Diablo Watch, Issue 65
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Diablo WatchFALL/WINTER 2018 | No. 6 6 The Marsh Fire Born in Fire, Marsh Creek 4, 5, & 6 Burn Again Proposition 68 After Years of Hard Work, Parks Funding Approved with Passage of $4.1 Billion Bond VICTORY in Antioch! Let Antioch Voters Decide: Sand Creek Protection Initiative ADOPTED Moving Mountains To Save the Mountain "Nature Deficit Disorder" In Our Young, Wired Generations 2018 Mount Diablo Trail Map Newly Updated Free Regional Trail Map Goes Mobile for the First Time Letter from the Executive Director Stephen Joseph BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dear Save Mount Diablo Supporters, We are in the final third of our historic $15 Scott Hein, President million Forever Wild capital campaign, Burt Bassler, Treasurer Amara Morrison, Secretary which will forever transform and perpetuate Heath Bartosh t takes a community, with long- SMD’s work by establishing a permanent Jim Felton term vision, generosity, and Stewardship Endowment Fund, a Revolving John Gallagher Land Acquisition Opportunity Fund, and Liz Harvey leadership, to succeed with the I a more robust Legal Defense Fund, along Claudia Hein mission of permanently protecting Margaret Kruse with protecting priceless lands. Recently, Frank Martens Mount Diablo and its associated one of our great community members gave Bob Marx open space lands in a densely a $100,000 challenge grant to Forever Sue Ohanian Wild, which we are working to meet. Robert Phelps developed and competitive real Malcolm Sproul Forever Wild enables our community to Jeff Stone estate market like the Bay Area. create a lasting green legacy and perpetuate the land conservation work of SMD for the STAFF We have such a community because of Ted Clement benefit of current and future generations. Executive Director awesome people like you, and your support Seth Adams of Save Mount Diablo (SMD) has given us REI released a report in 2017 entitled The Land Conservation Director much to be grateful for and celebrate this Path Ahead, and it noted that “Today, Meredith Hendricks year. Let me give you some examples of the kids spend less time outside than prison Land Programs Director successes you have been helping us with. inmates, with the average child playing Monica Oei Finance & Administration Director freely outside for just four to seven minutes It had been almost fifteen years since a d ay.” The findings of this report confirmed Marcia Slackman California passed a parks bond, and Development Director Richard Louv’s groundbreaking work and many parks were hurting, especially in Lydia Burstyn documentation of “nature deficit disorder” Development Associate our state park system. A couple of years in our young, wired generations. This is Caleb Castle ago, SMD started working with our Communications Manager a widespread cultural problem we are legislators, especially Senator Glazer and Hidemi Crosse faced with today. If our young people do Bookkeeper Assemblywoman Baker, and partners like not develop a loving relationship with our East Bay Regional Park District, to try for Karen Ferriere beautiful Mount Diablo area, in the future Assistant Development Director legislation that would allow for a statewide it will put at risk all the land conservation Juan Pablo Galván parks bond. Eventually we and our partners Land Use Manager victories we have worked so hard to achieve. Shannon Grover were successful and got the legislation passed Development Administrative Assistant that paved the way for Proposition 68. Recognizing this threat to the Mount Dana Halpin Diablo natural areas, Save Mount Diablo General Office Manager SMD sat on a Prop. 68 campaign committee has stepped up and is working to help better Katie Lopez with our partners, and we worked hard to Accounting & Administration Associate connect our young people to our natural get the word out about the need for this world through our new Conservation Roxana Lucero investment in our parks and water resources. Land Stewardship Associate Collaboration Agreement program with We were successful because on June 5th, Joanne McCluhan local schools; our new free public hiking Executive Assistant Californians approved a $4.1 billion parks program, Discover Diablo; and other efforts. and water bond. Contra Costa and Alameda Counties had higher approval ratings for the Thus far this year, we have completed bond than the statewide approval rate because Conservation Collaboration Agreements with our Mount Diablo community is one of Pittsburg High School and long-term vision, leadership, and generosity. Campolindo High School. Cover: Scott Hein Diablo Watch is published twice yearly for friends of Save Mount Diablo, a nationally accredited land trust and 501(3)(c) organization. Compass at Moonlight This fall, we will do a We are grateful that you on the Mountain 2018. Conservation Collaboration understand that our natural Compass is part of our realtor program Agreement with De La Salle abundance is critical to our and is also a sponsor High School; California quality of life while also of SMD's Conservation Collaboration Agreement State University, East Bay; providing us an economic program, sharing in and sponsor Progressive advantage by making our our vision to inspire Asset Management. area a desirable place to community conservation. Photography Jessamyn live, work, and visit—as In August, the Antioch recognized by many of you Nathan M. City Council voted 3–1 to Ohrbach like our friends at Compass Foundation adopt our Let Antioch Voters who provide the gift of Decide: The Sand Creek SMD memberships to their Area Protection Initiative! clients at real estate closings. After years of our efforts to secure better protections Thank you for for the priceless Sand stepping up to help Creek area in Antioch, our us accomplish so leading a coalition, and much this year! Scott Hein intensely working to write and qualify our initiative With Gratitude, Hosted by for the ballot—now more Valley Spokesmen than 1,200 acres of beautiful Bicycling Club land, creek, and wildlife habitat west of Deer Valley Edward Sortwell Clement, Jr. THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE Road have a new robust Executive Director 2018 CHALLENGE! layer of protection on them. Save Mount Diablo Meet Our Newest Board Members! Margaret Frank Robert Kruse Martens Phelps Land Finance Board Governance Committee Committee & Nominating Committee Margaret Kruse holds an MS in Frank Martens is President and Robert Phelps is an Associate Professor Educational Leadership from Founder of Peninsula Engineering of History at California State University, California State University, East Bay Solutions, where he oversees the sales, East Bay and the Executive Director of and a BA in Liberal Studies from marketing, and operational aspects Cal State East Bay’s branch campus in Sacramento State. She recently of the company. Martens has more Concord. The author of numerous articles retired after 37 years in public than twenty years of experience in on the history of California and the education, the most recent 25 microwave, cellular, and alternative American West, Phelps has also worked years having served as Assistant power systems. His experience includes extensively in the realm of public history, Superintendent for Human Resources sales, production, customer service, serving as an interpretive advisor and in the Brentwood Union School inventory management, quality content editor for a number of historical District. Kruse has volunteered assurance, accounting, and general museums, including the Oakland on East Contra Costa County land business management. Martens Museum of California. As campus use and urban limit line issues, holds a BS in Accounting from State Executive Director, he has worked advocating for the protection and University of New York at Albany and extensively to preserve the Galindo Creek conservation of open space and an MBA from Long Island University. section of university property. Phelps managed growth in the area. Kruse Martens has also been a CPA in New holds an MA and PhD in United States lives in the beautiful rolling hills of the York State. He served on the Hospice History from the University of California, Marsh Creek corridor of Brentwood, of the East Bay Board of Directors as Riverside and a BA in History from San where she strives to instill a sense Executive Secretary and Chairman of Diego State University. Born and raised of wonder in her four grandchildren the Audit Committee from 2009 to 2017 in San Diego, he is a member of the for what nature has to offer—as well and is currently on the SMD Finance San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians as the attention and effort required Committee. Martens lives in Danville of California and a former tribal Vice to preserve and protect the land. and enjoys hiking, biking, squash, Chairman. He lives in the North Bay and watching SMC college rugby. region with his wife Meri and son Aaron. The Marsh Fire Born in Fire, Marsh Creek 4, 5, & 6 Burn Again From July 25 to 27, the Marsh Fire recently learned a lot more. The for stewardship, taking care of all volcanoes had been thought to of our properties and restoration burned 247 steep wooded acres be aged somewhere between 65 projects along with a dozen or so on Marsh Creek Road, including million to 2.6 million years old, stewardship volunteers. Overall, three Save Mount Diablo but recent work has established nearly a hundred volunteers that they’re actually 7.5 million helped plant and water that year. properties—Marsh Creek 4, 5, years old. They predate Mount We now have sixteen staff and 6. Nearby Anderson Ranch Diablo’s exposure above ground. members, two for stewardship, was threatened but untouched. Three-acre Marsh Creek 4 had and hundreds of volunteers. burned more recently, destroying Our stewardship projects have A month earlier, a similar-sized a house and leading to our scaled up significantly in size and fire had threatened our Mangini purchase in 2008.