Audible Mount Diablo

CONNOLLY RANCH   We came to this 9,000-acre ranch to report on the effects of the 400,000-acre SCU Lightning Complex Fire. But as we toured the blackened hillsides, an even more dramatic story emerged: about the remarkable family that's been tending and defending this land for five generations. Presented by Save Mount Diablo, 2021.   Featuring Mark Connolly, Celeste Garamendi, Ted Clement. Photos...

We're re-publishing this episode of our "Plants of Twin Peaks" series in honor of Frank Valle-Riestra, who passed away in April at age 95. Frank loved Mount Diablo State Park and helped found the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. In this 2013 recording, he discusses Eagle Peak, Aeolian harps, and the charm of chaparral.  Presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with S...

Learn about two MOUNT DIABLO PINES—and the men who studied them by shooting down their cones with rifles. It's the last installment of our guide to MITCHELL CANYON, presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. First published in 2012, revised in 2017. Music from Banks of the River by Phil Heywood. Photos by Scott Hein (and others mentioned in closing cr...

THE GREAT FIRE OF 1977   After the flames died down, people took up a collection to replant the blackened slopes with Monterey pines. Only one problem: Monterey pines don't grow on Mount Diablo! Learn about the fight that ensued, in the 12th segment of our guide to Mitchell Canyon, presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. First published in 2012, re...

TWO TREES AND AN INSECT Quiz time: 1. Can you name a common California tree that has a huge, poisonous seed that looks like a deer's eye? 2. How about a tree that contains a painkilling chemical and attracts North America's longest-lived butterfly? The answers lie in the 11th installment of our MITCHELL CANYON guide, presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount...

PRIZED PLANTS   It's time to search for a nodding yellow MOUNT DIABLO FAIRY LANTERN, as well as the wavy-leaved SOAP PLANT, with so many uses it's called "the grocery store plant." It's the next segment in our MITCHELL CANYON guide, presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. First published in 2012, revised in 2017. Music from Banks of the River by P...

SCENTED SHRUBS   Ah the smells of spring! Learn to enjoy them in shrubs like PITCHER SAGE and CALIFORNIA SAGEBRUSH. It's part of our MITCHELL CANYON guide, presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. First published in 2012, revised in 2017. Music from Banks of the River by Phil Heywood. Photos by Scott Hein (and others mentioned in closing credits) Na...

WHEN GRIZZLIES RULED  Amid today's cool breezes, think about the harsh winter of 1826–27, when a mountain man named JEDEDIAH SMITH stopped off at Mount Diablo's Mitchell Canyon.  This MITCHELL CANYON guide is presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, in partnership with Save Mount Diablo.  

MINING   In the 1860s, men who had been "bit by the mining tarantula" searched for copper on the north side of MOUNT DIABLO.  Learn what they took and what they left behind in this installment of our MITCHELL CANYON guide, presented by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, in partnership with Save Mount Diablo.

Meet a COAST LIVE OAK  that sprouted around the time the U.S. constitution was signed in 1787. Then learn about the park's kissing MISTLETOE and nuisance TURKEYS. It's the latest installment of the MITCHELL CANYON tour, presented by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. First published in 2012, revised in 2017. Music from Banks of the River by Phil Heywoo...

TWO "OAKS"   1) Blue oaks are clever trees, uniquely adapted to California's dry summers. 2) Poison oak (not an oak at all) is the state's most common shrub. We all get one free exposure, and then the trouble begins . . .  Part of a series about an easy stroll along a creek on Mount Diablo's lush north side, led by Sue Donecker, Ken Lavin, Rich McDrew, Jim Mitchell, and Yulan Tong. Presented by Mo...

Meet Mary Leolin Bowerman, whose love of plants changed the course of history in the East Bay. 

GROUND SQUIRRELS  Did you know that ranchers once raised ground squirrels for their pelts?  Did you know that ground squirrels have a sneaky strategy for eluding rattlesnakes? All that and more lies inside episode 3 of our Mitchell Canyon guide, featuring Sue Donecker, Ken Lavin, Rich McDrew, Jim Mitchell, and Yulan Tong. Presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. First published in 2012,...

Our two-mile hike gets off to a strong start with ACORN WOODPECKERS and a NATIVE PLANT GARDEN. The second episode in a series featuring  Sue Donecker, Ken Lavin, Rich McDrew, Jim Mitchell, and Yulan Tong. Presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. First published in 2012, revised in 2017. Music from Banks of the River by Phil Heywood. Photos by Scott Hein (and others mentioned in closing...

INTRODUCTION   As nature wakes up after the first rains, learn more about nearby nature and history on this two-mile-long stroll on Mount Diablo's lush north side. The ten-part tutorial is led by park docents Sue Donecker, Ken Lavin, Rich McDrew, Jim Mitchell, and Yulan Tong. Presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. First published in 2012, revised in 2017. Music from Banks of the River...

INSIGHTS FROM THE FIRE ZONE  With the help of ranchers, naturalists, scientists, and land managers, this new series explores life in California's inland Coast Range after 2020's huge SCU fires. From Morgan Territory to Pacheco Pass, we'll visit places off the beaten track for most Bay Area people, yet deeply connected to places they already love. Want to learn where to find the region's most spect...

The secluded meadows of ROUND VALLEY REGIONAL PRESERVE  lie just a few miles south of Brentwood, California. The park has just re-opened following a 3,000-acre fire in August, so it's a great time to take a wildlife-rich walk out there! Want to learn more? Listen up . . .  Sponsored by Save Mount Diablo & Thomas J. Long Foundation, 2012. Featuring Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Scott Hein, and Brian Kr...

BUILDING THE TRAIL   In this tour, we've visited every stop on Mount Diablo's Trail Through Time. Here, finally, is the story of how the trail was built. The TRAIL THROUGH TIME is a series of geology videos featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atwater, UC Santa Ba...

Andrew Lawson was first to map the San Andreas Fault. But the cantankerous UC Berkeley geologist had more than a few blind spots.  It's episode 22 of the TRAIL THROUGH TIME, a series of geology videos featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atwater, UC Santa Barbara....

A curious crew from the California Geological Survey combed California in the 1860s. They were led by scientists Josiah Whitney, William Brewer, and Clarence King. Hear their stories in episode 21 of the TRAIL THROUGH TIME, featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atw...

We travel back to a time when short-faced bears and dire wolves roamed the place we now call home. It's the conclusion of our walk on Mount Diablo's TRAIL THROUGH TIME.  The series features naturalist Ken Lavin and is sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atwater, UC Santa Barbara. Music by Phil...

A red pebble in this sandstone tells geologists that Bay Area rivers were flowing backwards (from west to east) when the rock was formed. How can that be? Learn the history of your homeland while walking along the TRAIL THROUGH TIME, a series of geology videos featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography b...

In this episode, we find that rocks that should have been deposited over a span of 35 million years are missing on Mount Diablo. Why? Find out on the TRAIL THROUGH TIME, a series of geology videos featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atwater, UC Santa Barbara. Mus...

On a walk through 190 million years of geologic history, we take a break to admire a tree: the colorful, clever madrone. It's part of the TRAIL THROUGH TIME, a series of geology videos featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Sponsored by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atwater, UC Santa Barbara. Music by Phil H...

The secluded meadows of Round Valley Regional Preserve lie just a few miles south of Brentwood, California. In this hour-long audio tour, you'll learn about the grassland's colorful history and the rich habitat it provides for golden eagles, kit foxes, and red-legged frogs.