San Mateo Fire Safe

July 6, 2006, Berkeley, CA - Visible from 200 miles in every direction, Mount Diablo is truly one of the iconic natural features of the Bay Area. But even though we may see it every day, few of us are aware of the incredible natural diversity preserved within its many habitats, nor about the tenacious efforts over many decades to protect this local treasure from encroaching development. In its just-published July- September 2006 issue, Bay Nature magazine tells the dramatic story of the mountain in a special 16-page full-color editorial supplement, providing a great introduction to Diablo's natural and cultural history.

"Speak of the Devil" is a collaborative project of Bay Nature and Save Mount Diablo, the Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to preserving the mountain and its surrounding open space. Ron Brown, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo explains, "This year we are celebrating our 35th anniversary of preserving and protecting Mount Diablo. This piece produced by Bay Nature will assist us tremendously in the work we're doing by providing us with a beautiful, attractive publication that describes the biology, geology, and cultural history of the mountain."

Written by noted local natural history author David Rains Wallace, "Speak of the Devil" uses the recent rediscovery of the Mount Diablo buckwheat (a wildflower presumed extinct for 69 years) as a thread to guide readers on an exciting, in-depth exploration of Mount Diablo from its birth beneath the Pacific Ocean to present day conservation efforts.

The supplement includes a centerfold map that highlights the work that's been done to protect land on and around the mountain and the challenges still ahead. There's also a sidebar on the summit loop hike - providing reader's a great way to experience the mountain themselves.

"We are incredibly pleased with the publication and our collaboration with Bay Nature," says Brown. "We have admired the high quality of the magazine for a long time and we are proud to be associated with them and to have worked with them on this project."

The supplement is printed in the July-September 2006 issue of the quarterly BAY NATURE and has also been overprinted for distribution as a stand-alone publication. To request bulk copies of this report or for referrals to writers and organizations, contact Pam Traylor at (510) 528-8550 or pam@baynature.com.

BAY NATURE, published by the nonprofit Bay Nature Institute, is a full-color, quarterly magazine devoted to exploring and celebrating the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area. BAY NATURE is the recipient of the 2005 Best Editorial Supplement and 2003 Best Consumer Quarterly awards from the Western Publications Association. Visit www.baynature.com for more, or go to www.baynature.com/store to order subscriptions, back issues, and supplements.

Save Mount Diablo was founded in 1971 to expand the existing state park and protect natural lands around the mountain through advocacy, land acquisition, land-use planning, public education, fundraising, and habitat restoration and preservation. Visit www.savemountdiablo.org for more information.