Interviewed by Laura Kindsvater, Stewardship & Outreach Intern
About Larry
How long have you lived in the Bay Area?
I have lived here all of my life, except for my four years of college.
How did you learn about Save Mount Diablo?
I provided ham radio communication for Save Mount Diablo–sponsored running and bike riding events and wanted to get to know more about the sponsoring entity.
What did you do before you volunteered for us?
I worked as an Instrumentation Engineer in the refineries in Contra Costa County.
How long have you been volunteering with us?
I have volunteered with SMD for 7+ years.
Why did you decide to join our team?
In supporting the SMD events, I got to know more about the mountain, and wanted to be a supporter of the preservation aspect of the SMD purpose.
About Larry’s Work
(DiRT, IPM, Trail Dogs, property steward, fundraising, office work, etc.)?
I am a property steward for the Dry Creek property in Brentwood. It is a 10-acre plot of farm land situated between the farmland in Brentwood that I enjoy visiting and the ever-expanding rows and rows of housing that continue to proliferate the countryside.
What does your volunteer work consist of and what do you like about it?
My duties are to survey the property once per month, to check for changes in the otherwise undisturbed property. Recently, a local rancher has come to SMD to inquire about taking water from the well that exists on the property and use the water to water his cattle. I have been appointed as the SMD liaison with the rancher. We are currently doing water quality testing to see if the water is suitable for his cattle.
What is the hardest project you’ve worked on while volunteering?
After the fire that burned the south side of North Peak many years ago, new fences were installed. The new fence installers put in new barbed wire, but left the old barbed wire in clumps along the fence line. I was in the work party that collected the old wire, rolled it up, and left it near a road where a pickup truck could retrieve it and haul it away. I was like a mountain goat that day, jumping streams and climbing steep banks, to collect the old wire.
What is one of your favorite memories volunteering with us?
I enjoy providing radio communication and bus coordination for the “Moonlight on the Mountain” fundraiser that SMD holds every year at China Wall. Further, providing radio coordination between the Pearl Harbor Vets and the beacon on Pearl Harbor Day is fun as well.
