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February 2022 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& FEBRUARY 2022
MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK VOLUNTEERS ENHANCE EVERY VISITOR’S EXPERIENCE
By Jody Morgan
Opportunities abound for Mount Diablo State Park volunteers to discover, connect, and contribute. Although the statewide Volunteers in Parks Program (VIPP) provides the essential training framework, Mount Diablo State Park’s diverse habitats, unusual geological features, and historic artifacts provide endless chances for volunteers to use their talents and learn new skills. Pre-COVID, the park typically had 250 volunteers contributing 19,000 hours of service annually. Last year, 160 long-term volunteers provided 15,000 hours of support service as the pandemic brought ever-increasing numbers of visitors to the park. Mount Diablo State Park Interpreter and Volunteer Coordinator Sharon Peterson explains: “Our volunteers make a tremendous contribution to the park. They help protect the park’s resources and make the park safer for visitors, and they enhance visitors’ experiences by helping them understand more about Mount Diablo’s amazing natural features, its plants and creatures, and its human history. Even if they never see a volunteer while they are here, each person that comes to the park benefits from their efforts.” Once volunteers complete their initial VIPP half-day training, they are introduced to a wide range of possibilities. Groups as specialized as the Stone Masons (aka Diablo Stove Team) often provide on-the-job training. Paula Whitney relates: “There were many Melissa Patterson (L) and Elizabeth Hudson (R) take Kirsten Shick (C) on an options, however, the Stone Masons Team stood out as a very unusual and uncommon MAU certification ride. Photo courtesy of MAU. opportunity. It also meant I could explore learning a new skill.” Jerry Schweickert notes: “I started about 12 years ago when the park wanted a badly eroded path to be covered with stone steps.” After completing the walkway with materials supplied by the park to blend with adjacent steps built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930’s, the crew was asked to restore the Diablo stoves. These large fireplaces, along with other stonework done by the CCC at Mount Diablo, are part of the 640-acre Cultural Preserve established by the State Parks and Recreation Commission in 1989. Many of the stones were quarried from Mount Diablo with others brought from nearby locations to build the large stone frameworks. The stoves’ tall chimneys were designed to control heat from wood fires, while metal grills and griddles
See Volunteers continued on page 14
BLOOD DRIVE ~ YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
The Red Cross has declared their first ever national blood crisis. Your help (and blood) are needed now more than ever! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Danville has teamed up with San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church and the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County to host an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, February 12th from 10am-4pm. The drive will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints located at 655 Old Orchard Drive in Danville. Help save a life! Register at https://tinyurl.com/fawyamj3. The self-taught Stone Mason Team uses authentic materials to restore Diablo stoves built by the CCC. Photo by Paula Whitney.
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