Southeast of San Francisco lies the Diablo Range-familiar to many, but little-known. Though much has been written about the California landscape, the Diablo Range has largely been overlooked.
Wildlife biologist Joseph Belli, a lifelong resident of the region, seeks to change that. In
The Diablo Diary
, he presents twenty-five natural history essays focusing on the creatures, controversies, and threats to this sizable tract of de facto wilderness on the edge of the Bay Area. Writings on Mountain Lions, California Condors, and Tule Elk share space with pieces on California Tiger Salamanders, San Joaquin Kit Foxes, and horned lizards. Their stories often address larger environmental issues: habitat loss, the threat posed by invasive species, the consequences of water development, and policy decisions, both local and national.
Along with essays on animals are human stories, ruminations on isolation, mortality, and coping with change, as well as humorous writings.
Written with the eye of a scientist, the zeal of an activist, and the soul of an artist,
is a fascinating study of an oft-overlooked mountain range and its inhabitants.