in nature?”

As they settle into that space, their thoughts often take shape as stories, poems, and thoughtful observations about their place in the natural world.

On March 21, Campolindo High School students began the day with a nature interpretive hike. It was a lovely spring day at the preserve, the hills starting to sprout wildflowers and the trees filling in with leaves.

At the end of the hike, students participated in the solo experience, and they shared thoughtful reflections from their journaling time.

It’s times like these that our hope for the future glows brighter.

Making Memories with Hands-on Learning

Students also take part in hands-on stewardship projects, getting their hands dirty while learning what it means to give back—to be part of a reciprocal relationship where we care for the land that sustains us.

Earlier this year, students from Pittsburg and Campolindo high schools visited Mangini Ranch to take part in our Diablo Conservation Experience. As part of the experience, they helped improve the single-track trail that hikers use to navigate the preserve.

There are many ways to connect with nature, and Mangini Ranch offers space for all of them.

Through Discover Diablo, community members can explore new ways to experience the outdoors, from meditation hikes and forest immersion walks to plein air painting.

This April, participants came to Mangini Ranch for a “sauntering and soloing” hike to spend time in nature, connect, and ground themselves in the peace of a wild landscape.

Making the preserve reservable has also created opportunities for a wide range of groups—from hiking clubs and homeschool communities to local organizations—to spend time on the land in their own way.

Love for the Land Is Self-Love

At its core, our goal is simple: to help people deepen their relationship with nature and prioritize time outdoors.

When that happens, the most essential part of our mission succeeds. Because this work is not just about protecting land; it is about caring for our shared home and safeguarding the future for generations to come.

Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve is more than a place. It is where relationships with nature begin, take root and grow, forming the foundation for lasting, loving, and reciprocal stewardship of the world around us.