Diablo Watch Fall/Winter 2023 No. 76

Diablo Watch Newsletter for friends and supporters of Save Mount Diablo

FALL / WINTER 2023 | No. 76

Save Mount Diablo Purchases Balcerzak A critical inholding within Mount Diablo State Park

Inside » California State Parks, Break the Logjam! | Krane Pond Purchase

STEPHEN JOSEPH

From the Executive Director

Diablo Watch FALL / WINTER 2023

Number 76

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jim Felton, President Burt Bassler, Treasurer Giselle Jurkanin, VP & Secretary Keith Alley Steve Balling John Gallagher Liz Harvey Roberts Claudia Hein Scott Hein Shirley Langlois Bob Marx Doug Matthew Phil O’Loane Robert Phelps Malcolm Sproul Jeff Stone Achilleus Tiu 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

Venanzio Favalora and Alyxa Ray, Caretakers

Juan Pablo Galván Martínez, Senior Land Use Manager

Shannon Grover, Sr. Development Associate & Event Manager

Dana Halpin, Administrative Assistant Franchesca Hendryx, Education & Outreach Associate

Brit Hutchinson, Event Coordinator Samantha Kading, Assistant Development Director

Laura Kindsvater, Senior

Communications Manager

Queenie Li, Database Coordinator Katie Lopez, Staff Accountant & Office Administrator

Roxana Lucero, Land Stewardship Manager

Joanne McCluhan, Executive Assistant

Mary Nagle, Communications Associate

Haley Sutton , Land Stewardship Associate

Edward Sortwell Clement, Jr. Executive Director, Save Mount Diablo

Dear Supporters, We are truly grateful for and inspired by you, because you have helped us accomplish so much in 2023. Please consider some examples of our successes together thus far this year: • In January, after our extensive public education campaign, we achieved having the Concord City Council stop the group that included Seeno/Discovery Builders from becoming Master Developer for the Concord reuse project; • In March, we completed building and opening a new 1.25-mile public trail at our Curry Canyon Ranch that connects Mount Diablo State Park’s Knobcone Point Road to Riggs Canyon Road, opening up to the public an awesome backcountry experience; • In March, we announced the creation of our Adler Education Fund, thanks to Judy Adler, which is helping fund our existing and new education programs to connect more people to nature; • In April, we helped the East Bay Regional Park District acquire and protect the strategic 768-acre Finley Road Ranch, which will provide more public access to Mount Diablo State Park and Morgan Territory Regional Preserve while also conserving important natural lands; • In April, we upgraded to an office at 201 North Civic Drive in Walnut Creek that substantially lowered our rent and reduced our carbon footprint with added energy efficiencies; • In August, we successfully competed in the marketplace to acquire and protect the privately owned 10-acre Balcerzak inholding within Mount Diablo State Park— something we and California State Parks had long wanted to see happen to this highly strategic parcel; and • In October, we exercised our option to acquire and protect the 6.69-acre Krane Pond property that has important water resources and is within the “Missing Mile” 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, so we focus land acquisition efforts there. Fundraising to purchase and restore the Krane Pond property must be completed by Christmas.

We have a few months left in 2023, and thankfully with your ongoing support we know we can accomplish even more for our land conservation mission before year-end!

With Gratitude,

In this issue Save Mount Diablo Purchases Key Balcerzak Inholding

2

California State Parks: Break the Logjam!

4

Help Us Reach the Finish Line: Krane Pond

6

Give Every Kid a Chance to Love Nature

7

Life-Changing Experiences at Our Curry Canyon Ranch

8

Exploring Tesla Park

9

Rare Flora and Fauna Follow Fire

10

Supporting Our Smallest Raptor

12

Meet our New Board and Staff Members

13

Moonlight on the Mountain

14

Tribute and Memorial Gifts

16

ON THE COVER : The Balcerzak inholding in Mount Diablo State Park.

Save Mount Diablo completed this strategic land acquisition in August.

PHOTO: SCOTT HEIN

Diablo Watch is published twice yearly for friends of Save Mount Diablo, a nationally accredited land trust and 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

PHOTO BY: SCOTT HEIN

Take a Hike with Our Updated Trail Map!

By Mary Nagle

We are proud to announce the official release of the sixth edition of our FREE Mount Diablo regional trail map!

The map details 338,000 acres of land throughout the Diablo region— more than 120,000 of which are now protected. It showcases the trails and topography of Mount Diablo, Los Vaqueros, and surrounding parks in a detailed yet easy-to-use manner.

To produce the first edition, which was released in 2007, our volunteer map committee walked hundreds of miles with GPS units to make this the most accurate map of the Diablo region ever created.

Since then, Save Mount Diablo has periodically updated the map to accurately reflect the trails and impacts of conservation work in the East Bay. The latest edition of the Mount Diablo regional trail map includes lands recently protected by Save Mount Diablo and its partners, such as Finley Road Ranch.

Download the digital version of our map on our website at bit.ly/3LtJzcU or on the Avenza app at bit.ly/3PG293X. The Avenza app lets you download the map ahead of time.

As you visit Diablo’s parks, your location is shown in the Avenza app so that you always know where you are and can explore more easily.

DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / SUMMER 2023 1

Save Mount Diablo Purchases Balcerzak

A critical inholding within Mount Diablo State Park

By Mary Nagle

On August 8, Save Mount Diablo closed escrow on the “Balcerzak inholding” property on Mount Diablo.

THE BALCERZAK PROPERTY has been a top priority for Save Mount Diablo for many years. Within days of the property being listed as for sale, we submitted our offer.

“It is a major deal acquiring one of the few remaining private land inholdings within Mount Diablo State Park. It is even more significant when you consider the time pressure and 2

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competition we had to face when the property was put on the market, as we worked to secure what had been an at-risk and a beautiful inholding threatening Mount Diablo State Park.

We are already working with our valued agency partners, California State Parks and the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy, to get this land added to Mount Diablo State

Park as soon as they can. Our terrific donors have also been reaching out to help us,” said Ted Clement, Save Mount Diablo Executive Director.

When Balcerzak was listed, Save Mount Diablo was already committed to several other land acquisition projects.

To move fast and protect Balcerzak from developers, we took out a two-year, interest-only loan for half the purchase price of $1.075 million. Now Save Mount Diablo must raise at least $500,000 to pay back the loan.

PHOTO BY: GOOGLE/DATA SIO, NOAA, US NAVY, NGA, GEBCO LANDSAT COPERNICUS DATA MBARI DATA LDEO/COLUMBIA, NSF, NOAA DATA CSUMB SFML, CA OPC

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: View of the Balcerzak property and the surrounding Mount Diablo State Park; log cabin on the property; map showing location near Save Mount Diablo’s Curry Canyon Ranch property.

What Makes Balcerzak Special?

Mount Diablo State Park, which is nearly 20,000 acres in size, has five inholdings—private land surrounded by public land. Inholdings are a unique opportunity for the landowner: isolation, views, and spectacular beauty surrounded by nature but with special challenges including fires, floods, wildlife, privacy concerns, and public recreational use.

But from a park agency’s perspective, private properties within parks create management challenges, impact resources, and can conflict

with recreational use. We’re working to acquire inholdings like Balcerzak on Mount Diablo and prevent them from further disturbing the habitat.

The Balcerzak inholding is cradled in a rugged side canyon adjacent to Curry Canyon Ranch, below the newly opened Knobcone Point Trail.

The land is crisscrossed by converging stream canyons filled with black oaks, blue oaks, chaparral, and fireadapted knobcone pine woodland, near Save Mount Diablo’s Curry Canyon Ranch.

Black oaks in particular are a rare find. We hope to collect their acorns and possibly use them to plant more trees on the property.

“Curry Canyon’s side canyons are incredible,” said Seth Adams, our Land Conservation Director. “We knew from our Curry Canyon Ranch property just how rich the biodiversity is—we’ve recorded over 800 species of wildlife there. There are big rocky sandstone cliffs, and cultural sites nearby. This inholding has been affecting hundreds of acres of Mount Diablo State Park.

We’re reassembling a gorgeous natural landscape.”

The Balcerzak inholding wasn’t originally an inholding. It was part of the six-lot Mann subdivision. “Backhoe Bob” Balcerzak purchased one of the lots in 1984 and built a large log cabin.

Every rural community hopes for a neighbor like “Backhoe Bob” Balcerzak, handy, helpful, and with a lot of tools and heavy equipment. For many years, Bob Balcerzak helped maintain the fire road up Curry Canyon.

In the 1960s, Mount Diablo State

PHOTO BY: SCOTT HEIN; MAP BY: SETH ADAMS/SAVE MOUNT DIABLO

Park acquired part of the Blackhawk Ranch and expanded the park east down Curry Canyon from Curry Point and the Knobcone Point ridge.

Later, five of the Mann parcels were purchased by the state in 1986 and 1987, completely encircling Balcerzak.

Bob Balcerzak passed away in September 2022, and his wife, Barbara Ackerman, put the property on the market in June. Curry Canyon is a special high priority acquisition area for Save Mount Diablo. In 2013, Save Mount Diablo acquired the 1,080-acre Curry Canyon Ranch, its largest acquisition to date.

Diablo’s main peaks have many large canyons, such as Pine Canyon and Mitchell Canyon, most easily accessible via fire roads and regional staging areas with lots of parking.

But much of Curry Canyon and the surrounding open space is not yet open to the public. Earlier this year, we opened the Knobcone Point Trail in upper Curry Canyon Ranch; this trail provides recreational opportunities on land that until its opening had not been publicly accessible for nearly 100 years.

Healing the Land on Balcerzak

The Balcerzak inholding is not untouched by development. In addition to its log cabin, it contains barns and outbuildings; it will require a major cleanup of a large amount of construction and ranch materials.

But the rewards will be significant positive impacts for Mount Diablo State Park. • DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 3

California State Parks:

Break the Logjam!

Expand Mount Diablo State Park now. Accept the donated Viera–North Peak and CEMEX properties, for starters.

By Seth Adams

Mount Diablo State Park hasn’t added a new property since 2007. For eight years, Save Mount Diablo has been trying to transfer our 165-acre Viera–North Peak property on the very slopes of Mount Diablo’s North Peak, for free.

MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, the CEMEX quarry publicly announced it wanted to donate 101 acres to Mount Diablo State Park, next to the state park’s Mitchell Canyon, including a section of the historic Black Point Trail. We need your help to urge California State Parks to get moving on these critical acquisitions.

Save Mount Diablo’s Executive Director, Ted Clement, stated, “At Save Mount Diablo, we have worked hard to build a large pool of strategic properties waiting to be added to Mount Diablo State Park—properties like the Balcerzak inholding, the Viera–North Peak property, part of Curry Canyon Ranch, and the CEMEX land. We are poised to dramatically increase the size, value, integrity, and stunning splendor of Mount Diablo State Park for more public benefit and connection to nature. Now is the time for action!”

We’ve worked closely with the state 4

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for 50 years, helping them acquire land. Mount Diablo State Park’s general plan includes 7,500 acres of “appropriate future additions,” most on the actual slopes of Mount Diablo’s two main peaks. Sometimes they’d buy property, sometimes we would.

Save Mount Diablo steps in

Sixteen years ago, California State Parks stopped making progress on any new additions to Mount Diablo State Park. Save Mount Diablo has stepped in to save threatened properties that should be in the state park until the state could move forward, or they would have been lost.

Within the “appropriate additions” area, we’ve purchased 165-acre Viera– North Peak, 1,080-acre Curry Canyon Ranch, 76-acre Wright Canyon, 20-acre Young Canyon, 95-acre Anderson Ranch, 29-acre Smith Canyon, the 10-acre Balcerzak inholding, and very

soon, the 6.69-acre Krane Pond, securing eight critical properties worth more than $12 million.

Several more properties make sense as additions, including the 101-acre CEMEX property above Mitchell Canyon. Save Mount Diablo has worked with CEMEX for over six years to have this land donated to Mount Diablo State Park. In 2022, the CEMEX corporation agreed and publicly announced it would make this donation to Mount Diablo State Park.

We take care of and clean up the properties we acquire before conveying these lands to Mount Diablo State Park.

Reasons for the logjam abound.

State budget shortfalls during recessions. Proposals to close state parks in 2008 and 2011. Several new State Park Directors and several reorganizations.

One of the biggest problems was the loss of experienced land acqui-

sition staff in Sacramento. But state voters also approved resource bonds in 1998, 2001, 2006, and 2018, each with hundreds of millions of dollars for state parks. The acquisition department should be back up to speed.

As California State Parks faltered, nonprofit land trusts all over the state have stepped in to protect critical properties that might have been lost.

We’re told that Viera–North Peak and Curry Canyon Ranch properties are on California State Parks’ top priority list, and park staff urged us to acquire the Balcerzak inholding, which had complicated park management for decades.

Years of waiting and public frustration

We were told that acquisitions might resume if we got funding from other sources, so we did, or helped with management for some time, which we agreed to do. The East Contra Costa PHOTOS BY: SCOTT HEIN

County Habitat Conservancy provided all funding for Viera–North Peak. All they require is a conservation easement or a deed restriction to ensure long-term protection—which California State Parks has so far failed to accept.

After eight years without progress on Viera–North Peak—a free, turnkey property on the very slopes of the mountain, an appropriate addition that California State Parks pursued for years before we were finally able to acquire it—we and the public are getting frustrated.

We’ve asked Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblymember Rebecca

Bauer-Kahan to help move things forward, and we’re asking the public to urge state parks officials and the California State Parks Commission to make progress. • LEFT: For eight years, Save Mount Diablo

has been trying to transfer our 165-acre Viera–North Peak property to Mount Diablo State Park. The property, high on Mount Diablo’s North Peak, is home to many rare plants.

RIGHT: More than a year ago, CEMEX publicly announced it will donate this 101-acre property above Mitchell Canyon to Mount Diablo State Park. It includes a segment of the historic Black Point Trail.

Please send a message

simultaneously to these individuals and agencies using this link: bit.ly/3LXEhq8 DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 5

Krane Pond $500,000 $400,000

$423,000

$300,000 $200,000 $100,000

Please help us cross the finish line, so that Krane Pond is protected forever!

Help us reach the finish line!

Krane Pond: A Critical Water Source for the Dry Summer

By Alexander Broom

TO PERMANENTLY PROTECT and

steward Krane Pond, Save Mount Diablo must raise the necessary funds by no later than December 25 of this year. Thanks to numerous generous donations from individuals, the Firedoll Foundation, and the Resources Legacy Fund, as of this printing, Save Mount Diablo has raised $423,000 of the funds needed to protect Krane Pond and still needs to raise $77,000.

Last November, Save Mount Diablo purchased the option to acquire the Krane Pond property, a 6.69-acre section of Mount Diablo’s “Missing Mile” on the slopes of North Peak.

Its most significant feature is the large pond that serves as its namesake, one of the largest in the area. The Krane Pond property directly borders Mount Diablo State Park and is a major water source for wildlife of all kinds during the dry summers.

It’s difficult to describe just how much effect a pond can have on creating a habitat for plants and wildlife and how it can provide an essential corridor for animals on the move.

Migratory birds will often stop in ponds along their routes. Ponds also provide an essential source of water

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for roaming mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, and deer. Amphibians require water for part of their life cycle, and ponds help connect the dots for them to expand populations and find new habitats.

As humans continue to increase their spread into once-open spaces, more and more of these ponds disappear, closing off corridors, removing stops along migration routes.

Water is life, and making sure Krane Pond is protected and restored into a thriving habitat keeps that life diverse and healthy.

Krane Pond is a high-priority acquisition for Save Mount Diablo for these reasons as well as its specific location within the “Missing Mile,” an approximately square mile of private, partly unprotected land on the slopes of Mount Diablo’s North Peak.

Historically the area is in the path of development. Although Save Mount Diablo slowed those threats over the years, small properties near town continued to get subdivided and fragmented.

Save Mount Diablo has already acquired or protected a number of properties in the Missing Mile,

including Young Canyon in 2006, North Peak Ranch beginning in 2015, and the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association (CMDTRA) in 2022.

By purchasing Krane Pond, we will stop development in its tracks and ensure that this major water source continues to sustain Mount Diablo’s wildlife for generations.

Wildlife like the California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, and western pond turtle rely on these types of habitat and are facing a constant threat of development. Likewise, plants endemic to our region— think locally native and not found elsewhere—are all found nearby and threatened by increased development.

Brewer’s western flax, Hall’s bush-mallow, Mount Diablo fairy lantern, Mount Diablo sunflower, and Mount Diablo phacelia are good examples. It is imperative that these species continue to thrive in this area, as they’re all part of the rich tapestry of biodiversity at Mount Diablo. •

With your support, we will purchase and restore Krane Pond!

Please make a gift at bit.ly/kranepond ILLUSTRATIONS BY: JAMES WOODS MARSHALL

FROM LEFT: Handmade

thank-you cards from students who visited Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve earlier this year.

Give Every Kid a Chance to Love Nature

By Mary Nagle

A $100,000 donation for kids!

“STUDENTS WITH ADD AND ADHD in

particular seem more centered and content when I am working with them outside in the school garden or taking them on a hike,” says educator Dawn Lezak, who has taught several groups of kids at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. “They are often the ones making discoveries, and seeing nuances that other students did not notice,” she said.

In the beginning of 2023, Save Mount Diablo’s educational programs received a major surge of support via the new Adler Education Fund. The program was jumpstarted by a generous $100,000 donation from award-winning local educator Judy Adler.

Thanks to this fund, Save Mount Diablo announced the creation of a new pilot outdoor education curriculum aimed at third to fifth graders.

Instead of spending another long

day at their desks, kids learn through exploration and action—planting the seeds for a lifelong love of nature. And the importance of developing that love of nature cannot be overstated. A deep connection with nature will be needed to address environmental challenges and teach kids to love nature.

We aim to grow this connection to give the next generation a reason to care about the planet.

New curriculum for the next generations

The pilot program officially kicked off at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve in April.

Currently, the program is filled with engaging hands-on lessons that include cartography, plant identification, and environmental stewardship.

Over time, the selection of lessons will expand to ensure that they fit the

needs and interests of the kids.

Outdoor education has a long list of benefits; it’s important for both physical and mental health. And educationally, it’s especially helpful for kids who may struggle within the traditional classroom.

We are beginning to work with schools in underserved communities to facilitate free field trips at Mangini Preserve and on Mount Diablo for kids who might have fewer opportunities to experience nature.

Our goal is to ensure that every kid has the chance to build a lifelong connection with nature! •

» You can help our new educational

programs grow and thrive by donating to the Adler Education Fund at:

savemountdiablo.org/donate.

DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 7

FROM LEFT: Students from Holbrook

Language Academy protect native tree saplings with tubes; students from Riverview Middle School enjoying a nature hike; students from Mount Diablo High School relaxing at our Curry Canyon Ranch property.

Life-Changing Experiences Seven summer field trips with Bay Area community CARES kids STUDENTS SPOTTED COYOTES on the

hillside, soaring golden eagles overhead, ground squirrels peeking out of their holes, garter snakes swimming in the nearby pond, and frogs in Curry Creek.

For many of the students, it was their first time visiting Mount Diablo.

In summer 2022, Save Mount Diablo was thrilled to have our first BACR (Bay Area Community Resources) CARES (Collaborative of Academic Recreation and Enrichment for Students) students visit our Curry Canyon Ranch property to take part in several environmental service activities.

The students, ages 14 to 18, lit the path for their peers and this summer, Save Mount Diablo welcomed many more young people to Curry Canyon Ranch.

Youths from seven different Mount Diablo Unified School District schools of diverse ages and backgrounds from fourth grade through twelfth grade

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joined our stewardship staff on seven separate environmental workdays.

The workdays helped them continue to learn and facilitate a love for nature and helped us with our goals to expand our outdoor education programs.

Through teamwork, the students contributed to addressing climate change by protecting a total of 306 native trees. They tubed native tree saplings, helping to protect the young trees from harsh weather, and ensuring saplings make it through their vulnerable stages.

With the students’ passionate work, we have now protected and planted more than 2,700 trees and plants, getting Save Mount Diablo closer to our goal to protect and plant 10,000 trees in 10 years.

The students also learned the importance of Mount Diablo’s native milkweed to the endangered, beautiful monarch butterflies. Students helped collect milkweed seeds without harming the plant by placing mesh bags around the seed pods, to be collected later for propagation. The propagated

By Frenchy Hendryx California milkweed plants will be planted back on our properties to help provide habitat for and increase monarch populations.

After lots of hard work and a lunch break, these amazing youth environmental stewards, equipped with binoculars, hit the trails with our stewardship staff. Students and staff gazed at Curry Canyon’s beautiful blue oak woodlands and golden grasses.

We played the silent game, quiet and still as a mouse for one minute.

Students noticed the wind rustling through the leaves, water flowing down the creek, shifting of feet on the trail, birds communicating above, flies or insects buzzing by, and cows munching on the grass. Our senses were heightened. No mention of car horns, tires screeching on pavement, or manmade sounds. Murmurs of how calm and soothing it was.

Back on the school bus, the students didn’t want to leave. They had made a connection with their mountain. They felt fantastic helping steward their land and seeing firsthand the difference they can make. • PHOTOS BY: FRENCHY HENDRYX

Exploring Tesla Park A rare glimpse into this special preserve

FROM LEFT: A gorgeous plateau of oak

savanna; bluewitch nightshade (Solanum umbelliferum); and oak and lichen-covered rocks at Tesla Park.

By Mary Nagle IN THE SPRING , Tesla Park is nothing

short of stunning.

This year, we were fortunate to be granted access to Tesla Park, also known as the Alameda-Tesla property, for our yearly 24-hour BioBlitz. The land isn’t open to the public yet, and this was our first chance to get a close look.

We’ve been working with groups like Friends of Tesla Park for years to protect this area and to get it classified as a state reserve.

Tesla Park is a biodiversity refuge that straddles part of the wildlife corridor connecting Mount Diablo to the rest of the Diablo Range.

It had been proposed for expansion of the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area and more offroad use, which would have threatened a major wildlife corridor between Mount Diablo and the northern Diablo Range.

BioBlitzing through Tesla Park

After working for so long to protect Tesla Park, we finally had the opportunity to see its biodiversity firsthand.

We invited scientists and researchers PHOTOS BY: LAURA KINDSVATER, MARY NAGLE, SCOTT HEIN

to catalog the biodiversity of the area. Together, we scoured Tesla Park from the hilltops to the creeksides, discovering more than 300 species!

Because our BioBlitz took place in spring, Tesla Park was blanketed in wildflowers. Numerous yellow mariposa lilies could be found amid fields of jeweled onions, blue dicks, and other flowers, which peppered the park in a tapestry of blooms.

The flowers of Tesla Park are notable not only because many of them are uncommon, but also because of their abundance, thanks in part to the lack of human disturbance. Records of our discoveries are accessible on iNaturalist.

A Life-Giving Creek

A blue-green creek flows through the heart of the area, sustaining wildlife.

Plant life along the creek is extraordinarily lush and biodiverse, a testament to the ecological health of the area.

During the first hours of the BioBlitz, our team made the first recorded observation of fairy fans (Clarkia breweri) in the area! The

flowers we observed along the creek included numerous white globe lilies, purple Collinsia species, blue witches, and more—thriving and in bloom.

The creek’s aquatic habitats are also potential homes for rare amphibians such as tiger salamanders and yellowlegged frogs.

During the BioBlitz, we observed how large mammals rely on this creek. Along the shore, footprints belonging to wild cats and ungulates (possibly tule elk) were found. One of the researchers also photographed a bobcat in the area!

According to Save Tesla Park, this area is part of the range of tule elk.

Though elks successfully forage and survive in Tesla Park, they avoid the Carnegie area, maybe because of the intensity of uses there.

A major reason for the exceptional health and biodiversity throughout Tesla Park is the lack of disturbance.

This ecological health and biodiversity is why we’re working to ensure that Tesla Park is protected in perpetuity. •

DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 9

Rare Flora and Fauna Follow Fire

By Haley Sutton

Three years of Diablo Range fire BioBlitzes, more then 13,000 observations, nearly 1,500 species IN AUGUST 2020 , the Santa Clara Unit

(SCU) Lightning Complex wildfires began. Over the next 46 days, a series of approximately 20 fires scorched over 396,000 acres across five counties in the northern Diablo Range.

The SCU Lightning Complex is the fourth largest wildfire in California history. Save Mount Diablo saw this event as an opportunity to observe and record the post-fire effects and regeneration in the northern Diablo Range. We partnered with the California Native Plant Society for their Fire Followers Campaign to document observations using iNaturalist.

In 2021, because of the COVID pandemic and required sheltering, Save Mount Diablo hosted a two-week, dispersed BioBlitz event focused on the SCU Lightning Complex fire footprint.

The goal was to adapt the annual BioBlitz tradition while inspiring community naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts to explore various public, burned sites and document their findings. This three-year project recorded

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the first years of regeneration after the powerful wildfires.

In the first spring after the fires, the landscape was nearly barren. Hillsides that had previously been impenetrable with thick stands of chaparral were obliterated, exposing the ashy and burnt soil below. The space and light allowed wildflowers to flourish, creating whole stands of vibrant flora across the fire footprint. In year two, shrubs grew and grasses turned hillsides green once again, but wildflowers still had lots of room. By year three, flowers were still in abundance, along with a larger presence of invasive weeds, and the shrubs grew bushier, which made it more challenging to traverse the landscape.

Save Mount Diablo’s stewardship team jumped at the opportunity to explore the region post-fire, which led to the first major discovery.

Members of our land team observed fire poppies (Papaver californicum) on steep rocky slopes in the Morgan Territory/Round Valley/Los Vaqueros area, which was the first-ever record

of fire poppies at that location. But that was not the last time they were observed. They were seen again in the same area in following years, in higher abundance in 2022 and a decreased population in 2023.

Participants drove through Del Puerto Canyon to find large populations of other “fire followers,” or plants that sprout in response to fire, like golden eardrops (Ehrendorferia chrysantha) and whispering bells (Emmenanthe penduliflora) among swaths of other wildflowers.

A few rare plants were observed by stewardship staff during years two and three at Henry W. Coe State Park.

Large-flowered leptosiphon (Leptosiphon grandiflorus), Nutall’s scrub oak (Quercus dumosa), and most beautiful jewelflower (Streptanthus glandulosus ssp. glandulosus) were spotted during hikes throughout the state park and identified with help from the iNaturalist community. Other contributors observed many other amazing species, including a roadrunner and several mountain lions.

Each year, Save Mount Diablo also hosted a 24-hour BioBlitz at a specific area within the burn zone and invited researchers and scientists to contribute PHOTO BY: SEAN BURKE

to a collaborative species list. In 2021, we held a small gathering at the 9,000-acre Connolly Ranch, where a roadrunner and nesting golden eagles were observed.

The 24-hour BioBlitz in 2022 was held at Cakebread Ranch, Round Valley Regional Preserve, and Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, and also yielded exciting results. Attendees spotted California clam shrimp (Cyzicus californicus) and an endangered Crotch’s bumblebee (Bombus crotchii), a species that is in decline across the state. Participants also identified golden eardrops and fairy fans, or Brewer’s clarkia (Clarkia breweri). Many Mount Diablo endemics, or species only found in the region, were abundant, including Mount Diablo

TOP: Fire poppy (Papaver californicum) BOTTOM: Tufted poppy (Eschscholzia

caespitosa) in Del Puerto Canyon

globe lilies (Calochortus pulchellus) and Mount Diablo sunflowers (Helianthella castanea).

In 2023, Save Mount Diablo partnered with California State Parks for a 24-hour BioBlitz at the the AlamedaTesla property, also known as Tesla Park, in Livermore to further our understanding of the biodiversity in the area. During the event, staff members and partners with USGS and Friends of Tesla Park found the first-recorded observation of Brewer’s clarkia in the area, making it the second known population in the East Bay. Exciting animal findings included spadefoot toad and California red-legged frog larvae, California tiger salamanders, golden eagles, Lewis’s woodpecker, and

TOP: Large-flowered leptosiphon

(Leptosiphon grandiflorus) at Henry W. Coe State Park BOTTOM: Endangered Crotch’s bumblebee (Bombus crotchii) on California milkweed (Asclepias californica)

PHOTOS BY: SCOTT HEIN, MARY NAGLE, KEN-ICHI UEDA, SEAN BURKE, HALEY SUTTON

olive-sided flycatcher. By the end of the event, nearly 600 observations were made of over 300 unique species!

Observers used iNaturalist and eBird to record their sightings. Over the past three years, we were able to contribute more than 13,000 observations of nearly 1,500 species to the SCU Lightning Complex iNaturalist project.

We appreciate the contributions to this project by naturalists and scientists from partner organizations and our community!

The SCU Lightning Complex wildfires created an opportunity to learn more about the fire ecology of the northern Diablo Range and offered a sneak peak at its geology before the chaparral becomes impenetrable again. •

TOP: Chaparral zygadene (Toxicoscordion fremontii) rises from the ashes BOTTOM:

Fairy fans (Clarkia breweri) at the AlamedaTesla property, also known as Tesla Park DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 11

Supporting Our Smallest Raptor

By Sean Burke

Cause for celebration: 121 American kestrels have hatched or been released in four years.

SAVE MOUNT DIABLO’S stewardship

department continued monitoring American kestrels on and around our preserves this past spring. It seemed throughout the range that raptors such as golden eagles, prairie falcons, and American kestrels, from Henry Coe to Crockett Hills, were incubating later in the season. This could have been connected to the record winter precipitation California experienced. We first started looking at our boxes in April, and found them completely empty, save for our newly applied bedding. And the same continued until mid-May, when the boxes started to be occupied, with eggs or eyas (nestlings).

We closely monitor six nest boxes in the Mount Diablo area using wildlife cameras, though we have a total of 37 boxes that have been installed in the greater Mount Diablo hillsides. Within those six boxes, only one was uninhabited by kestrels. The other five boxes fledged 24 young birds into the open spaces of the mountain this spring.

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It’s fascinating to observe the parents working so hard to hunt and gather for their young growing eyas.

Each box has a different frequency of food being brought to the box, of which parent is bringing the food, and of course, of what is on the menu.

This season the most common images from our camera traps were large wolf spiders being brought to boxes, as well as western fence lizards later in the spring. At one box a very active female was calling the male to bring food to the box quite regularly. She would land in the box opening and then call multiple times an hour, for the male to bring prey to the box. He would arrive moments later with a fresh spider. This was such a regular occurrence that within 13 days, the 64 GB memory card in the camera was full.

We also continued our release partnership with Lindsay Wildlife Experience this year. Together we met with staff from the Wilton Rancheria, among Mount Diablo’s First Peoples,

FROM LEFT: Sherrill Cook of Lindsay Wildlife Experience releases a rehabilitated American kestrel at our Curry Canyon Ranch property; a kestrel parent brings a kingsnake to its hungry young in one of our nest boxes.

at Curry Canyon Ranch and released seven raised and rehabilitated fledgling kestrels into the warm embrace of the mountain. Working with partners to release these small falcons with many facets of Miwok peoples was one of the most prized experiences of my career.

All in all, in the past four nesting seasons, we have helped 121 known kestrels to find life and a home on Mount Diablo. Our next step would be to broaden our monitoring efforts to more of the 37 nest boxes, so we can begin to measure more accurately our impact on the local kestrel population given our efforts and those of our partners at The Kestrel Campaign and Lindsay Wildlife.

We left wildlife cameras up on a few boxes last season, and footage showed nesting pairs using the boxes in December and January, leading us to believe that they had established little territories for themselves, and were staying in the area near the nest box. We’re very happy to see these little ones finding a safe home on the mountain, where they can raise their young year after year. • PHOTOS BY: SEAN BURKE

Meet Our New Board Members Steve Balling also serves on our Mary Bowerman Science and Research Committee! He

grew up a stone’s throw from Fossil Hill in Walnut Creek, enjoying early life in the shadow of Mount Diablo. In 2016, he began volunteering for Save Mount Diablo. He’s led numerous hikes for our Discover Diablo and Four Days Diablo programs. He is a certified California naturalist and has participated in our BioBlitz every year since 2016. He also started working as a Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve docent soon after our preserve opened.

Shirley Langlois also serves on our Land and Education Committees! She is an avid hiker,

a kayaker, a lover of the outdoors, and a long-time supporter of environmental causes. She earned a BA in political science at Oberlin College and a master’s degree in city and regional planning at UC Berkeley before completing a 33-year career at Kaiser Permanente. Shirley has served as a member of the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and President of the Clarewood Townhouse Association. She has volunteered as a docent at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve and with Save Mount Diablo’s Diablo Restoration Team.

Doug Matthew grew up in Walnut Creek, back when Ygnacio Valley Road was a two-lane

road and the area east of Oak Grove Road was ranches and walnut orchards. He and his wife, Sylvia, live in Walnut Creek, close to Shell Ridge Open Space. Mount Diablo has been “near and dear” to him for a long time. Doug has an MBA from the University of Chicago and worked for four decades in the transportation and logistics field in various roles including strategic and financial planning. He serves on Save Mount Diablo’s Finance Committee.

Welcome to Our New Staff!

Frenchy Hendryx, our new Education & Outreach Associate, spent three years as a

volunteer for Save Mount Diablo before joining our staff this year. At her previous job, she worked as a garden educator for the Mount Diablo Unified School District’s BACR CARES program, teaching youth about gardening and nutrition. Frenchy’s love for nature started at an early age and has evolved into numerous passions including rock climbing, foraging, mountain biking, making nature-inspired beaded earrings, and appreciating her favorite mountain, Mount Diablo. Frenchy loves exploring the Diablo Range with her husband and dog Roux.

Mary Nagle joined Save Mount Diablo in 2022 as a Communications & Advocacy

Intern and was promoted to Communications Associate in October. Growing up near Mount Diablo, she developed a deep love of nature that inspired her to earn a degree in environmental studies with a minor in professional writing from UC Santa Barbara. In college, she worked for the urban forestry restoration nonprofit Your Children’s Trees and assisted a PhD candidate in examining data related to central California vernal pools. Prior to joining Save Mount Diablo, she performed an extensive research project on the effects of sea-level rise on coastal wetlands, for the startup Stormsensor, and worked as a park aide at Mount Diablo State Park. We’re lucky to have Mary on our communications team!

DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 13

Thank You

for Celebrating Moonlight on the Mountain with Us!

With your generous support, we met

our goal and raised over $545,000—critical funds that will allow us to continue our work preserving the natural lands and wildlife still at risk.

More than 500 community members and elected officials came together at China Wall in Mount Diablo State Park to celebrate our successes.

They raised their paddles in support of Save Mount Diablo’s important conservation work to

protect land on and around Mount Diablo and connecting to its sustaining Diablo Range.

We are grateful to our presenting sponsor, Concord Feed; all of our other generous event sponsors; our live, silent, and online auction donors and bidders; our committed volunteers; and our guests, who made this year’s Moonlight on the Mountain gala such a fantastic and successful event.

Thank You TO OUR MOONLIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN SPONSORS

Jeanne Thomas

Charla Gabert & David Fr ane

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PHOTO BY: STEPHEN JOSEPH

PHOTOS BY: ALEXANDER BROOM AND LAURA KINDSVATER

DIABLO WATCH | SPRING / FALL 2023 15

Tributes TRIBUTE GIFTS and donations made in honor of or in memory of loved ones between January 1 to June 30, 2023 are listed below. Thank you to all of our supporters.

Your generosity preserves, defends, and restores the mountain for all of us to enjoy!

Tribute names are indicated in bold. An asterisk (*) denotes donors who make monthly tribute gifts.

IN HONOR OF Burt Bassler Russ & Cyndie Harrison Dave DeRose Marilyn Trabert Brad Heckman Jane Minor Dick Heron Steve & Carolyn Balling Mike Hummel Anonymous Al Johnson Carol Johnson Ariella Kaufman Shannon Cereghino Patrick Haas

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Jerold E. Grimm Hilary Zucherman Sydney Zucherman

Ken Kirkpatrick Clay & Janice Jackson Queenie Li Dianne Yoder

Daniel J. Henry Carol Henry

Joanne McCluhan Wayne Korsinen & Donna Baggett George Phillips Westwood Wealth Management Dolene Turk Karen Case

Gunnar and Kristin Jonsson Kalli Jonsson

IN MEMORY OF

Yolette Kaffke Dean Woerner Dr. Michael Lepawsky Anthony & Lucy DiBianca

Haley Sutton Ruth & Joel Willen

Emanuel Ashoo Paul & Valerie Minney

Peter W. Lippert Cecelia Duncan

Jeanne Thomas Joan S. Armstrong Elaine & Phred Jackson Douglas & Barbara Jones

Mary Bowerman Patricia E. Coffey

Barbara Mahler Ann Braham

Leone Boyle Jackson Smith

Rosemary Thompson Josie & John Fike

Mark McKinnon Rose McKinnon

Randy Bupp Mimi Bupp

Ken-ichi Ueda Akemi Ueda

Janet Montes Terry & Glenn Gonzalez*

James P. Butler Carolyn Butler

Geoff Wieczynski Rhonda Cavin

David Mujahed Carol Levin

Jack J. Byrne Charlotte Halverson

John Osmer Mary Fairman

Timothy Cleere Gene Underwood

Barbara Jean Parks Donald Larson Jaclyn Larson Jim Larson

Pam Clemmons Dan & Nancy Galvin Zoe & Daniel Goldblatt Ellen van Bever

Alice Philipson Petra & Alice Liljestrand

Frank Colombo Michael Colombo

David Potter Ingrid Butler

Jane Dunphy Thomas Dunphy

Ajit Singh Randhava Mohan Randhava

Anna Louise Ferri Larry Ferri*

James Rease Cole David Bowie Laura Giles

Michael Garrett Anita Hiebert

Marvin Schinnerer Mary Schinnerer

Dee Ginochio Anonymous Barbara Hayworth

Karen Sickenberger Margaret Kruse

Joseph and Betty Goldstein Janine Alden

Michael Smidebush George W. Davis

PHOTOS BY: STEPHEN JOSEPH, AL JOHNSON, MARY NAGLE

Join the Mountain Sustainers!

Harry W. Stewart Emily Cox Jane & Warren Stimpson Tim Knutson Steve Stone Bette Boatmun Jane Sweet Laura Sweet Vivian Sweigart Terry & Glenn Gonzalez* Robert M. Toronyi Randi & Joe Ault Sonja Davis Paul Henshaw Jim & Jan Sizer Eiko Smith Ron & Judy Smith Cheryl Toronyi Ronald Toronyi Bob & Cathy Wardwell Kathleen Younse Ernie Tovani Marge Tovani Susan D. Tullis John Tullis Dorothy Wright Patrick & Shirley Campbell

Become a part of a dedicated group of supporters who make automatic, monthly gifts to sustain the ongoing work and programs of Save Mount Diablo all year long.

Monthly giving is one of the easiest and most effective ways to give.

• You can start, change, or stop at any time.

• Your dependable support helps our team respond to unexpected conservation opportunities and also allows us to budget and plan for long-term projects.

We have made every effort to accurately spell names. If your name or donation has not been recorded correctly or was mistakenly omitted, we offer our apologies. Please contact us so that we can amend our records by sending an email to Queenie Li, Database Coordinator, at qli@savemountdiablo.org.

• With no reminders or extra mail, monthly giving is green giving, and more of your contribution goes directly to supporting conservation in your community.

Learn more and sign up at bit.ly/SMDgive.

PHOTO BY: SCOTT HEIN

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Concord, CA Permit No. 8553

Have you considered making a charitable gift through your IRA? IF YOU’RE 70½ YEARS OR OLDER, supporting Save Mount

Diablo with a gift through your individual retirement account (IRA) may be a great way to give.

IRA gifts offer a variety of benefits for you and the charities you support. A charitable distribution from your IRA (often called a “charitable rollover” or “qualified charitable distribution” or “QCD”) is an easy way to give from your appreciated assets.

When these gifts are made directly from your IRA to a charity, the distribution is not included in your taxable income. This means you can avoid income tax that would otherwise be due on IRA withdrawals. Plus, any gifts you make directly from your IRA will be counted toward your annual required minimum distribution.

To qualify: • You must be 70½ or older at the time you make your gift • The transfer must go directly from your IR A to Save Mount Diablo to avoid income tax obligations • Your total charitable giving from your IR A cannot exceed $100,000 annually • You cannot receive anything of value in return for your gift To learn more, please visit bit.ly/irasmd or contact Samantha Kading at skading@savemountdiablo.org or 925-949-4513.

Because Save Mount Diablo cannot offer legal or tax advice, we recommend that you work with qualified financial and legal advisors before making your gift.

“My dream is that the whole of Mount Diablo, including its foothills, will remain open space . . . that the visual and natural integrity will be sustained.”

DR. MARY L. BOWERMAN

SCOTT HEIN

201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 190 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 TEL: 925-947-3535 www.savemountdiablo.org