Three Men Two Acorns

Three men -- Ralph Kraetsch, Dick Daniel and Bob Wisecarver -- made a commitment in the 1980s to restore Valley Oak habitat on Shell Ridge of Mount Diablo. The men, all members of Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, persuaded the non-profit group and its determined volunteers to assist the effort. Then they persuaded City Hall.

The Oak Habitat Restoration Project is now in its third decade. The three men gathered a crowd on Shell Ridge on December 11, 2004 to plant the first two acorns harvested off trees they had planted from seed when the project started. Project volunteer Bob Brittain, who found the two "grandchild" acorns in 2004, reports one of those plantings recently "topped out" of its tubex protection (discussed at 6:11 in video) while the other sapling is four inches from the top -- both saplings destined to become mighty valley oaks born of tiny tended seeds.

In October, 2011 the Walnut Creek Action For Beauty Council honored Ralph Kraetch and Dick Daniel with an award for their decades of dedication to this project.

This video is dedicated to "Bathouse Bob" Wisecarver, who passed away in May, 2008.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Walnut
• Creek
• Open
• Space
• Foundation.
• Shell
• Ridge.
• Oak
• Habitat
• Restoration
• Project.
• Ralph
• Kraetch.
• Dick
• Daniel.
• Bob
• Wisecarver.
• Gary
• Skrel.