The Diablo Diary

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, The Diablo Diary is a fascinating study of an oft-overlooked mountain range and its inhabitants.

Joseph Belli has hiked and explored the Diablo Range extensively since the 1970s. He holds a master of science in conservation biology and has worked as a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service. He has conducted surveys for the Bureau of Land Management and California State Parks, and has worked with California Condors, California Red-legged Frogs, and other sensitive or endangered species.

Belli's writing has appeared in High Country News, the Ponderosa, and The Wonder of It All, a collection of stories from National Park Service employees and volunteers. He lives on a rural property in the Diablo Range.