Written by Haley Sutton, Land Stewardship Associate and Kendra Smith, Education & Outreach Coordinator
Water (Trough) Is Life
Juvenile golden eagle visiting water trough.
Staff observed a juvenile golden eagle one early morning hanging out at a water trough and proceeded to observe its behaviors from a distance.
We have since installed trail cameras on various water troughs to capture the diversity of wildlife that visit these water features when natural water sources are less reliable in the summer.
Save Mount Diablo also hired an intern, Vishal Subramanyan, to help the team review trail camera photos for our kestrel nest box project.
Weeding Is a Labor of Love
Watering crew at Marsh Creek 7. Photo by Haley Sutton
Our team has been busy getting after pesky weeds this time of year.
We mowed and pulled prickly yellow star thistle at Curry Canyon Ranch and Smith Canyon, with the help of our property stewards. We pulled the sticky dittrichia, or stinkwort, along the fire road at Ginochio Schwendel Ranch and patches at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.
We’ve managed the Mangini Ranch population for several years now, and it is getting visibly smaller with each year!
Volunteers have been mapping and cutting flower heads from artichoke thistle at Mangini Ranch and Krane Pond. They have also dug out the thistle plants, which has proven to be effective: those plants did not produce flowers this year.
Staff also continue to dig out arundo plants from the Marsh Creek banks at Big Bend.
Managing for invasive plants is an ongoing laborious effort, but with the right timing and consistency, it can really pay off!
Summer Stewardship
Watering crew at Irish Canyon. Photo by Haley Sutton
Our volunteer and staff watering crew continue to meet regularly at Irish Canyon, Marsh Creek 7 and Mangini Ranch.
The mulching at Marsh Creek 7 is almost complete, the trees at Irish Canyon continue to grow, and the fuchsia at Mangini Ranch started blooming.
Additionally, when you visit the public trails at Curry Canyon Ranch, you will now see new trail markers to help people better identify the trail they are enjoying.
We also reorganized and cleaned up all our tools at Wright Canyon.
Discover Diablo
Plein Air painting hike. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Mangini Ranch Meditation Hike, August 2nd.
Mangini Ranch meditation hike. Photo by Jim Lawrence
It was a beautiful morning for a hike as participants experienced the quiet surroundings at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.
Hike leaders Jim and Sharon Lawrence led some relaxing meditation exercises along the trail to help everyone be mindful and present with their natural surroundings.
Participants were pleased to experience a quieter hike as a change of pace from the typical social outings.
Plein Air Painting Hike, August 23rd.
Participants were treated to a lovely summer morning as they hiked up to the house pond at Curry Canyon Ranch for their painting destination.
Each person found a sit spot to take in the beauty of the water, trees, and hills and capture it on paper in their own unique style.
By the end of the morning, everyone had completed a beautiful piece of art representing the special landscape that is Mount Diablo.
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Education Committee Meeting
Every quarter, our Education Committee meets to discuss the numerous educational components Save Mount Diablo is actively engaging with.
In our August meeting, we shared about the successful completion of the summer CARES field trips and looked ahead at the exciting programs lined up for the fall, such as our upcoming Diablo Conservation Experience and Young Diablo Explorer field trips.
We are pleased to host returning schools and new schools for these immersive nature outings. Additionally, our team discussed installing educational signage at Magee Preserve and our lineup of Discover Diablo outings for 2026.
We are happy to announce that in response to learning about our educational mission, Save Mount Diablo received a generous grant from the Moraga Kiwanis Club to put towards our continued educational efforts.
