A Blooming Vision: Your Education Center Update by Steve Smith April 30, 2025 Ware Associates Rendering Spring greetings from the mountain! The flowers are blooming in Mitchell Canyon, and so is our vision for the Mitchell Canyon Education Center —we're excited to share the design is coming to life in inspiring ways. MDIA and Mount Diablo State Park have been collaborating closely with architects, lighting consultants, landscape architects, fire suppression engineers, structural engineers, and other specialists. From sunlight angles and shade structures to bird-safe glass and sustainable lighting, every detail is being thoughtfully planned to make this an outstanding educational destination. Key milestones reached: 1. Ware Associates has completed the design of the Education Center. It is now under final review by the State Fire Marshal and then it will go to the Department of Parks and Recreation to initiate the public bidding process. 2. In partnership with Mount Diablo State Park, MDIA has released a Request for Proposal to professional exhibit designers to plan the interpretive exhibits for the new center. While these milestones are exciting, we are mindful of challenges ahead. Our construction budget is extremely tight, and we’re closely watching the potential impact of tariffs on materials like structural wood, steel, and exterior panels. The building will feature a wood frame, metal roof, steel-framed windows, and cementitious exterior panels. Though current estimates are based on today’s prices, we know unexpected increases could arise. Looking ahead, we may have to raise additional money for final construction costs in addition to the exhibits and sustainable enhancements such as solar panels and the shade structure. We will keep you informed every step of the way as we work together to make this shared vision a reality. What keeps us going is the impact this space will have. One volunteer docent recently reflected on a moment with a group of kindergartners who visited our tiny 400-square-foot trailer: "They squeezed in with their parents, bursting with excitement—touching pelts, marveling at the tarantula, hefting pinecones, and admiring blooming flower photos. I can only imagine how much richer their experience will be in the new Education Center! " Thank you for believing in this dream with us. If you have any questions—or fundraising ideas—we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at: mcec4Me@gmail.com Baby Blue Eyes Mariposa Lily California Fuchsia Mount Diablo Globe Lily BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo Vinegar Weed Scientific Name: Trichostema lanceolatum Family: Lamiaceae (Mint Family) Blooms: Aug - Sep Color: Blue-Purple Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Blue Elderberry Scientific Name: Sambucus mexicana Family: Viburnacaea (Elder Family) Blooms: March - July Color: Yellow-Orange Shrub Native Berries are Blue Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Soft Chaparral by Glenn Keator, Ph. D. (Excerpted from MDIA's book Plants of the East Bay Parks) Plant Communities of Mount Diablo State Park January 1, 1999 Black sage, Salvia mellifera | Glenn Keator Also called coastal scrub or coastal sage scrub, soft chaparral is dominated by small shrubs with "soft" leaves (leaves with a pliable, thin texture). Leaves may be heavily scented -- smelling of sage, turpentine, or mint -- to keep animals from browsing them. These fragrant oils also evaporate on hot days to cool leaves and inhibit growth of competing plants. All of these ploys prevent shrubs from losing precious leaves, since it costs energy and water to make new ones. Yet in summers with prolonged drought, soft chaparral shrubs may lose most of their leaves as a last-gap effort to keep from dehydrating faster than roots can replenish water from bone-dry soils. Winter rains bring temporary supplies of water during which leaves are replaced. Soft chaparral is typical of rocky promontories in the fog belt, but components of this same community appear as temporary replacements for hard chaparral shrubs after brush fires. Soft chaparral shrubs are varied, with some particularly aggressive pioneer species, such as coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis ). Others include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica ), with broad dark green leaves whose edges curl under; sticky monkeyflower (Diplancus aurantiacus ), with sticky, viscid green lace-shaped leaves, again with curled-under edges; black sage (Salvia millifera ), with highly aromatic dark green, narrowly triangular leaves; blue witch (Solanum umbelliferum ), a green-twigged shrub whose fuzzy, light green leaves are cast away in summer; and poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum ), with shiny, triparite leaves, which are lost early during severe drought. Link to California Chaparral Field Institute website. BACK TO LIST

Wildflower Mount Diablo Common Sandweed Scientific Name: Athysanus pusillus Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Blooms: Feb-Apr Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Wildflower Mount Diablo Naked Buckwheat Scientific Name: Eriogonum nudum Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family) Blooms: Jun - Sep Color: White Shrub Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Chaparral Pea Scientific Name: Pickeringia montana var. montana Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family) Blooms: May Color: Red-Pink Shrub Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

California Scrub Jay Jays and Crows California Scrub Jay Aphelocoma californica All Year Jays and Crows Daniel Fitzgerald Partial to brushy or scrubby habitats, pine-oak woodlands, and residential areas; typically in less densely forested areas than habitats preferred by the Stellar's Jay . Basic plumage pattern includes blue head, blue wings, blue tail, and variable amount of white above the eye, grayish underparts with white-streaked throat and bluish breast band, and variably colored grayish or brownish patch on back. The bulky, cup-shaped nest of this species (made from twigs and moss) is placed in trees or shrubs. Scrub Jays are opportunistically omnivorous, with a diet that includes insects, fruit, seeds, and small vertebrates.

Wildlife Photography Guidelines by Melissa Groo, used with permission Taken from National Geographic 7/31/19 article, "How to Photograph Wildlife Ethically" July 31, 2019 Gray Fox, by Dan Sandri “The ethics of photography are the same as the ethics of life, and they all revolve around respect.” As you strive to capture images of wildlife in Mount Diablo Sate Park, please pledge to have as minimal an impact as possible when photographing flora and fauna, by following the guidelines below. Remember, the use of drones is prohibited at all times. • Do No Harm – I will not destroy or alter habitat for a better shot, will always let animals go about their business, especially in breeding season, and will strive to understand signs of stress. • Keep It Wild – I will never feed our wild friends, in hopes of a photograph, or otherwise, avoiding the possibility of having them connect human contact with food. • Follow the Law – I will always obey applicable laws as I photograph. • Consider the Captive – If photographing wild animals in captivity, I will first ensure the facility is both legal and ethical. • Caption with Honesty – I will always be honest and transparent about the backstory of a pic – camera trap, captive critter, etc. – so as not to deceive viewers. I will also protect sensitive species or habitats by not disclosing location. For more information visit https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/ethical-wildlife-photography (requires free subscription to view) California Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus californicus) by Dan Fitzgerald.jpg red-tailed hawk by Dan Sandri.jpg Ground Squirrel.jpg Tarantula by Ken Lavin.jpg Peregrine by Scott Hein.jpg BACK TO LIST

Killdeer Shorebirds Killdeer Charadrius vociferus All Year Shorebirds Daniel Fitzgerald Frequents a wide diversity of open habitats; usually, but not always, near water. Reddish-orange rump and the presence of two breast bands separate the species from all other “plovers”. Call, ‘kill-deer’ is also easily recognized. Nests on the ground, often amidst small- or medium-sized pebbles or rocks; nest is a simple scrape or depression. Diet includes terrestrial invertebrates; less frequently, also ingests small vertebrates and seeds.

Wildflower Mount Diablo Muehlenburgers Centaury Scientific Name: Zeltnera muehlenbergii Family: Gentianaceae Blooms: Apr-Jul Color: Red-Pink Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo Bur Chervil, Bur Parsley Invasive Scientific Name: Anthriscus caucalis Family: Apiaceae (Parsley-Carrot Family) Blooms: Apr Color: White Annual herb or vine Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Ken-ichi Ueda, iNaturalist