Threads of Hope

With our busy lives, our homes, and our families, many of us believe we don’t have the time or energy to volunteer for a good cause. But guess what? The five recipients of Diablo’s 2007 Threads of Hope Awards set a stunning example of how it’s done, as they make major accomplishments in the name of community service.

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Scott Hein
Save Mount Diablo

Whenever Save Mount Diablo begins the process of acquiring a piece of land, it sends Scott Hein to photograph the property, so the organization can have beautiful photos to convince people the land should be saved.

“There are two candidates to be called the Ansel Adams of Mount Diablo, and Scott is one,” says Seth Adams, director of land programs for Save Mount Diablo, also referring to Stephen Joseph. “Scott’s photographs are amazing.”

Photographer is just one of the many hats Hein, 47, has worn for Save Mount Diablo since he began volunteering in 2001. A chemist who owns a company that specializes in chemical measurements, Hein serves on Save Mount Diablo’s board of directors and as chairman for the land committee.
 

He also leads hikes to introduce the community to properties the organization is working to preserve and has designed websites for the organization’s political campaigns. Most recently, he was one of the many volunteers who helped to produce a map that covers 520 miles of public trails, stretching from Walnut Creek to Los Vaqueros watershed past Brentwood.
 

“He’s a scientist and brings that attention to detail to everything he does,” says Adams. “On top of that, he’s an artist and a tremendous naturalist. He can do anything.”Not that he does it all alone. Hein’s wife, Claudia, a chemistry instructor at Diablo Valley College, got him involved in volunteering with Save Mount Diablo; she is also a member of the organization’s board of directors.

The Heins are such devoted naturalists that when they got married in 1988, they asked friends to make donations to the Nature Conservancy in lieu of wedding gifts. As Adams says, “Chances are if Scott was taking a photo, Claudia was standing next to him.”

The couple’s love for the environment is most evident when they’re out in nature together. They walk through Mitchell Canyon, near their Concord home, with their eyes actively flitting from side to side, cataloging plants, animals, and especially birds.

The sight of a tiny horned lizard, a fairly rare species for this area, makes Scott as giddy as a kid. Claudia throws caution aside and wades into a stand of poison oak to pick up a crumpled beer can. And Scott always has his camera ready to snap a photo of something extraordinary.

“For me, it really is about communicating how special the place we live in is,” he says. “There are so many special places on Mount Diablo and the surrounding parks.”