CONTRA COSTA COUNTY—Save Mount Diablo’s Discover Diablo is a free public hike program that offers an annual schedule of guided interpretive family walks, hikes, and property tours open to any and all trail blazers looking to get out in nature.
Generously sponsored by the Shell Martinez Refinery for a third year, the 2019 Discover Diablo Free Public Hike Series will begin on January 20.
Hosted by Save Mount Diablo, the Discover Diablo program, now in its third year, continues to build awareness of local land conservation efforts and nurture relationships between our community and the amazing natural world of the Mount Diablo area.
Through this initiative, Save Mount Diablo intends to reach new audiences; build our membership base of adventurers, explorers, and outdoor enthusiasts; spark a passion for the Diablo Range; and engender community conservation by deepening connections to the land and nature.
“We are pleased to sponsor this opportunity for people to explore and discover the beauty of Mount Diablo, a wonderful natural resource in our own backyard, with experienced guides,” said Ann Notarangelo, External Relations Manager for the Shell Martinez Refinery. “We hope that people will enjoy learning more about the diverse habitats and the striking vistas while spending time outside with their families and friends.”
We invite you to join us in exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful wild lands and open spaces. Discover Diablo offers an average of two events per month throughout the entire year, with hikes either taking place on a Save Mount Diablo property or hosted on a collaborating agency’s land.
Save Mount Diablo’s family walks are for hikers of all skill levels and take place across different portions of open space on and around the mountain. Save Mount Diablo’s property tours illustrate the importance of preserving wildlife habitat and building corridors between existing parks while emphasizing the breathtaking beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer. With two events per month in various locations, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
To honor Save Mount Diablo’s mission, we are featuring both our current property holdings as well as those we have helped protect over the years. Hosting monthly hikes is an effective way to engage and grow communities invested in the sustainability of local open space. Some of the properties utilized in the Discover Diablo program are not yet open to the public, so these hikes present rare opportunities to visit special lands.
To complete the land conservation picture in the Diablo Range and pay homage to collaborating agencies, we also host monthly outings on Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, and Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation lands. Discover Diablo ties these outings together by offering an annual schedule of free public hikes to explore these diverse lands—with the added bonus that the hikes are guided by knowledgeable staff and experienced volunteer hike leaders.
According to Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, “It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people, Save Mount Diablo, and the land, helping our communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard. Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants, as that is what it will take to ensure the precious Mount Diablo natural area is taken care of for generations to come.”
We intend to reach audiences from all over the Bay Area to improve awareness and increase advocacy efforts for the Diablo Range. There is something for us all to discover in the nooks and crannies surrounding Mount Diablo. Please join us on the trails to find your own individual inspiration!
RSVP required. To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend, registration for hikes in March onward will open two months prior to each hike’s date.
See our full schedule of upcoming hikes, view and RSVP online here:
http://bit.ly/Discover-Diablo-Hikes-Calendar
You can also download and print a flyer of the schedule here:
http://bit.ly/Discover-Diablo-Flyer-2019
Summary: CONTRA COSTA COUNTY—Discover Diablo is Save Mount Diablo’s free public hike series, offering an annual schedule of guided walks, hikes, and interpretive tours open to any and all trail blazers. Generously sponsored for a third year by the Shell Martinez Refinery, the 2019 Discover Diablo Free Public Hike Series will begin on January 20. Discover Diablo offers an average of two events per month for the entire year—either taking place on a Save Mount Diablo property or hosted on a collaborating agency’s land. We invite you to join us in exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful wild lands and open spaces.
Who: Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, and watersheds through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. To learn more and support Save Mount Diablo, please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.
What: Save Mount Diablo’s 2019 Discover Diablo Annual Free Public Hike Program
When: An annual program comprised of an average of two free hikes per month throughout the year.
Where: CONTRA COSTA COUNTY—Walnut Creek, Clayton, Concord, Livermore, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Danville, San Ramon.
How: RSVP required. To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend, registration for hikes in March onward will open two months prior to each hike’s date. Visit Save Mount Diablo’s website to view the Discover Diablo hikes calendar for a schedule of upcoming events: http://bit.ly/Discover-Diablo-Hikes-Calendar
Why: In support of Save Mount Diablo’s mission, the Discover Diablo Free Public Hike Series program seeks to build awareness of local land conservation efforts and convey the importance of protecting open space for habitat and recreation. We intend to reach audiences from all over the Bay Area.
Sponsored by: Shell Martinez Refinery
High Resolution Images and Press Release Files: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lxb3xv46f4ek3sc/AAAGIqT9ii_B5d5Ypi7iFiBna?dl=0
Image Credits & Captions:
- Photo at top: Hikers enjoy the trails on Save Mount Diablo’s Discover Little Yosemite hike in December 2018. Discover Diablo, Save Mount Diablo’s series of free guided hikes, shares a taste of Diablo’s wild lands in just a morning, evening, or afternoon. Photo Credit: Laura Kindsvater, Save Mount Diablo.
- All other photos: Hikers enjoy the trails on Save Mount Diablo’s Four Days Diablo group camping trip, a 30-mile trek along the Diablo Trail over four days leading them on an adventure through rarely seen Mount Diablo landscapes. Discover Diablo, Save Mount Diablo’s series of free guided hikes, shares a taste of Diablo’s wild lands in just a morning, evening, or afternoon. Photo Credit: Scott Hein, Save Mount Diablo Board President.
Key Contacts
Questions about hike program details and RSVP information:
Denise Castro, Stewardship and Outreach Associate, Save Mount Diablo;
T: (925) 947-3535 x36, C: (925) 286-9327, dcastro@savemountdiablo.org
Media & Press Contact:
Caleb Castle, Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo;
T: (925) 947-3535 x17, C: (925) 451-8376, ccastle@savemountdiablo.org
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