Here’s an overview of some of the stewardship activities we were up to during the month of June.
Volunteers Polish Off Fire Abatement at Big Bend
At our June 6 stewardship workday, a small but productive group of people finished up the mowing at Marsh Creek 8. We needed to complete fire abatement along the driveway as is required by the county. Thanks, stewardship volunteers, for braving the heat and getting it all done!
Save Mount Diablo Honors the East Bay Trail Dogs
The East Bay Trail Dogs construct and repair trails all over the East Bay. We really value what they do! Whenever we need muscle, we call on them. They help out with our stewardship projects, including work that is something other than trails. They have been an incredible boon in helping us meet our fire abatement requirements.
On June 1, Save Mount Diablo had a barbeque at Curry Canyon Ranch to show our deep appreciation for the Trail Dogs. Trail Dogs and their spouses came out for the day. SMD Executive Director Ted Clement and his band played live music.
Our heartfelt thanks to the Trail Dogs for all of their hard work and to our anonymous sponsor for generously donating to make this event happen! We are super appreciative. Many thanks to Shannon Grover and Carol Lane for organizing the barbeque.
Trail Dogs Knock Out Fire Abatement at Anderson Ranch
Anderson Ranch, the property Save Mount Diablo purchased in 2017, needed lots of work this year for fire abatement. Three full days of work were required. Our diligent stewardship volunteers had completed two of them. The Trail Dogs came out to help us finish on June 4. They had to cross a creek, which was challenging. They created a good defensible space along creekbanks near our Whispering Pines neighbors, who greatly appreciated all of this work.
Determined Volunteers Tackle Weeds at Ang
On June 1, a big group of conservation-minded folks pitched in to deal with the weeds. About 20 people came, including many volunteers from Boys Team Charity plus our core team team of dedicated DiRT volunteers. With so many hands on deck, the group succeeded in weeding around every single planting at all five sites at Ang. Thank you so much, volunteers, for all of your help!
Getting Ready for Bat Research
For our June 15 stewardship workday, we needed to prepare the house and grounds at Curry Canyon Ranch for use by a research team. The researchers were coming out to study bat acoustics. The volunteers mowed around the house and all parking areas to limit the danger of fire.
In Search of the Dreaded Stinkwort
June 8 was an IPM day at Curry Canyon Ranch. Our trusty volunteers searched around the creek for stinkwort, but didn’t find any. They did, however, find a huge patch of Italian thistle, and pulled it all out. Three volunteers plus one staff person gathered 15 bags worth of thistle. Later in the day, they found a little bit of stinkwort lurking by the house. Watch out, stinkwort, we’ll be back, and you are next!
Nourishing Our Plantings at Marsh Creek 8
At Marsh Creek 8 on June 18, we focused on watering all plantings using creek water and weeding each plant to open up space around it. This space reduces competition from non-native plant species for water, light, and nutrients. It’s also a way to discourage rodents from disturbing the plants, since rodents like to stay in covered grassy areas.
