A dozen of us headed to Mt Diablo, hiking our usual route along Knobcone Pt road as far as the gate just past Balancing Rock. John and Monique went further-to the utility tower; Shirley stopped at the picnic table hidden in the manzanitas and I only went as far as the start of the last uphill before returning to join Shirley. Mileage to the gate and return is about 4.25 miles.
We will have to make a return visit as the manzanitas were only beginning to open.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/5oiH38
We talked at some length with a worker for Rural Pig Management who was out to bait traps. He said the pig problem was the worst he has seen it. They caught over 150 in the park in December alone. There are lots of totally uprooted areas along Knobcone Pt Rd and again as we left the park via Northgate Rd.
Bay Nature Article on feral Pigs
https://baynature.org/article/ground-invasion/
The pig meat was previously donated to area food banks. However, recent regulations enacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have required meat inspection before slaughter, making the program impractical. Then for a while, carcasses were taken to tallow plants, but no plants are now accepting them. So the remains are left in remote locations for turkey vultures and other carrion eaters.
(https://www.mercurynews.com/2010/11/08/park-it-district-tries-to-control-pig-population/)
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