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Stewardship Update Written by Haley Sutton, Land Stewardship Associate Fire Abatement in Full Swing Fire abatement normally takes up the month of May, but this year we got a head…

Save Mount Diablo’s 2021 BioBlitz has made an exhilarating find! This dispersed two-week long BioBlitz covers the public parks and roads in the fire footprint of the nearly 400,000-acre SCU…

For 14 years, Save Mount Diablo has been conducting BioBlitzes to collect information about the biodiversity on and around Mount Diablo. About this Event Save Mount Diablo hosted its first…

In 2019, Save Mount Diablo’s Annual BioBlitz was held from Friday, May 3 to Saturday, May 4 at Save Mount Diablo’s own Mangini Ranch and the City of Walnut Creek’s Lime Ridge Open Space. There were 36 scientists and researchers at the event. In total, 349 species were found: two amphibian species, five arachnid species, 76 bird species, one chilopoda species, two fungal species, 156 insect species, six mammal species, 96 plant species, and five reptile species.

Happy spring! Gather your family, friends, and CalNat cohort and contribute your iNaturalist observation skills to your local community organizations and help collect data for science! April 26-29 City Nature Challenge: The City…

This year’s Bioblitz was the most highly attended SMD Bioblitz since 2007, with seventy-five biologists and expert naturalists compared to the usual thirty to forty naturalists of years past. Participants came from LSA, Nomad Ecology, Swaim Biological, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, the California Academy of Sciences, and the California Native Plant Society, among others, and donated their time over the weekend.

Arroyo Del Cerro is home to the federally listed California red-legged frog and “has the potential for California tiger salamander,” said Malcolm Sproul. Other species were spotted as well, including the endemic Contra Costa manzanita. (Endemic means this species of manzanita only occurs in the area.) In total, 419 species were found, a high number that reflects the diverse habitat on the land.

Summary –
Save Mount Diablo’s 2017 BioBlitz brought together 35 scientists to catalog species during a 24-hour survey on Marsh Creek State Historic Park and Marsh Creek Reservoir. With their collective expertise, the group provided an ecological snapshot of the Marsh Creek State Historic Park and Marsh Creek Reservoir for CA State Parks and Contra Costa County Flood Control District staff. Participants explored rolling grasslands, creek channels, and the perimeter of the reservoir,  logging plants and wildlife from the insect to the avian.  Save Mount Diablo hosts annual Bioblitz events to better understand and protect the biodiversity of the Diablo Range.