1995 Diablo Watch - Spring Edition, Issue 16

Chaparral Spring Blossoms

SMD's 333-ACRE ACQUISITION CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

In August, Save Mount Diab lo purchased the spectacular 333-acre parcel north of Marsh Creek Road and immediately across from Mt. Diablo State Park known as Chaparral Spring. At that time, the land was brown from years of drought and over grazing. Riparian corridors and ponds were in a degraded condition. It was difficult to tell what plant life might be present though dormant.

With the help of the abundant winter rains and cooperation from our grazing tenant, who has reduced the numberof cattle on the parcel by two-thirds, we can now fully appreciate the special beauty of Chaparral Spring. The once bare and exposed slopes are as green as Ireland, covered in lush, beautiful grasslands and Miner's lettuce. Heavy rains have filled ponds and at least two streams are running. Colorful mushrooms and other fungi are as plentiful as wildflowers, and huge numbers ofbrodeia and buttercup sprouts are promising to extend that color well into spring. Stream side vegetation is leafing out andthousandsofbuckeye nuts have sprouted and are already sending up leafy seedlings to help restore the riparian corridors. Plans are proceeding to fence pond drainages to allow reintroduction of three rare animal species.

The fundraising campaign is also proceeding well. SMD secured the land with a $10,000 option from a Revolving Option Fund established with a grant from the J.M. Long Foundation. This enabled us to hold the property until full funding was developed. SMD secured loans totaling $150,000 from two local banks who support our work, and depleted our Land Fund, to reach the full purchase price of $625,000. We need to raise $160,000 to pay the two loans and to replenish the Option Fund, and a total of $625,000 in order to transfer this acquisition to a public agency.

To date, Save Mount Diab lo has raised more than $95,000 to help pay off the loans, which come due in August 1995, including grants from the J.M. Long and the B.T. Rocca continued on page 5

New Grants to Save Mt. Diablo

Save Mount Diablo extends its gratitude to the J.M. Long Foundation and the B.T. Rocca Foundation for their recent grant awards. Thegrants-$50,000 from the Long Foundation and $11,600 from the Rocca Foundation - will go toward the recent acquisition of Chaparral Spring.

The J.M. Long Foundation previously awarded $20,000 to Save Mount Diablo for the creation of the Revolving Land Acquisition Option Fund. The Fund allowed SMD to option the Chaparral Spring parcel for $10,000. The Rocca Foundation has also supported Save Mount Diablo in the past.

SMD president, Susan Watson, says "We are especially grateful to the J.M. Long Foundation and Rocca Foundation for their generous support early in our fundraising campaign for Chaparral Spring. These two grants are an important first step toward achieving our goal of permanent protection of this beautiful property."

BoardofDirectors

Susan Watson President

Marv L. Bowerman Vice -President

Robert E. Dovie Vice-Presidei1t

Lii'1d,1 Mehlman Sccrefary

[ud soH Mygatt fr a ·ure:r

Paul ht,5i scr •D irecto r

Susan D'Alcamo Director

Charlice Danielsen Director

Don deFremery Director

Stephen Joseph Director

Amara Koss Director

Steven Mehlman Director

Bob Nunn Director

Allan Prager Director

Malcolm Sproul Director

Staff

Seth Adams Program Director

Carol Campbell Development Director

Patrice Moran Administrative Assistant

Diablo Watch is published by Save Mount Diablo, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving land on Mount Diablo and educating the public to the mountain'~ natural values

Editedby:

Linda and Steve Mehlman

Diablo Watch is printed on recycled paper with a soy base ink and can be recycled again

Round Valley Preserve to Double in Size Thanks to the East Bay Regional Park District

In November 1994, the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) Board of Directors more than doubled the size of Round Valley Regional Park by acquiring 320 acres from the Lydia Murphy Irrevocable Trust and an

is that Round Valley isn't yet open to the public" said SMD program director Seth Adams at the Park Board hearing. "Otherwise this meeting would be crowded with members of the public

thanking you for s your far sighted 0 action in preserving this most beautiful valley."

Round Valley is spectacular for its scenery and its isolation. Surrounded by steep ridges, ithaslong been protected from development and survives as a rare example of the flat oak-studded plains that were

option to be exercised before the end of next year for an additional 845 acres. Considered the most pristine and beautiful valley in the East Bay, Round Valley was a proposed dump site in 1988.

Save Mount Diablo, which testified in support of the purchases and helped pass the bonds used to acquire the new lands, has long considered the valley to be essential to efforts to provide park land and public access in East County. In addition, the route of SMD's proposed Diablo Trail crosses the valley. "The reason there are so few of us here testifying in support of this acquisition,

once common in Contra Costa county. Home to federally endangered San Joaquin kit foxes, the valley has never been farmed except for cattle grazing and is without paved roads. It includes groves of majestic valley oaks and its verdant grasslands, across which meanders a beautiful stream, turn into fields of wildflowers in springtime. The only other valley in the county anything like it is Los Vaqueros to the south, whose similar oak plain will be flooded by the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) to create its new reservoir.

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Charitable Bequests

Round Valley Regional Park-The East Bay Regional Park District's purchase of 1165acresexpands the Regional Park's boundary

Mountain Lion Initiative Under Attack

NEW LEGISLATION THREATENS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS

Save Mount Diablo has been fortunate over the years to receive strong support from Contra Costa's legislative delegation. In the November elections, however, many new members of the legislature were elected who desire to repeal environmental laws and propose eliminating assessment districts and other funding sources used to protect threatened open space.

Playing on recent public fears about mountain lions, some of the most intense attacks have been directed at Proposition 117, which protects mountain lions. In addition to mountain lion protection, this public initiative dedicates $30 million annually to acquire critical wildlife habitat. (Save Mount Diablo is in the process of applying for funding from Prop. 117 to help protect Chaparral Spring, our most recent purchase.) Passage of AB117 and SB28will eliminate this important protection and source of funding.

California's human population has grown to 32 million and thousands of homes have encroached on lion habitat. Last spring, there were numerous reported sightings of the cats around Mt. Diablo. Some of these sightings turned out on video to be house cats. It was suggested that the moratorium on hunting was the reason for a greatly expanded population. In reality, though, there has been no hunting of mountain lions in the East Bay in decades, and there is no indication of changes in mountain lion populations. The chance of seeing a mountain lion is probably less than that of being hit by a car, and the chance of being attacked less likely than that of dying from a lightning strike

or bee sting. Nonetheless, some legislators have seized on several random attacks as a reason to overturn Prop. 117.

Save Mount Diablo members are encouraged to write their legislators to support continued environmental protections, open space funding, and defeat of bills that would affect existing protections and funding. Please write your legislator today. Especially urge them to oppose AB117 and SB 28. They can be reached at:

Senator Dan Boatwright, 3086 State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

Assemblyman Richard Rainey, 4015 State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

Assemblyman Robert Campbell, 2163 State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

Governor Pete Wilson, Constituent Affairs State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

Page sponsors to help us offset the cost of printing and mailing this newsletter are welcome and can be thanked on these pages.

This page of Diablo Watch is supported by the bequest of Dan and Barbara Reid, of Diablo.

Note from the President

Iihis has been a good winter of good rains , and we have our reward - a goodly spring "where tides of grass break into the foam of flowers.''

If those words seem overblown to you just take a stroll into the glades ; or onto the hillsides of Mount Diablo and see for yourself

The beauty and wonder of each spring strike us suddenly and make this old world become reborn and renewed in exquisite color and light.

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\ If we are grateful for good rains during winter, we are doubly thankful for the beauties of spring.

In this issue, there are listed many hikes, outings; and events for this season. , It is another "April (and March and May!) on the Mountain.'' There 1 is, quite literally, something for everybody. Look over the list and make your choices.

Notice that Save Mount Diablo is giving a series of hikes at Chaparral Spring, new to everybody this spring. Although the "spring" in the name refers to asmall watercourse on the property, we can easily make a play on words to call attention to chaparral (scrub) in springtime. Most of the year, chaparral is, well, scrubby, having long endured the long summers and falls of harsh, dry conditions. But in spring, chaparral shows its true colors in the foamy flowers of chamise and • ceanotheus and toyon and coyote bush and the sages and more - all bursting into a floral display before retreating into a Icing summ_!Jr's nap

Chaparral Spring has a wonderful, long hillside of chaparral and it shpuld be glorious this spring. The property has other attractions , too, like an equally beautiful oak savannah, full of buttercups and other harbingers of spring, and two little ponds, into which Save Mount Diablo hopes to restore native amphibians. Make one of your hikes this spring with us on Chaparral Spring to see why Save Mount Diablo believed it was necessary to preserve this property for all of us and tor the future. I know you will not be disappointed.

Let us not be content with "Virtual Reality" when we have the Real Thing virtually at our doorstep. Enjoy your spring!

Save Mount Diab lo, City of Clayton Pledge New- Spirit of Cooperation

Recent issues of Diablo Watch have discussed Clayton's plans to rezone and annex lands east of the City limits. Known as The Marsh Creek Road Specific Plan, the four year effort caused great concern because it considered more than a thousand acres and would have allowed development high onto the slopes of North Peak and in other visually sensitive areas. The Plan's study area included all the private lands draining west into the City both north and south of Marsh Creek Road. The boundary stretched almost to Morgan Territory Road, including much of SMD' s Chaparral Spring acquisition, and to the State Park boundary along the study area's southern edge.

Save Mount Diablo repeatedly informed Clayton of our concerns, sent

letters to Clayton's residents, and prepared for long term efforts to limit development within areas of environmental sensitivity. In November Clayton Mayor Julie Pierce, members of the coun-

aries. This will decrease development numbers and maximum elevations, especially on the Mt. Diablo side of Marsh Creek Road.

cil and staff met with Save Mount Diablo' s Board of Directors to extend the olive branch of cooperation, and announce a redrafting of the Plan. The Specific Plan area has been considerably reduced to remove more than half of the private lands within its bound-

Volunteers, Volunteers, Volunteers

Save Mount Diab lo is looking for volunteers for a variety of tasks. SMD is sponsoring the restoration of a Bunchgrass grassland at Mitchell Canyon and needs volunteers to help with the project. We also seek volunteers for the Fundraising (financial or fundraising skills desirable but not necessary), Publications (desktop publishing, photography, layout skills desirable but not necessary), and Land Use (planning or other technical skills useful) Committees.

For more info about any of these volunteer opportunities, please call Program Director Seth Adams at (510) 229-4275

The City is revising and recirculating environmental impact report (EIR) documents, and will hold hearings at the Planning Commission and City Council this spring to consider the new plan. Although Save Mount Diablo continues to have concerns related to specific development standards and proposals included in the new plan, we are hopeful that differences can be ironed out.

At the SMD Board meeting in November, SMD's Board thanked Mayor Pierce and the Clayton Council for their

continued on page 6

Elizabeth Zilen Retires; New Board Members Elected

Elizabeth (Betty) Zilen, former Vice President of the board and Historian for Save Mount Diablo, announced her retirement

from the board in December. Mrs. Zilen becomes a Director Emeritus, joining fellow retired directors Art Bonwell, and Genevieve and William Sattler. Save Mount Diablo is grateful to Betty for her years of dedication to Save Mount Diab lo. We wish her well and look forward to her continued involvement as a Director Emeritus.

Also in December, the board elected three new directorsPaul Choisser, Susan D' Alcamo, and Charlice (Charli) Danielsen. Mr. Choisser is an Environmental and Land Use Planner and Public Advocacy Planning Consultant. He was an active volunteer with SMD's Land Use Committee prior to becoming a Director, and will continue to serve on this Committee.

Chaparral Spring Blossoms

Ms D' Alcamo is Public Programs Coordinator at the Jepson Herbarium, University of California at Berkeley. She has

served on the boards of Family Link and the California Native Plant Society, East Bay Chapter. She becomes our newest member of the Fundraising Committee, bringing valuable experience in raising funds for the Jepson Manual Project and the Jepson Herbarium.

Ms. Danielsen is the Project ManagerfortheNative Bunchgrass Restoration Project at Mitchell Canyon. She was President of the California Native Plant Society and is a life member and Director of the California Native Grass Association. A native plant specialist, Ms. Danielsen serves on the Land Stewardship Committee.

We welcome Paul, Susan, and Charli to the board and thank them for their hard work.

co11tinuedji·o111pa gel

foundations . This year, Save Mount Diab lo hopes to apply for Proposition 117 (Mountain Lion Initiative) funds to help reimburse our Land Fund for part of the acquisition expense and to allow transfer of the parcel to a public agency.

In spring, Save Mount Diablo will begin The Heritage Tree, Adopt-An-Acre, and Commemorative Grove programs, which will provide the opportunity for individuals or gr up . todedicatelivingmon u mentsat lrnparral Spring as -nduri ng gifts or special tributes. You will receive information on these programs in the coming months.

The enclosed schedule for April On The Mountain includes information about hikes on the Chaparral Spring acquisition. There is one every weekend from March 12 through April 22. We hope you join us on one of these hikes so you can see and enjoy this spectacular property.

ElizabethZilen

Char1iceDanielsen

PaulChoisser

SusanD'Atamo

Round Valley Preserve to Double in Size .

The District's Morgan Territory Regional Preserve is less than a quarter mile to the west, across CCWD' s Los Vaqueros watershed. Morgan Territory and Bob Walker Ridges drop precipitously more than a thousand feet from the preserve boundary to the valley's edge, making for a difficult access route along two miles of

steep, twisting fire road. Eventually a longer, relatively level trail might be developed from old Vasco Road in the Los Vaqueros watershed, but recreation plans for the watershed haven't been developed, yet. Public use will not be allowed until after reservoir construction is completed.

continued from page 2

Letters of Thanks can be sent to the Board of Directors, EBRPD, 2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, CA 94605-0381.

Clayton/SMD Pledge

continued from page 4

efforts to include our concerns in the Plan.

Members of the public interested in commenting on The Marsh Creek Road Specific Plan should ask to be included on the mailing list for public notice bywritingMCRSP, Clayton City Council, P.O. Box 280 Clayton, CA 94517. Please thank the Council for their work and for reducing the Plan to help protect Mt. Diablo.

SaveMountDiabloisanon-profit501(c)(3)conservation organization which has been preserving lands on Mount Diabloandeducatingthepublictothemountain'snatural value since 1971. Preserved lands have more than tripled inthatperiod. SaveMountDiablocontinuestoraisefunds to preserve the remainder of the mountain. For more information, or to receive Save Mount Diab lo' s newsletter Diablo Watch, write to Save Mount Diablo, P.O. Box 5376, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 or contact Program Director Seth Adams at (510) 229-4275.

Chaparral Spring provides spectacular views of North Peak. Help us save this property