Stewardship Update
Written by Haley Sutton, Land Stewardship Associate and Kendra Smith, Education & Outreach Coordinator
California Conservation Corps
California Conservation Corps members constructing a pile. Photo by Sean Burke
The California Conservation Corps (CCC) completed their second eight-day spike to complete fuel reduction work in the Knobcone Point area of Curry Canyon Ranch.
The crew continued where the last crew left off, with more thinning and constructing burn piles for future prescribed burns.
Together, the crews completed more than 1,000 hours of work in just a couple of weeks, which is way more than our small stewardship team could accomplish in that time. We are grateful for their hard work and are excited to host the crew again later this season!
Pollinator Garden Planting
Volunteers and staff smiling in our Marsh Creek 7 pollinator garden. Photo by Haley Sutton
We hosted our first Diablo Restoration Team (DiRT) day of the year at Marsh Creek 7 to plant 100 more natives in the pollinator gardens out there.
Recent rainfall has recharged the water table, making for the perfect planting conditions. Volunteers also helped weed around existing plants by tackling the pesky milk thistle.
Though the rain is beneficial to new plants getting settled into the ground, the noxious species that we don’t want in the garden are also thriving. By removing those unwanted plants, we make more room for the natives to sprawl.
Thanks to our volunteer crew, we have many happy plants!
Installing a kestrel box camera. Photo by Haley Sutton
Kestrel Box Project
Staff have continued to prepare American kestrel nest boxes for the upcoming nesting season.
Several wildlife cameras have been installed outside of boxes to capture the day-to-day happenings of whichever critter chooses to use the boxes this season.
With the addition of a new box installed at Lime Ridge Open Space in partnership with the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, there are now 45 boxes placed around the area.
It will be interesting to learn how each of them are utilized in the coming months.
Discover Diablo
Pinnacles condor hike. Photo by Sean Burke
Pinnacles Condor Hike, February 13th
Wildlife biologist Joseph Belli and Save Mount Diablo Land Programs Director Sean Burke guided participants along the High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park in search of the magnificent California condors.
Everyone learned about how radio-tracking equipment is used to detect and locate the condors in this rugged landscape, getting to try their hand at it during the outing.
Save Mount Diablo is proud to continue supporting the efforts at Pinnacles to restore the condor population.
Green hills, ponds, and newts hike. Photo by Bennett Berke
Green Hills, Ponds, and Newts, February 22nd
After postponing this outing by a week because of heavy rain, participants lucked out with a beautiful day in Briones Regional Park.
Everyone enjoyed the jaunt through green hills to search for native aquatic wildlife in the ponds, getting to see insects, frogs, and other wildlife.
Wild and Scenic Film Festival
We kicked off our tabling season early by attending the Wild & Scenic Film Festival hosted by the Tri-Valley Conservancy and Tri-Valley Air Quality Climate Alliance and held in Livermore.
Our team had a great time connecting with other environmental supporters and enjoyed the array of inspiring films shown at the event.
Diablo Conservation Experience with Pittsburg High School
Pittsburg students gathering after the solo in at our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. Photo by Kendra Smith
On Friday, February 20, 39 students from Pittsburg High School participated in a field trip to Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve as part of our Diablo Conservation Experience program.
Pittsburg students improving a trail at our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. Photo by Haley Sutton
After braving the mud on a nature interpretive hike, students participated in the solo experience, an opportunity for them to have quiet, reflective time to connect with nature and themselves.
At the conclusion of their solo, students shared reflections from their experience, showing a valuable shift in energy and perspective.
Students also participated in a stewardship project, clearing the Desert Olive Trail to re-establish the single track and improve tread for trail users.
Armed with McLeods—versatile tools designed for scraping, loosening, and leveling soil—students worked diligently to make the trails safer and easier to follow.
A huge thank you to the Pittsburg High students for their hard work and dedication!
