1990 Diablo Watch - Summer Edition, Issue 4

DIABLO WATCH

Protecting the Mountain since 1971

How To Save Mount Diablo

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed dtizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

Save Mount Diablo (SMD) has more than doubled the number of its members in the past two yearswe're 2500 strong. We expect our donor list to continue increasing rapidly in the near future as we focus on our long range plan of preserving more of the mountain. Given this growth, many new members may wonder how the group accomplishes its goals and whether there are opportunities for involvement. The answer to the latter question is a resounding 'Yes!', since SMD relies heavily on volunteers.

Save Mount Diablo is one of a half dozen conservation groups in the county. It began in 1971 as a loose affiliation of citizens interested in protecting the Mountain. At that time only 7,000 acres of Diablo's nearly 45,000 acres were protected in public open space. Spearheaded by Arthur Bonwell, an electrical engineer at DuPont, and Dr. Mary Bowerman, a Lafayette botanist, the group was a representative one, including members of other established environmental groups and was designed to bring attention to the preservation of Mount Diablo.

DIABLOWATCH is printed on recycled paper that can be recycled again.

Instead, SMD evolved 19 years later into an independent, nonprofit group with a well-known reputation.

Since 1971 three new regional parks and two city open spaces have been created and Mount Diablo State Park has almost tripled in size. The group has always participated in planning to make proposed developments more sensitive, but in recent years this work has become more important. Save Mount Diablo volunteers and staff track several hundred individual pieces of property and are watchdogging some 30 development proposals on more than 4,000 acres.

All told 30,000 of the 45,000 available acres of Mount Diablo have been preserved. The group's work is hardly over. Thousands of acres of the mountain above Walnut Creek and Concord remain unprotected as do thousands more near Clayton and in the San Ramon and Morgan Territory areas. In our nineteen years land prices have skyrocketed and development pressure has intensified. Houses are now routinely proposed on steep, rugged land considered undevelopable ten years ago. Increasingly, as with !he 725-unit Crystyl Ranch proposal m Concord, Save Mount Diablo informs its members of ways in which they can participate in the public process. Several postcards are enclosed with this newsletter for just that reason. We ask for your support in mailing these cards urging the Walnut Creek and Concord City Councils to preserve vital park lands.

Summer 1990

What Is Save Mount Diablo?

Strictly speaking, Save Mount Diablo is a collection of individuals who regularly donate money and/ or time for that purpose. The group is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, charitable corporation governed by an elevenmember Board of Directors.

Monthly board meetings are open to interested individuals. (Please call 685-5315 for meeting information and locations.) Most of the group's work takes place between monthly meetings, at committee meetings, field trips, in smaller meetings with land owners and at public hearings before various government agencies. Board committees include an Administrative Committee and an Acquisition and Publications committee. SMD is respected throughout the county as having not only a high profile but one with a reputation for thoroughness and technical expertise.

In 1988 the Board hired its first staff member, program director Seth Adams. Adams oversees SMD's many projects, aiding the Board in fund raising and publicity and works with the public and the press on various wues. Since Adams was hired, SMD's public presence has increased greatly. He supervises consultants and volunteers including printers, direct mail consultants, hike leaders and the editor of this newsletter.

How Can I Help?

You don't have to be on the Board of Directors to help, you

-continued on page 2

-from page 1

don't have to be an expert on anything and you don't need specialized skills (although these are certainly valuable). What you do need is some free time and an interest in Mount Diablo's preservation. A Board meeting may seem confusing and you'll shake your head and wonder how board members keep all the parcels clear in their minds (which has a pond, a stream, a view of a major peak or an endangered plant), while also considering the development of a 6-unit subdivision, a 100-unit Planned Unit Development preliminary proposal and the latest chapter in a three year old major project being considered in a series of town hall meetings. According to director Pat Moran, of Walnut Creek, ''When I first joined the Board, I knew a lot about one of our projects but I was lost on the details of SMD's other work. But there are so many people on the Board with a wealth of knowledge that they're willing to share, that being on the Board has been a great experience. I still haven't gotten all the properties straight, but I'm learning."

Some activities you can help with include:

• Volunteers are needed occasionally to write letters, make phone calls or attend meetings to insure that decision makers are aware of the public's interest in Mount Diablo.

• Volunteers are always needed to take our public display to festivals and other events.

• This newsletter is written, produced and mailed four times a year, pri-

marily by volun-

teers. You too can

help!

• Volunteers lead

• Fund raising for land purchase is an on-going activity. SMD receives donations from social clubs, businesses and foundations and members of the community. School ecology clubs have collected aluminum cans to help us; running clubs have held foot races. Let us know if you'd like to hold an event or have contacts who can help.

Finally, Save Mount Diablo's Chief Financial Officer is stepping down. We're beginning to look for ~ndidates ~or this director's posit1on who will work with staff and the Board of Directors (see announcement). If you've got time to spare for any of these activities or would like to volunteer, please write a short note to SMD; P.O. Box 25, Concord, CA 94522 or call Seth Adams at telephone: 549-2821.

Save Mount Oiablo Board of Directors

Susan Watson

Mary L. Bowerman

Robert E. Doyle

Elizabeth Zilen

Dann McCright

Patrice Moran

Genevieve Sattler

William Sattler

Chris Valle-Riestra

Robert Walker

Seth M. Adams

David Sanger

President Vice President Vice President Vice President Director Director Secretary Director Director Director Program Director Hike Leader

Chief Financial Officer Position Available

Save Mount Diablo is looking for a detail-oriented individual with a love for Mount Diablo and a head for figures to fill the director's position of Chief Financial Officer. Of primary importance is an interest in conservation and the preservation of Mount Diablo. The position is evolving as the SMD grows and will probably change as needed given specific skills of ~t~~ested ind_ividuals. Responsibilities could include overseein g and preparation of financial reports and tax forms; monthly attendance at Board meetings; payment of bills and staff compensation and p a rticipation in financial auditing. Accounting skills, computer literacy, investment knowledge and funddraising skills are desirable but not necessary. Please send resume to Save Mount Diablo, P. O. Box 25, Concord, CA 94522.

MDIA Volunteer Opportunities

Mount Diablo Interpretive Association is looking for volunteers to help staff its new Interpretive Center. Like meeting people and developing your knowledge of the park? Give the Docent Coordinator a call at 837-3965.

Docents come from all walks of life and include high school and college students, teachers, business professionals, homemakers and s~nior citizens. Training is provided. The Center is staffed on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

by law. hikes to see en-

should be dangered areas or .__

made payable to: to ones that we'd

s M t D" bl like to purchase Save Mount

a recent P.O. Box 25 Board meeting. Concord, CA 94522

Walnut Creek Open Space - A Legacy To

Be Proud Of, But What Now?

- land parcels should be large enough to matter, to be economical and to make a difference.

Ironically, the past two yea rs, Walnut Creek has been sitting on millions of dollars of open space funding that, given soaring land prices, is quickly losing value.

When Robert Pond, the driv ing force behind the city's open space program and its open space specialist, died last year, the city was left with no one trained in land acquisition. A recent reshuffling of the City Council and Parks and Recreation Commission resulted in a more murky city commitment to open space protection. The Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation publicly expressed its concern.

Mount Diablo State Park

The Walnut Creek Open Space, interwoven with the State Park and Diablo Foothills Regional Park, helps protect much of the foothills of Mount Diablo. The City of Walnut Creek originally led the way in this successful regional effort, after a citizens' referendum stopped development plans on Shell Ridge and has been lauded as an example throughout the state and nation.

The original 1972 referendum foreshadowed the creation of the R-8 County Service District and a subsequent $6 million bond act in 1974 that preserved parts of Shell and pme Ridges (in addition to part of Acalanes Ridge and Sugar Loaf Open Space) as well as local city parks Since then, the city's residents and the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation have continued to support aggressive open space acquisition They approved Proposition 70, State and AA local bond funding for more acquisition in the region and, most recently supported by a 70% margin, continued open space acquisition within the city.

Today, the county's population is approaching 800,000, traffic congestion is at all time highs with

little relief in sight and open space in the county is dwindling rapidly. At the same time, visitation to Mount Diablo has doubled and Shell Ridge has become one of Walnut Creek's best loved parks, used by 80% of the city's population. ''The balance of cultural amentities and beautiful open space is what makes Walnut Creek special and vibrant," said Council Member Evelyn Munn. "More and more people are using open space and they support additional preservation."

Pressures continue for private developments on Lime Ridge and in the Northgate areas. It's imperative that Walnut Creek residents voice their concerns for the city's remaining open space and that the city continue its aggressive open space program. Save Mount Diablo (SMD) and the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation have outlined criteria for evaluating possible future acquisitions:

- land chosen should be important for wildlife, recreational and scenic values;

- land acquisitions should complement existing open space and fill in gaps;

Throughout the past two years, open space supporters have conferred with city officials and suggested priority listings of properties that should be added. According to Munn, "the city has certainly not aggressively pursued the purchase of any open space and the costs keep rising. The question remains whether there's any real commitment to the purchase of these open space lands today. We need to spend the money and it should be spent to help separate urban areas and to keep sprawl in check."

A Look at Shell Ridge

Development adjacent to Shell Ridge has been confined largely to valleys while ridges have been protected. Trail heads have been decentralized to well-planned access points; limiting impact and making neighbors some of the open space's most ardent fans. Shell Ridge Open Space and its Borges Ranch function as a working cattle ranch and its interpretative programs are unmatched elsewhere in the state. Their Environmental Living History Educational Program fills up every year with more than 7000 children participating in the program and in tours of the ranch every year. Tens of thousands of other people hike, ride or picnic on Shell Ridge

A Look at Lime Ridge

Unfortunately, use of Lime Ridge has not been encouraged by the city. According to SMD board member Chris Valle-Riestra, "Shell Ridge is clean and well maintained. The city provides well-marked trails and a good map. In contrast, Lime Ridge remains virtually closed off to the public. Barbed wire fences and locked gates block access." Although its open space is as scenic as that of Shell Ridge and the potential for access from Boundary Oaks Golf ffi Course is very good, Lime Ridge is i not officially open to the public § _--.., ,.-,.,.....,

Both SMD and the Foundation believe that Lime Ridge Open Space should be expanded and opened to the public immediately. Viewed from I-680 or Highway 4, Lime Ridge rises like a huge pedestal all the way to Mount Diab lo' s summit. Many of the county's residents have long taken that visual integrity for granted, believing it protected. However, the events in Walnut Creek, including plans for Crystyl Ranch and a state college in Concord, demonstrate the very real threats to the area. According to Valle-Riestra, "Proposals to build houses ... could reduce the Lime Ridge recreation area's connection to the higher slopes of Mount Diablo to a narrow isthmus."

Diablo Foothills Freeway

The Diablo Foothills Freeway, which would cut through three of Mount Diab lo' s parks as well as the largest private ranch in the county, may be rearing its head again. The proposal, which would run from Alamo to Clayton, could cost more than $100 million and would cut and fill slopes more than a hundred feet deep. Although environmentalists and ranchers have been successful in shelving the project several times in the past, the Walnut Creek Traffic Commission has been looking at the idea once again. We'll keep you posted.

Shell Ridge-<1ne of Walnut Creek Open Space's most popu'lar areas.

Plans for 210 homes on Newhall North?

SMD and the Foundation agree that the 120-acre Newhall property, on either side of Ygnacio Valley Road north of Boundary Oaks Golf Course, should be protected immediately and that money should be reserved for its purchase. Conversely, the city has publicly preferred gaining Newhall South as a condition of development of Newhall North. City officials confirm that development plans for 210 retirement homes have been filed for Newhall North. Neighborhood groups and organizations including Citizens for a Better Walnut Creek have voiced strong opposition. According to Skoog, the former City councilman who suggested funding additional open space in 1988, "Newhall North extends like a peninsula and sits right in the middle of the city's open space. The city should have bought it already.

Whether the money that's been set aside is enough is irrelevant. The city budget can cover additional acquisition."

What Can You Do?

Speak up! Loud and clear. Send the enclosed postcards today and contact the Walnut Creek and 4

Concord City Councils with your concerns. Page 7 has additional important addresses for further follow-up and for your individual letters. Anything and everything you can do to voice your opinion moves us in the right direction toward expanded open space preservation. Let them know you want fewer houses, more open space, less grading and protection for all ridgelines.

Save Mount Diablo Hikes

July 21, Saturday, • 4:00 pm - Lime Ridge Open Space Leader: David Sanger, 526-4465. A gentle, late afternoon hike through the hillsides of Lime Ridge, looping over to Ygnacio Valley Road and back. You'll see a coyote or the endangered Mount Diablo manzanita and you'll certainly enjoy great views. Meet at the Boundary Oaks parking lot on the right at the end of Valley Vista Rd. in Walnut Creek.

August 25, Saturday, 9:00 am Morgan Property/Riggs Canyon Leader: David Sanger, 526-4465. View SMD's Morgan property, the recently acquired Creutz property in the extreme southeast part of the State Park, and new East Bay Park acquisitions. This is an 8-mile, hilly hike through some of the most spectacular land on Mount Diablo. Meet at the Morgan Territory Regional Land Bank parking lot to carpool to the trailhead. Morgan Territory Road south of Clayton and north of Livermore.

September 22, Saturday, 9:00 a.m.Clayton to Black Diamond Mines; Leader: David Sanger, 526-4465. Hike from near downtown Clayton into beautiful Black Diamond Mines Regional Park. View Mount Diablo and undeveloped land being considered in a new Clayton Specific Plan Study as well as the new Clayton Open Space. Bring lunch and water and meet at the Black Diamond Way trailhead by the Oakhurst Sales Trailer.

Peregrines Take to the Skies!

Peregrine falcons. Nature's fastest birds have been driven nearly extinct as a result of DDT contamination. The last nesting pair of peregrines on Mount Diablo was sited in the 1950s. California's original breeding population of over 300 pairs had fallen to just two nesting pairs by the early 1970s.

The bird had vanished entirely from the Eastern United States. The chemical, DDT, interfers with the bird's calcium production and causes them to lay fragile eggs. Birds that continued to lay on their eggs for the entire 33 days of incubation wound up with weakened and cracked shells.

Reintroduction is turning the tide. Almost 100 pairs have been reintroduced in California in recent years by the U. C. Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group (SCPBRG) in locations such as Morro Bay, Muir Beach and even under the Bay Bridge!

Thanks to the recent efforts of Save Mount Diablo, the SCPBRG, the Lindsay Museum and the California Hawking Club, local residents may have the opportunity of seeing these magnificant birds in their 200per-hour dive for food.

Mount Diablo is home to other hawks, eagles and owls, hacking is likely to fail as these other raptors often eat unattended chicks. In the current cross-fostering program, peregrine falcon chicks are substituted for prairie falcon chicks and raised by adult prairies. Prairie falcons, which eat rodents and lizards have been less affected by DDT and other pesticides and, in many cases, opportunistically fill historic peregrine nests. Both nests utilized in 1990 are historic peregrine nests.

prairie falcon chicks, the female readily accepted the two peregrines we substituted. Lee Aulman and Galen Rowell were no more than ten feet away before she was back in the nest."

According to Beeman, "Overall, we have to look at this on a mathematical basis; the more birds you introduce, the greater the likelihood you have that the birds will survive and return. Statistically, by adding four more birds this year, we're nearing the break point. Hopefully in the near future we'll have a

breeding pair here on the

mountain."

But the work doesn't stop once the chicks are placed in the nest. Dorothy Brown.hold camped near the nest 24 hours a day last year for five weeks j to ensure that the prairie par111 ents were feeding the chicks and to be sure neither chick fell from the high nest while Iii learning to fly. She's back this e year!

The successful cross foster-

Save Mount Diab/o aided in reintroduction of two more pairs of endangered peregrine falcons to Mount Diab lo this spring. Time and financial support was donated by Lindsey Museum volunteers, the California Hawking Club and the Smith Companies.

ing last spring on Mount Diablo began a several year process to establish a viable population of peregrine falcons on the mountain. Seth Adams, SMD's program dirComing to a mountain near you!

For the second year in a row, peregrine falcon chicks were crossfostered on Mount Diablo. SMD and Lafayette wildlife biologist Gary Beeman laid the groundwork for this year's re-introduction of the chicks. One pair of chicks was recently placed in a prairie falcon nest on the east side of the mountain and a second pair on the northwest side of the mountain. SCPBRG, which handled the actual transfer of the chicks from a nesting pair under the Bay Bridge, is the only organization licensed to reestablish peregrines on the West Coast.

In many reintroductions, baby falcons are fostered or "hacked" by human attendants, placed in boxes high on cliffs or on skyscrapers and fed daily by the attendants. Since

SCPBRG release specialist Lee Aul.man made both switches at Mount Diablo, aided by nature photographer Galen Rowell. Wearing a wooden backpack to protect the birds, Aulman roped up and climbed down a cliff face to first remove the prairie chicks and then again to replace them with the peregrine chicks. The prairie chicks are placed into another prairie falcon nest where the "mother'' takes on the new charges.

Galen Rowell's photographs of the reintroduction of these falcons will be featured in the January issue of National Geographic.

According to Beeman the "introduction went very smoothly. Much more so than last year. The female prairie falcon evidently can't count! Even though we took out four

ector, explained "Save Mount Diablo has worked hard acquiring land on Mount Diablo thereby preserving the habitat for these birds. There are so few chances to tum back the clock that when one arises, you have to grab il"

Save Mount Diablo contributed staff time and managed overall co-ordination of the program including agency interaction and fund raising. "I knew Bruce Smith had a special affinity for peregrines, so I invited him along to last year's crossfostering," relates Adams. This "up close and personal" encounter moved the Smith Companies to donate $6000 to the project. The Department of Parks and Recreation donated $2500, the Lindsay Museum $1350 and the California Hawking Club another $1000.

A Message from the President

In the last Diablo Watch this column talked about why Save Mount Diablo works to preserve land on the mountain. This time we shall look at some details of how acquisitions are made.

Save Mount Diablo carefully follows the status of each parcel of land on and around Mount Diablo. Our Land Committee and other Board members hike frequently on the mountain and maintain good relations with our neighbors, the private landowners.

Land to buy does not come along every day - or every year. Save Mount Diablo has assisted and advised the State and worked with the East Bay Regional Park District and the Open Space Districts on many of their land purchases. We are the proudest of the negotiations we have made ourselves: the 117 acres of oak woodland at the corner of Marsh Creek and Morgan Territory roads, the historic 360 acre Soto Ranch stretching a mile above Walnut Creek and the magnificant Morgan Ranch of 631 acres acquired last year.

These are our babies, as it were, or, rather your babies, as you are the people who have made it possible for us to acquire these beautiful lands.

Each addition takes several years of work and negotiation to accomplish. We buy only from willing sellers, of course. Many discussions and operations occur from the time the Board adopts a resolution to negotiate to the dedication which opens the land for public use. The members of the Land Committee spend many hours in negotiations with the landowners and their representatives, in evaluations of terms and in the necessary legal work. Although each purchase is in a sense a new set of circumstances, the one thing that is constant is a commitment to long hours and complex operations.

But the rewards are greatbeautiful areas are kept intact in the public trust for all of us.

The many groups and individuals who help us with donations of time, talents and money contribute to these efforts to keep our mountain in its great natural beauty. For the $30,000 option for the Morgan Property, which held the land from being subdivided, over 1100 donations were received, ranging from a school child's $1 gift to the equally important donation of $2500 from a local environmental organization. I hope that all of you who read this newsletter will be a part of our efforts, too. The mountain and future generations will thank you!

The members of Save Mount Diablo's Board work so closely together it is difficult to say good bye when one of us has to leave. Craig Tranby, who has been our hardworking Chief Financial Officer for the past several years, will be resigning soon to pursue his career in other fields. We have appreciated the work Craig has done and have enjoyed Craig's friendship during his term on the Board. We wish him well in his future endeavors. Thank you, Craig, for your devotion to the mountain and to us!

Susan Watson

Rising With the Sun on Earth Day!

April 22, 1990. Earth Day dawned early and 150 people, bundled in jackets, welcomed it atop Mount Diablo. They gathered in the cold morning air to hear Native American legends about the mountain's sacred heritage and to celebrate this special day. Attendees shared a concern about environmental issues worldwide and for our beloved mountain.

Crystyl Ranch Update ... We Won Round One!

Round two has just begun!

The Town Hall meeting process has brought together the developer and concerned citizens to exchange ideas and concerns.

The developer has said that he would follow the General Plan and Hillside Ordinance but proposed that the site be developed as 1/3 golf course, 1/3 homes (540 homes) and 1/3 open space. The Newhall plan says 454 homes and 50% of the site in open space. A golf course is not open space!

Grading, location of open space, protection of the Galindo Creek corridor, preservation of all ridgelines and preservation of trees

continue to be serious concerns. Many of the "rules" for protecting ridgelines, trees and hillsides are subject to interpretation. You can make a difference in making sure these "rules" work!

Remember - the Town Hall meetings were advisory only. The Concord City Council will decide whether or not Crystyl Ranch answers the voter's mandate. Watch for the Planning Commission and City Council hearings on Crystyl Ranch. Talk with your council members now. Let them know you want fewer houses, more open space, less grading and protection for all ridgelines.

SHORTS•••SHORTS•••SHORTS

Oyster Point Acquired

The 60 acre Creutz property was acquired last fall by the State Department of Parks and Recreation. Spectacular Oyster Point with its wonderful stands of native bunch grasses, is part of one of the mountain's most beautiful meadows. The p ·oint overlooks Blackhawk in one direction and the rugged cliffs marching off toward Rock City in the other. The property, which would have become an inholding surrounded by the State Park when the last Blackhawk development dedication was filed, was being actively marketed. SMD urged the State to purchase the scenic property to avoid the potential of private road building through sensitive areas of the park.

Blackhills Developers Revise Plans to Save Oak Trees and Creek

Early negotiations with the Blackhills Development Group appear to have resulted in a substantial redesign of their 40-unit project, adjacent to Blackhawk, to protect most of the site's oaks and to preserve more of Sycamore Creek than in earlier plans. By removing three units, almost halving the average lot size, and by re-orienting the lots, even more open space is likely to be

protected. Approximately 250 of 300 acres could be added to the State Park. SMD originally requested the Environmental Impact Report and wildlife studies of the Alameda Whipsnake that forced the project redesign. The Final Plan will be before the Board of Supervisors in the near future.

Voters Approve Mountain Lion Initiative

On June 5th, California voters approved Proposition 117, the Mountain Lion Initiative, by more than two-thirds. Prop 117, coordinated by the Planning and Conservation League and qualified by volunteers, restricts hunting of mountain lions and also directs $30 million a year for 30 years toward wildlife habitat acquisition. One-third of the funding is directed at deer and mountain lion habitat; the other two-thirds to wildlife habitat in general; possibly including Mt. Diablo. All of the funding categories, which will be distributed by various state agencies, are applicable to purchase of land in Contra Costa county.

Voters Disapprove Garaventa Dump Site

The Garaventa Dump site, surrounded on three sides by Black Diamond Mines and Contra Loma Regional Parks, was rejected by County voters in the June election. Opposed by environmentalists and the East Bay Regional Park District, the Antioch dump site lost by more than two-thirds.

Peregrines -frompage5

Mount Diablo Audubon covered printing of signs and press materials.

One of last year's birds has been sighted on Mount Diablo this year thereby resulting in this year's project expansion. Stephen Barbata, executive director of the Lindsay Museum in Walnut Creek, was closely involved in the project. "Daily commutes to the mountain, long days in the field, blisters on the feet, hours of quiet waiting and binocular mark "rings around the eyes" have afforded our generation and future generations the opportunity to see falcons that fly 200 miles per hour across our home sky," according to Barbata. Lindsay Museum volunteers pulled together yet again providing over 1000 hours of time monitoring the potential crossfostering sites and following up on the daily progress of each reintroduced bird. "But beauty and wildness return at a price," said Barbata. Tax-deductible gifts to the peregrine care should be sent to:

The 60--acre Creutz property, foreground, includes half of spectacular Oyster Point and the meadow below and of Blackhawk in the opposite direction (not shown). The most recent park acquisition, this property includes views of the mountain peaks beyond.

Memorials

This gift is in memory of:

Bobcat

Save Mount Diablo is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which has been preserving land on Mount Diablo and educating the public to the mountain's natural values since 1971. Preserved lands have more than tripled in that period. Save Mount Diablo continues to raise funds to preserve the reminder of the mountain.

Please send an acknowledgement to:

From: