Learn all about Mount Diablo's often-breezed-by tall plants: its pines and its chaparral. The latter covers only 3 percent of the earth's land mass and yet holds 20 percent of its biodiversity. This is episode seven in "Falls Trail," a 13-part series featuring Ken Lavin, Burt Bogardus, Paul Cardinet, and Jenn Roe. Presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Music Phil Heywood. Video Kendall Oei. Photos Scott Hein and others. Writing, narration, produ...
Apr 26, 2025•4 min•Season 6Ep. 7
In this final episode, Save Mount Diablo unfolds an audacious plan for winning broader protection for the Diablo Range in an era of climate change. The "Fire, Drought, Rain, and Hope" series explores life in California’s inland Coast Range after the huge fires of 2020. It ventures into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love. Presented by Save Mount Diablo. Photos by Scott Hein and others. Music by Phil Heywood. Writing, productio...
Jun 14, 2024•8 min•Season 29Ep. 9
CONDOR COUNTRY In Pinnacles National Park, author and conservation biologist Joseph Belli “babysits” condors as a volunteer for the National Park Service. In this episode he teams up with soulmate Seth Adams of Save Mount Diablo to survey wildlife in the park and beyond. The "Fire, Drought, Rain and Hope" series explores life in California’s inland Coast Range after the huge fires of 2020. It ventures into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places th...
Jun 07, 2024•10 min•Season 29Ep. 7
HENRY W. COE STATE PARK: How fire made a big wilderness better. The sixth in a series of Save Mount Diablo's videos about the mysterious, little-known 200-mile long Diablo Range. Viewers venture into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love—and vital as refuges for plants, animals, and people in a time of climate change. Photos by Scott Hein and others. Music by Phil Heywood. Writing, production, and narration by Joan Hamilton....
May 24, 2024•7 min•Season 29Ep. 6
COYOTE CONNECTIONS Keeping cities safe and wildlife healthy. The fifth in Save Mount Diablo's series, "Fire, Drought, Rain, and Hope," about the mysterious, little-known, 200-mile long Diablo Range. The series takes viewers into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love and vital refuges in a time of climate change. Photos by Scott Hein and others. Music by Phil Heywood. Writing, production, and narration by Joan Hamilton....
May 17, 2024•8 min•Season 29Ep. 5
OHLONE WILDERNESS How Wildlife Fared After the 2020 Fire The fourth in a series of Save Mount Diablo's videos about the mysterious, little-known, 200-mile long Diablo Range. Viewers venture into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love. Photos by Scott Hein and others. Music by Phil Heywood. Writing, production, and narration by Joan Hamilton.
May 10, 2024•6 min•Season 29Ep. 4
CORRAL HOLLOW How a ranching family helped build a park. The third in Save Mount Diablo's series, "Fire, Drought, Rain, and Hope," about the mysterious, little-known, 200-mile long Diablo Range. The series takes viewers into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love and vitally important in a time of climate change. Photos by Scott Hein and others. Music by Phil Heywood. Writing, production, and narration by Joan Hamilton.
May 03, 2024•11 min•Season 29Ep. 3
Three Wild Years in the Diablo Range With the help of ranchers, naturalists, scientists, and land managers, this 9-part series showcases the mysterious, little-known 200-mile long Diablo Range after the massive fires of 2020. It ventures into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love, vital to providing a refuge for plants, animals, and people in a time of climate change. With conservation efforts accelerating, this part of the inla...
Apr 19, 2024•9 min•Season 29Ep. 1
MORGAN TERRITORY, where the SCU fire hit home. The second in a series of films about the mysterious, little-known 200-mile long Diablo Range. The films take viewers into places off the beaten track for most Bay Area residents, yet deeply connected to places they already love, vital to providing a refuge for plants, animals, and people in a time of climate change. Photos by Scott Hein and others. Music by Phil Heywood. Writing, production, and narration by Joan Hamilton.
Apr 18, 2024•10 min•Season 29Ep. 2
Early-blooming flowers bring beauty to the forested understory of Mount Diablo State Park. Here are a few that pop up January through March. A Mount Diablo Interpretive Association film by Kendall Oei, produced in partnership with Save Mount Diablo. Part of the Wild Mount Diablo series.
Mar 08, 2024•4 min•Season 16Ep. 16
Join Wild Mount Diablo as we look back at some of our favorite photos from 2023. It's exciting to imagine what our intrepid photographers, Wally De Young and Kendall Oei, will come across this year!! A Mount Diablo Interpretive Association film produced in partnership with Save Mount Diablo.
Feb 09, 2024•4 min•Season 16Ep. 15
The branches of this irritating plant are bare right now, but wise park visitors know to be wary. Learn of its infamous debut in London in the early 1800s—and how it's related to plants in many kitchens today. Part of Mount Diablo Interpretive Association's WILD MOUNT DIABLO series on the plants and animals of Mount Diablo State Park.
Jan 26, 2024•5 min•Season 16Ep. 14
Mount Diablo's distinctive "pillow basalt" erupted from submarine volcanoes hundreds of millions of years ago. Learn how it made its way to the top of a mountain, in the fifth episode 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 Heywood. Produced by Joan Hamilton.
Jan 12, 2024•2 min•Season 9Ep. 5
SAND DOLLAR SECRETS The Pacific Ocean once lapped against the Sierra Nevada foothills. Here's the story of how the Bay Area eventually became dry land with two bedrocks. Join us 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. Music by Phil Heywood. Produced by Joan Hamilton.
Dec 22, 2023•3 min•Season 9Ep. 4
Meet the wild babies of Mount Diablo and learn what superpowers they are developing as they grow from babes in the woods to full grown predators—or prey! Whether sharp-toothed and venomous, or soft and fluffy, these wild babies are sure to surprise you with their innate gifts. Are baby rattlesnakes really more dangerous than adults? How big are great horned owls’ eyes? Which mom carries over 100 babies on her back? Watch "Wild Babies" and find out! A Mount Diablo Interpretive Association video p...
Dec 08, 2023•10 min•Season 16Ep. 13
CLASHING PLATES The story of the Bay Area landscape begins 190 million years ago, 3,000 miles out in the Pacific Ocean under 10,000 feet of water. Join us 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. Music by Phil Heywood. Produced by Joan Hamilton.
Nov 30, 2023•4 min•Season 9Ep. 3
FRANCISCAN ROCKS The first person to study Mount Diablo geology in depth was a quirky UC Berkeley professor named Andrew Lawson. He found rocks that had emerged from volcanoes in the mid-Pacific. But how did they get on top of a 3,849-foot mountain? Join us on the TRAIL THROUGH TIME, a series of geology videos presented by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association in partnership with Save Mount Diablo.
Nov 17, 2023•4 min•Season 9Ep. 2
TRAIL THROUGH TIME A 6.3-mile hike from the top to the bottom of Mount Diablo travels through the Bay Area’s entire geologic history. Presented by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, featuring Ken Lavin. Videography by Macha Rose. Animations by Tanya Atwater, UC Santa Barbara. Music by Phil Heywood. Produced by Joan Hamilton. Audible Mount Diablo is a joint project of the MOUNT DIABLO INTERPRETIVE ASSOCIATION and SAVE MOUNT DIABLO.
Nov 10, 2023•3 min•Season 9Ep. 1
Spring has come and gone, but the wildflower bloom is not done. Mount Diablo has its own superblooms, and some of them are long lasting. A Mount Diablo Interpretive Association film featuring Kendall Paul Oei. Episode 12 in the Wild Mount Diablo series.
Nov 03, 2023•6 min•Season 16Ep. 12
This just in: The ladybugs have returned to Mount Diablo! Learn all about their meanderings in this Mount Diablo Interpretive Association video featuring naturalist Ken Lavin. Images by Arnold Joe, Scott Hein, and Kendall Oei. Music by Daniel Kaede. Produced by Joan Hamilton. Adapted from "Mitchell Canyon" Audible Mount Diablo, 2017.
Oct 27, 2023•5 min•Season 16Ep. 8
CONNECTIONS As botanist Heath Bartosh explains in this final episode of "A Hiker's Guide to Mount Diablo Plants," Bay Area biodiversity hot spots are connected to places much farther south. Presented by Save Mount Diablo in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association Featuring Heath Bartosh with Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Lindsey Hendricks-Franco, Brian Peterson, Cyndy Shafer Music Phil Heywood, Steve Arnold, Podington Bear Fire Recovery Illustration Laura Cunningham Production and Nar...
Oct 19, 2023•7 min•Season 3Ep. 9
LAND OF DISCOVERY Mount Diablo has attracted some famous botanists over the years, including David Douglas, Alice Eastwood, and John Howell. Learn their stories—and those of the modern-day explorers following in their footsteps. Presented by SAVE MOUNT DIABLO in partnership with the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Featuring Heath Bartosh Photographs: Scott Hein, Stephen Joseph, Troy Montemayor and Seth Adams, Heath Bartosh, Steve Edwards, Brad Heckman, Helovi/istock, Joan Hamilton, Shawn ...
Oct 13, 2023•6 min•Season 3Ep. 8
SHRUBS Dive into the mysteries of chaparral, a plant community that covers 3 percent of Earth's surface and nurtures 20 percent of its biodiversity. Presented by Save Mount Diablo, in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Featuring Heath Bartosh, Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Lindsey Hendricks, Brian Peterson, Cyndy Shafer. Photographs: Scott Hein, Stephen Joseph, Troy Montemayor and Seth Adams, Heath Bartosh, Steve Edwards, Brad Heckman, Helovi/istock, Joan Hamilton, Shawn Hanraha...
Sep 28, 2023•10 min•Season 3Ep. 6
TREES AS LIVING HISTORY Mount Diablo's oaks, pines, bays, and buckeyes have tales to tell—if you know what to look for. Presented by Save Mount Diablo, in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Featuring Heath Bartosh, Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Lindsey Hendricks, Brian Peterson, Cyndy Shafer. Photographs: Scott Hein, Stephen Joseph, Troy Montemayor and Seth Adams, Heath Bartosh, Steve Edwards, Brad Heckman, Helovi/istock, Joan Hamilton, Shawn Hanrahan/Texas A&M, Jepson Herba...
Sep 14, 2023•9 min•Season 3Ep. 4
As we head into another fire season in the Bay Area, learn how a small 2013 blaze increased knowledge about life on the East Bay's most iconic peak. Presented by Save Mount Diablo, in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Featuring Heath Bartosh, Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Lindsey Hendricks, Brian Peterson, Cyndy Shafer. Photographs: Scott Hein, Stephen Joseph, Troy Montemayor. and Seth Adams, Heath Bartosh, Steve Edwards, Brad Heckman, Helovi/istock, Joan Hamilton, Shawn Hanrah...
Sep 01, 2023•8 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Why is Mount Diablo so central to California's cultural and natural history? Find out on a hike near the 3,849-foot summit. Presented by Save Mount Diablo, in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Originally published in 2019. Featuring Heath Bartosh, Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Lindsey Hendricks, Brian Peterson, Cyndy Shafer. Photographs: Scott Hein, Stephen Joseph and Seth Adams, Heath Bartosh, Steve Edwards, Brad Heckman, Helovi/istock, Joan Hamilton, Shawn Hanrahan/Texas A&am...
Aug 25, 2023•6 min•Season 3Ep. 2
INTRODUCTION Enjoy five fascinating hikes led by rare-plant expert Heath Bartosh. Gain an appreciation for the long-hidden flora revealed by recent fires. Nod to the work of the scientists who've worked these storied slopes. And get ready to make your own discoveries! Episode 1 of "Harvest of Fire," a nine-part series presented by Save Mount Diablo, in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. First published in 2019. Featuring Heath Bartosh, Seth Adams, Robert Doyle, Lindsey Hendr...
Aug 18, 2023•4 min•Season 3Ep. 1
As you wind your way through the lovely hills of Lime Ridge, keep an eye out for wildlife. In this episode Seth Adams and Scott Hein discuss 1) one that's still common all over the area 2) an introduced species whose numbers have exploded and 3) a native species that's making a heartening comeback. Sponsored by Save Mount Diablo in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. First published in 2012. Photos by Scott Hein. Music by Phil Heywood. We regret an error in this version: what...
Aug 11, 2023•4 min•Season 28Ep. 10
Learn about a rare plant that waits until summer to grace the hills of Lime Ridge Open Space on the eastern edge of Walnut Creek, California. Featuring Heath Bartosh. Sponsored by Save Mount Diablo in partnership with Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Photos courtesy of Scott Hein and Heath Bartosh. First published in 2012.
Aug 04, 2023•3 min•Season 28Ep. 9
Can you name three pine species that grow in Mount Diablo State Park? Learn to ID them by their pinecones (2 supersized, 1 clingy). Hear about how they're adapted to fire and drought. Meet the gun-toting botanists who collected their cones in the 1830s. A Mount Diablo Interpretive Association video featuring Ken Lavin and Seth Adams. Production by Joan Hamilton. Music by Music Revolution. Photos by Joan Hamilton, Neal Kramer, Kendall Oei, and courtesy of Strybing Arboretum. Adapted from Audible ...
Jul 14, 2023•5 min•Season 16Ep. 11
