A Tale of New Trails
Download the Annual Report (PDF)
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Supporters,
As we reflect back on our recently completed April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 fiscal year, we feel immense gratitude for you, our supporters, because you helped us complete another highly successful year from a programmatic, financial, and overall organizational perspective.
Together, this past fiscal year we advanced Save Mount Diablo’s land conservation mission in many ways like the following examples:
- Enabled the public to enjoy our new Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve, run with a free online reservation system, with over four miles of trails built with the help of volunteers like our Trail Dogs and local students.
- Created a beautiful new public trail at our Curry Canyon Ranch, with volunteers, about 1.25 miles long and connecting Mount Diablo State Park’s Knobcone Point Road to Riggs Canyon Road.
- Won a second lawsuit against Seeno/Discovery Builders and Pittsburg over the proposed Faria development project.
- Achieved having the Concord City Council stop the Seeno/Discovery Builders group from becoming Master Developer for the Concord reuse project.
- Secured an option agreement to acquire the 6.69-acre Krane Pond property within the Missing Mile that is contiguous with Mount Diablo State Park. The Missing Mile is roughly a square mile on the northern slopes of Mount Diablo that contains much privately owned open space that has not yet been conserved. The option agreement gives us until October to raise $500,000 to protect the strategic Krane Pond property, which provides critical water for wildlife.
- Helped East Bay Regional Park District secure an option agreement to protect the strategic 768-acre Finley Road Ranch so it will become an important new staging area for existing and future trails.
- Furthered our Diablo Range expansion work, developing new partners and advancing efforts to protect important lands like Tesla Park and Del Puerto Canyon.
- Advanced our 10,000 Trees and Plants project (to date we have planted and protected more than 2,000 native trees and plants).
- Set all-time high fundraising records with our midyear appeal, Moonlight on the Mountain, and year end appeal.
- Completed our 50th anniversary celebrations, including an extensive oral history project about Save Mount Diablo that is housed at UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library.
- Secured a better office at 201 North Civic Drive in Walnut Creek that lowered our rent and reduced our carbon footprint by providing more energy-efficient infrastructure.
Thankfully, because of our great team, including you, we know we will continue to successfully advance our land conservation mission.
With Gratitude,
Edward Sortwell Clement, Jr. Executive Director
Save Mount Diablo Opens Knobcone Point to Riggs Canyon Trail
A project that has been a decade in the making
In the spring of 2023, Save Mount Diablo opened the Knobcone Point to Riggs Canyon trail connection in the upper reaches of Curry Canyon. This trail is THE piece of the puzzle connecting the entire southern trail system, stretching from Walnut Creek into Livermore, along Knobcone Point Trail, down into Riggs Canyon and onto the Morgan Territory foothills and Highland Peak.
It is a recreational dream come true as hikers, trail runners, bikers, and equestrians can now adventure further into the backcountry and experience the magnificent solitude and beauty existing deeper into the hills.
Staff and volunteers including Save Mount Diablo’s Trail Dogs worked hard, installing infrastructure including access gates, informational signage, and kiosks as well as decontamination stations to minimize the threat of introduced pathogens like Phytophthora species by recreationalists into the further reaches of Mount Diablo State Park.
Volunteers, park staff, and Save Mount Diablo staff were also busy managing scorched material in the Knobcone Point area, both to prepare for the opening as well as minimize fire risk in the foothills.
These cleanup efforts will bring about beautiful new growth to endemic wildflowers in the spring like Mount Diablo fairy lanterns, Mount Diablo sunflowers, and many others, as well as chaparral plants like Mount Diablo manzanitas and Contra Costa manzanitas.
Along this 1.25-mile trail, recreationalists can enjoy beautiful sandstone rock formations; the namesake knobcone pine forests; the most majestic bay-oak woodland in the Mount Diablo area; soaring golden eagles, songbirds, woodpeckers galore; rolling grasslands; and outrageous views of the surrounding mountains of the northern Diablo Range extending and falling all the way to the mythical snow-covered Sierra Nevada, as they travel east to west or vice versa.
And that’s not to mention the sensational view of the southern aspect of Mount Diablo and North Peak.
For now, only this trail will be open to the public, and the surrounding hills will be preserved for wildlife to live free.
This area is absolutely sublime in all meanings of the word, and Save Mount Diablo is determined to keep it that way for all to experience and enjoy the extensive majesty.
We are seriously proud, humbled, and excited to be able to share these lands that we hold so dearly to our hearts with all of you. These magical preserves are truly a gift and to be able to spend our time connecting to them is nothing short of that.
We are all so fortunate to have special places like Mount Diablo to call our backyard, and every time a new door opens to visit special areas like the Knobcone Point to Riggs Canyon connector trail or the Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve, it makes it easy to understand that.
Please join us in enjoying these beautiful places, and take care of them as they were your own home, because in many ways, they are.
Preserve
Land Acquisition
In the fall of 2022, Save Mount Diablo entered into an option agreement with Roseann Krane to acquire the 6.69-acre Krane Pond property. Save Mount Diablo needs to raise $300,000 by October 2023 to complete the acquisition. To date, we’ve raised $200,000 of the total project costs of $500,000.
This strategic acquisition is nestled into Mount Diablo’s Missing Mile, a square mile made up of privately owned open space, some of which has not yet been permanently protected from development. Save Mount Diablo has been working hard to protect the Missing Mile, which is surrounded on three sides by protected lands, on the northern slopes of North Peak.
To date, we have protected three other properties within the Missing Mile: the nearly 154-acre Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association conservation easement; 17.62-acre Young Canyon; and the 88.5-acre North Peak Ranch, on which Save Mount Diablo is making annual payments.
Krane Pond is the largest spring-fed pond in the area, an oasis for wildlife in the hot summer months.
Without the help of the Kranes and Save Mount Diablo, the property could have easily become developed, impacting the rich and biologically diverse wildlife corridor that travels down the mountain through the pond and out to Mount Diablo Creek.
If we can raise the necessary funds to protect this magnificent gem by October of 2023, then this piece will be protected in perpetuity.
Save Mount Diablo also worked to support the East Bay Regional Park District in its purchase of the 768-acre Finley Road Ranch, a strategic piece of land in the Tassajara Valley, which will provide future recreational opportunities for the community.
Nestled into the Black Hills of Morgan Territory, this important piece of land will provide future access into the steep and remote Riggs Canyon area and beyond to both Mount Diablo State Park and Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, as well as Save Mount Diablo’s new public Knobcone Point to Riggs Canyon Trail.
View of Mount Diablo from Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Finley Road Ranch will provide better access to Morgan Territory and Riggs Canyon.
The enormous ranch appraised for a value of $11.4 million, $50,000 of which Save Mount Diablo donated toward the $200,000 option to purchase it.
The option agreement held the property to make time for fundraising. Finley Road Ranch is the largest and most important land acquisition in the Mount Diablo area since the 2013 Curry Canyon Ranch acquisition by Save Mount Diablo, which was 1,080 acres.
This marvelous piece of land is filled with biodiversity and diverse geology, and the two go hand in hand. From the steep chaparral slopes soaring above to the lovely grasslands below, this stunning piece of land is now protected.
Defend
Land Use Planning and Advocacy
This has been a year of massive efforts on a few huge projects, combined with successful work with our partners to defend the Diablo region’s wildlife and habitats up and down the Diablo Range. We continue to monitor several dozen agencies and respond to more than a dozen project and policy proposals.
Concord
When three of five Concord City Councilmembers decided to make Seeno companies and their partners the Master Developer of the nearly 2,300-acre Concord reuse project, Save Mount Diablo launched a grassroots campaign to get the city back on the right path.
Our regular communication with Concord residents and Seeno’s record of shoddy business practices helped us recruit volunteers who dropped flyers, signed petitions, and made sure the public was informed.
When Seeno announced that, contrary to earlier statements, they needed to make the project 4,000 units larger to make it pencil out, and after it was revealed that Seeno family members are suing each other over management of their own business, we had created enough pressure for a majority of the council to drop Seeno and their partners as Master Developer in January 2023.
We won with overwhelming community support, thus averting decades of bad practices in the City of Concord.
Now 800 or more acres of new city green space, Mount Diablo Creek restoration, sustainable transit-oriented development, and thousands of acres of mitigation land are closer to becoming reality.
Pittsburg
Seeno companies sought approval of the bad Faria project yet again in early 2023. Because of our grassroots campaign, thousands of petition signatures and emails (mostly from Pittsburg residents) were sent to the Pittsburg City Council, and the Planning Commission voted four to one against the project.
We continue to work to bring development off the ridge, prevent houses from being visible from all over, and buffer the new Thurgood Marshall Regional Park from negative effects.
Reservoirs
This year, a legal challenge against the proposed Del Puerto Reservoir in Stanislaus County successfully overturned approval of the project. We contributed to this success by financially supporting the legal challenge.
The Los Vaqueros phase two reservoir expansion in Contra Costa County would drown land that was already protected to offset impacts from when the reservoir was built and subsequently expanded. Mitigation is key.
Your support means we can leverage a lot of land protection as the price for a much smaller amount of land that is lost, and in places that are key to connect important wildlife corridors. It also means we can protect important rare species habitat.
In Santa Clara County, we remain engaged with the coalition opposing the Panoche Reservoir expansion project.
The proposed project still does not include sufficient mitigation to offset biological impacts, would drown a part of Henry W. Coe State Park, and has ballooned in cost from $800 million.
Restore
Stewardship
With the help of our volunteers, we’ve planted and protected 2,182 trees and plants to end year two of our 10,000 Trees and Plants project.
This 10-year project aims to plant and protect 10,000 native trees and plants across Save Mount Diablo and partner lands. Many of the trees and plants, including native sycamores, oaks, bay laurels, pines, and shrubs, are protected via tubes.
We identify tree saplings that are coming up on their own and provide shelter to give them the best chance at survival. We also source native plants from The Watershed Nursery in Richmond for our restoration sites.
This year we created two new native plant gardens at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve for the enjoyment of visitors and wildlife.
One of the most important parts of our restoration work is watering during the dry months. Our diligent volunteer crews have significantly increased the survival rate of young plants. We are grateful for their help.
Stewardship staff and volunteers have also assisted our partners at the East Bay Regional Park District, California State Parks, and the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy to protect, understand, and maintain some of the most well loved and utilized public areas on the mountain this year.
For the third year in a row, Save Mount Diablo organized a cleanup at Castle Rock in the Pine Canyon area, a sanctuary loved by rock climbers, hikers, and bird-watchers.
This year we partnered again with Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, the Bay Area Climbers Coalition, Save Mount Diablo’s Trail Dogs, and the Mount Diablo Interpretative Association to remove graffiti from the rocks.
Volunteers removed trash from the surrounding towers, especially shards of glass and other micro-trash, which have a hugely negative impact on wildlife. Additionally, we hauled five gallons of paint to encapsulate the graffiti found on friable rock. It was an amazing effort connecting many diverse partners and user groups to care for a place that we all love.
Stewardship staff and volunteers also prepared for the opening of the Knobcone Point Road to Riggs Canyon Trail connecting Mount Diablo State Park to Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.
Because of record winter storms, staff cleared over 40 fallen trees in the 1.25-mile stretch alone.
Staff and volunteers also built and installed information panels, decontamination stations, and gates to help new guests pass through without potentially bringing pathogens to the area’s sensitive habitat.
Several years ago, we noticed that thousands of knobcone pines and manzanitas were dying in the area from Knobcone Point to Wall Point. Stewardship staff worked with Phytosphere Research to collect soil samples to see if any introduced pathogens were present along access roads in the dieback zone.
Phytosphere noted that no pathogens were present in the samples, which allowed Save Mount Diablo to open the Knobcone Point to Riggs Canyon Trail without the threat of spreading invasive species into the Mount Diablo wild lands.
Because of you . . .
84,278 pounds of waste and recycling were removed
1,018 native trees and plants were planted and protected including 304 plantings
419 stewardship volunteers contributed 3,306 hours
6,000 stewardship staff hours focused on restoration projects
We would not have been able to accomplish so much without the help of our hard-working volunteers. A total of 604 volunteers this past year donated 5,075 total hours.
Thank you so much to everyone who gave their time and skills!
Enjoy
Recreation
In 2022, Save Mount Diablo scheduled 36 hikes and other outdoor events as part of our Discover Diablo program, a free, public, guided outings series.
This series focuses on providing opportunities for the public to explore different areas across the northern Diablo Range in a group setting.
A total of 392 participants attended the 33 out of 36 events that we were able to safely lead.
We offered an extensive lineup of themed walks and specialized outings for all types of nature enthusiasts including birders, bikers, rock climbers, and hikers.
This year was the first that we added a plein-air painting outing at Wright Canyon, a trail-running event at Curry Canyon Ranch, and a forest-bathing outing at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.
Our knowledgeable and passionate outing leaders guided participants on unique excursions around our beloved Mount Diablo and Diablo Range.
Hikes and outings took place on one of Save Mount Diablo’s conserved properties or on park lands in the Diablo Range. These included Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Stanislaus County, and National Park Service lands.
We’re excited to continue providing free outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, and we’re always looking to expand our outdoor events to include more user groups.
We thank all our wonderful Discover Diablo volunteers for making these experiences possible!
50th Anniversary
Moonlight on the Mountain
In 2022, we joyfully celebrated the 50th Anniversary Moonlight on the Mountain gala in-person. More than 550 supporters gathered at China Wall in Mount Diablo State Park for live and silent auctions, an elegant multi-course dinner, live music, and dancing.
Together, we raised more than $600,000 to support Save Mount Diablo’s important conservation and education work.
On September 9, 2023, this special tradition continues with the 22nd Moonlight on the Mountain. We hope to see you there!
Educate
Education and Outreach
Adler Education Fund
In January 2023, Save Mount Diablo announced the creation of the Adler Education Fund to support and expand Save Mount Diablo’s educational programs.
This new fund was initiated by an inspiring $100,000 challenge grant from Judy Adler, a local leader in environmental education and eco-literacy programs, and a long-time supporter of Save Mount Diablo.
She hopes that her gift will inspire additional meaningful gifts in support of Save Mount Diablo’s educational programs.
The Adler Education Fund will provide support for Save Mount Diablo’s existing educational programs and make exciting new initiatives possible.
Work is already underway to develop a new program that will provide field trips and nature-based learning experiences to elementary-school-aged students at our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.
During their class field trips to Mangini Ranch, students and teachers will be guided by a series of nature-centered lesson plans designed for third- through fifth-grade students.
We are developing these innovative and standards-based lesson plans with support from professional educators and a dedicated advisory committee. Once finalized, the lesson plans will be available on our website as a free resource for teachers, land trusts, and other life-long learners.
Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Program
In 2022, the Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Program supported awarded four grants. Plant research focused on bryophytes both within our Young Canyon property, on a north-facing slope of Mount Diablo, and in the vast spaces of Henry W. Coe State Park.
Wildlife research supported an ongoing study of ground squirrels and provided the funds for GPS transmitters to track California condors as they explore expanding their range from Pinnacles National Park.
We held our ninth Annual Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Colloquium in December with a hybrid model; there were 42 in-person attendees and more than 130 online attendees.
Community Conservation Collaboration Agreement Program
This year, we successfully held four Conservation Collaboration Agreements (CCAs). Staff conducted classroom presentations followed by field experiences held at our newly opened Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve.
In April 2022, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School students learned about the impacts of noxious weeds and helped clear out invasive thistles for their environmental service project.
In October 2022, De La Salle High School students laid the foundation for two new native plant interpretive gardens around the dedication monument and informational kiosk at the preserve.
De La Salle CCA at Mangini. Photo by Mary Nagle
They spread mulch over a layer of upcycled burlap bags, a process called sheet mulching, to suppress weeds and prepare the soil for planting in the winter.
In January 2023, staff presented for 12 classes at Bristow Middle School in Brentwood in lieu of a field experience.
In February 2023, Campolindo High School students installed reclaimed redwood posts that would support split-rail fencing around the interpretive gardens for their service project.
New Media
OpenRoad with Doug McConnell
We worked with Doug McConnell and his team at NBC Bay Area to create two new segments on OpenRoad with Doug McConnell.
Both celebrated our 50th anniversary.
The first focused on what we can do and have done to save Mount Diablo.
The second featured an interview with Save Mount Diablo Executive Director Ted Clement about our 50 years of accomplishments and the path ahead.
Audible Mount Diablo Guides
We co-sponsored, with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Diablo Range Revealed: The Coyote Valley Connection, the story of Coyote Valley, a critical linkage between the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Coyote Ridge.
We also worked with Joan Hamilton, the producer of Audible Mount Diablo, to create a new video celebrating Robert Doyle, founding Board member of Save Mount Diablo: The Long Game: How Robert Doyle Shaped the East Bay.
Diablo Range
Expanding South: More Conservation Faster
The backside of Mount Hamilton was colder than normal this year with rain and snow from 13 atmospheric rivers, and the wildflowers delayed.
We’re in the process of completing the third year of Diablo Range Revealed, a series of events, outings, videos, audio guides, social media posts, web pages, articles, and other media intended to increase public interest and conservation efforts in the Diablo Range. We used the August 2020 SCU fires as the focus for observing regeneration in the northern range.
Wildflowers in Del Puerto Canyon. Photo by Haley Sutton
We’ll head further south in the coming years.
We’ve helped save Tesla Park from off-road vehicles, and we are advocating now with our partners that it become a new state reserve.
In Del Puerto Canyon, we helped stall a reservoir project that would drown the lower three miles of the 22-mile canyon.
Del Puerto Canyon and Del Puerto Creek. Photo by Scott Hein
We’re helping oppose another dam in Pacheco Pass.
And over it all, we expect our grants to the Pinnacles condor project for GPS tags on young birds will give us maps confirming this: the Diablo Range is a 200-mile critical-link wildlife corridor defined by condors, eagles, and mountain lions, not to mention thousands of other species.
It was an idea that was ripe: expanding south further into the Diablo Range.
North of Altamont Pass we’ve protected 75 percent of what’s important around Diablo’s peaks, but overall, only 24 percent of the six million-acre Diablo Range has any protection.
With a near wilderness spine of peaks ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 feet and with incredible diversity of topography and ecological communities, it is largely intact.
We included it in our strategic planning five years ago, and it’s taken off like a rocket. We’re a catalyst for a conservation effort that was overdue.
This year, we received a $280,000 grant to support the program. Next year, we may launch a bigger Diablo Range fundraising effort including new initiatives.
Save Mount Diablo’s Diablo Range program is a rapid expansion of the organization’s activities geographically from the two northern counties (Contra Costa and Alameda) to the full 12-county extent.
Although our acquisition focus expands more slowly geographically, by next fiscal year we may decide to add the extent of the range in the final five southern counties (Monterey, Fresno, Kings, San Luis Obispo, and Kern) and be conducting advocacy efforts in all 12 counties.
Through mapping, exploration, communications, and advocacy, we’re finding partners and building relationships farther south in the range to rapidly expand conservation and protect more land faster. You can help.
50 Years of Thinking Ahead
After recently completing our 50th anniversary celebrations, it is a time to reflect and think ahead.
When Save Mount Diablo was founded on December 7, 1971, Mount Diablo was home to just one 6,788-acre park, Mount Diablo State Park.
From the start, our founders and supporters were thinking ahead by realizing more of Mount Diablo and its other connected open spaces needed to be protected amidst a growing Bay Area. Thanks to that thinking ahead, there are now more than 50 parks and preserves around the mountain north of Altamont Pass, totaling over 120,000 conserved acres.
Today Mount Diablo and its foothills are one of the Bay Area’s most significant assemblages of protected natural lands and wildlife habitats.
Looking forward now, we can see a few major issues that will require attention, and we have started that work.
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has said, “Climate change is the defining issue of our time—and we are at a defining moment.” Save Mount Diablo is working to address the climate crisis.
For example, we created and adopted a Climate Action Plan to guide our actions. It includes chapters on how we must adjust and improve our advocacy and policy work, our education programs, our finance work, our land acquisition efforts, our organizational carbon footprint, and our stewardship work.
We also face a biodiversity crisis. Renowned biologist E.O. Wilson noted that the rate of extinction today is far greater than it should be under natural selection.
Recognizing this and the climate crisis, Save Mount Diablo expanded its geographic area of focus into five additional counties to protect Mount Diablo’s connection to its sustaining Diablo Range and the integrity of the whole.
The Diablo Range is a biodiversity hotspot, and by working to protect more of it, we will support biodiversity and help keep the system whole and resilient to better deal with, and adjust to, the stresses of the climate crisis.
As Paul Hawken writes, in his book Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, “Our planet and youth are telling us the same story. Vital connections have been severed between human beings and nature. . . . This disconnection is the origin of the climate crisis, it is the very root—and it is where we discover solutions and actions that can engage all people, regardless of income, race, gender, or belief.”
Save Mount Diablo has developed a “Connect, Educate, Serve, and Diversify” approach for its expanded education programs (creating more trails, offering meditation in nature, teaching students about the climate crisis, providing volunteer stewardship opportunities, offering bilingual programs, etc.).
When more people are included and involved, and we directly develop our love of nature in the outdoors, then learn how it is threatened and can be helped, and then are empowered and provided ways to act and serve nature—we become unstoppable.
Together, we continue our tradition of thinking ahead as we work to address the climate and biodiversity crises, get more people meaningfully connected to nature, while also working to be more inclusive, diverse, and equitable.
Giving
Nurturing the Love of Nature
If you ask Jeanne Ryan about why she supports Save Mount Diablo, she has a ready explanation. “As soon as I see Mount Diablo, I know that I’m home. It’s always been home to me. Of course we have to protect the mountain—it’s absolutely marvelous!”
Jeanne first encountered Save Mount Diablo through John and Tena Gallagher and Jim and Bette Felton, who all are her friends and neighbors.
Gathering at Moonlight on the Mountain quickly became one of Jeanne’s favorite traditions, and she looks forward to the event every year.
Though now a veteran Moonlight on the Mountain participant, Jeanne still enjoys encouraging and inviting new friends and neighbors to this special fundraising event.
At first she organized one table of guests, but now she’s dreaming of organizing two tables. “It’s the best way to spread the word!” she declares.
Jeanne’s enthusiasm is heartfelt and contagious, and she is a valued ambassador for Save Mount Diablo’s conservation work.
Spending time in nature, and appreciating the gifts of the natural world, was always an important part of family life for Jeanne, her late husband Bill, and their children.
Jeanne’s son Michael Brooding had a particular fondness for mountain biking through the hills in his youth. Still today, he can be found regularly hiking those favorite trails and volunteering with trail cleanup projects.
The love of nature runs deep in Michael’s family life as well. As Jeanne describes, “We just keep passing these values down through the family. The outdoors, it’s so important to every one of us.”
With such a deep appreciation for protected natural land and accessible trails, Jeanne is particularly supportive of Save Mount Diablo’s advocacy work in favor of sound community and housing development plans in Pittsburg and Concord. She explains, “Growing families need to have trails and nature available to them. It means so much!”
Through generous gifts to Save Mount Diablo’s annual fundraising campaigns and to Moonlight on the Mountain, Jeanne has provided critical support for the conservation programs that are so meaningful to her.
And so, on behalf of everyone who also looks forward to the sight of Mount Diablo welcoming them home, we thank Jeanne Ryan for her love of the mountain and for her meaningful commitment to advancing Save Mount Diablo’s valuable conservation work.
If you are interested in making a gift to support Save Mount Diablo, please contact Assistant Development Director Samantha Kading at skading@savemountdiablo.org or 925-949-4513.
Financials
These pie charts include financial information for Save Mount Diablo’s annual operating results (revenue and expenses), as well as land transaction capital items.
For FYE 2023 (April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023), Save Mount Diablo raised more operating revenue than operating funds expended, thereby achieving a large surplus with its general operating budget. Save Mount Diablo’s total revenue for FYE 2023 was just over $3.69 million.
This pie chart shows the importance of individual contributions, as 82 percent of our funding comes from donors like you. Thank you!
Krane Pond. Photo by Sean Burke
Operating and non-operating expenditures for FYE 2023 totaled approximately $3.73 million (including the first option payment of $25,000 for our Krane Pond property acquisition and seventh option payment of $95,000 for Benkly/North Peak Ranch).
Program expenses other than land acquisition include stewardship projects on 21 properties and conservation easements we own, education and outreach programs, and advocacy to counter land conservation threats.
The combined fundraising and administration expenses are a relatively high percentage of total expenses because we had fewer than usual expenditures for land acquisitions this year.
Had some of the potential acquisitions we have in the pipeline materialized during the year, total program expenses would have increased substantially, with a corresponding decrease in the fundraising and administration percentage.
Numbers are based on unaudited FYE 23 financials.
SEE OUR MOST RECENT TAX RETURNS HERE
Thanks to Our Donors
Save Mount Diablo extends its gratitude to all donors.
Your generous support makes it possible to balance open space with the demands of increasing population and development pressure in our area.
Together, we can preserve, defend, restore, and enjoy Mount Diablo and its foothills, and connect Mount Diablo to its sustaining Diablo Range.
- Diablo Legacy Circle—Making a long-term gift is an act of generosity beyond measure. We give special thanks to our Diablo Legacy Circle members, those who have included Save Mount Diablo in their estate planning. Their generosity ensures Mount Diablo, its foothills, and its wildlife will be preserved for generations to come.
- Monthly Donor Circle—This special circle of donors helps provide steady, reliable support by donating monthly. Their generosity ensures Save Mount Diablo can continue to preserve, defend, and restore Diablo’s wild lands.
- Company Matching—Many generous employers will match their employees’ donations, thereby doubling the impact of the employees’ gifts. These companies matched donations to Save Mount Diablo, allowing their employees to help preserve, defend, and restore more land for all of us to enjoy. Ask if your company matches too!
- Young Friends—Our young friends (students and people under the age of 21) are stepping up to become a part of the next generation of future conservationists and activists who will help preserve Diablo’s natural lands for years to come.
| Staff Ted Clement Executive Director Seth Adams Land Conservation Director Sean Burke Land Programs Director Karen Ferriere Development Director Monica Oei Finance & Administration Director Tuesday Bentley Accounting & Administrative Associate Frenchy Hendryx Education & Outreach Associate Hidemi Crosse Senior Accountant Juan Pablo Galván Martinez Senior Land Use Manager Shannon Grover Senior Development Associate & Events Manager Dana Halpin General Office Manager Britani Hutchinson Event Coordinator Samantha Kading Assistant Development Director Laura Kindsvater Senior Communications Manager Queenie Lee Database Coordinator Katie Lopez Accounting & Administration Associate Roxana Lucero Land Stewardship Manager Joanne McCluhan Executive Assistant Haley Sutton Land Stewardship Associate |
Board of Directors Jim Felton, President Burt Bassler, Treasurer Liz Harvey Roberts, Vice President & Secretary Keith Alley John Gallagher Garrett Girvan Claudia Hein Scott Hein Margaret Kruse Carol Lane Bob Marx Robert Phelps Malcolm Sproul Jeff Stone Achilleus Tiu Steve Balling Shirley Langlois Phil O’Loane |
