Sunday, May 25: Join VMF's Outdoor Naturalist Janice Smith as we start our day relaxing quietly in a sensory meditation, allowing us to slow down, breathe deeply, and connect with the beauty of nature. Inspired by the freshness of the season, we’ll take a short walk to forage the ingredients we will use to make botanical bath salts, a raw sugar scrub, and a handmade spring soap infused with essential oils of your choice. You will be able to take home your handcrafted creations.

Saturday, May 24: Join VMF's Outdoor Naturalist Janice Smith as we start our day relaxing quietly in a sensory meditation, allowing us to slow down, breathe deeply, and connect with the beauty of nature. Inspired by the freshness of the season, we’ll take a short walk to forage the ingredients we will use to make botanical bath salts, a raw sugar scrub, and a handmade spring soap infused with essential oils of your choice. You will be able to take home your handcrafted creations.

Saturday, May 10 - Join naturalist teacher Sharyl Massey as you learn about the fascinating ways plants reproduce and how their different adaptations are unique and fitting to their ecosystem. There will be a presentation at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center followed by a short walk observing a variety of plants.  

Date: Saturday, May 10

Time:  10:00 am - 2:00 pm 

Cost: $15 per person

Sunday, December 15: Join Janice Smith, VMF’s Education Coordinator and Certified Forest Therapy Guide, on a guided Forest Bathing walk at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center. This is a new program of bi-monthly Forest Bathing walks offered through VMF.

What is Forest Bathing?  

Saturday, April 26: The Volcan Mountain Foundation is partnering with I Love a Clean San Diego to clean up VMF's Copper Spur Ranch. The focus will be to remove trash items in a forested area near the headwaters of the San Dieguito River. By participating in this clean-up, you will be restoring the forest to a healthy ecosystem. 

The Volcan Mountain Foundation greatly appreciates the time and energy volunteers take to restore the beautiful ecosystems of the Volcan Mountains in Julian, CA.

Date: Saturday, April 26

Sunday, April 20: Join Janice Smith, VMF’s Education Coordinator and Certified Forest Therapy Guide, on a guided Forest Bathing walk at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center. This is a new program of bi-monthly Forest Bathing walks offered through VMF.

What is Forest Bathing?  

Sunday, March 23: Join VMF's outdoor naturalist educator, Janice Smith, as we identify, collect, and cook wild edible plants at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center.  

We will start with a short walk to identify and harvest some of the easy to find edible plants growing around the nature center. Then we will roll up our sleeves and work in teams creating a delicious meal together from our harvest. 

Saturday, March 22:  Step into the magic of spring! In this workshop VMF's outdoor naturalist educator, Janice Smith, will guide you on a short walk to identify and harvest edible wild plants growing around the nature center. Then we will work in teams to make a delicious green feast. These lush plants may include miner’s lettuce, chickweed, cleavers, plantain, stinging nettle, mustard, stork’s bill, conifer needles and more!

Join VMF for a stewardship day on Volcan Mountain. As a wildfire prevention measure, we will be creating piles of wood collected from the forest and burning them throughout the day. No experience necessary.

Date: Monday, March 3

Time:  8:30 am - 4:00 pm (Volunteers are free to leave at anytime).

Bring: Work gloves (VMF has its own supply as well), water, snacks, lunch. Camp chair optional. If you have a rake, bring that too.

Wear: Sturdy shoes and dress warmly and in layers.

Sunday, February 23: Join Janice Smith, VMF’s Education Coordinator and Certified Forest Therapy Guide, on a guided Forest Bathing walk at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center. This is a new program of bi-monthly Forest Bathing walks offered through VMF.

What is Forest Bathing?  

February 2 Wildcrafting: Conifer Tea and Forest Scone Party

Join us for a celebration of Volcan Mountain forest in winter, featuring the unique flavors of conifer trees paired with delicious toasted pine nut and conifer scones! This enchanting experience blends foraging and culinary creativity into a day of nature-inspired connection and learning. Perfect for nature lovers, foragers, and tea enthusiasts of all experience levels.

Monday, December 16: Join the Volcan Mountain Foundation for a citizen science bird survey on Volcan Mountain in Julian. This is a great opportunity to contribute valuable data for the National Annual Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. We'll be focusing our attention on VMF's pond and Volcan Road near our Sky Island trail. 

Date: Monday, December 16

Time: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Bring: Snacks, drinking water, comfortable shoes, a warm coat....and, of course, your binoculars.

November 10: Join the Volcan Mountain Foundation for its quarterly bird count on Volcan Mountain in Julian. This is a great opportunity to hone your bird ID skills with experts, learn about our local mountain bird species, and contribute valuable data to VMF and the Cornell Lab of Orinthology. We'll be focusing our attention on the areas near our Watershed and Sky Island trails as well as VMF's recently acquired pond. There is a combined two miles of walking during this survey. Hiking is easy to moderate. 

Date: Sunday, November 10

November 23, 2024 Wildcrafting: Acorn Holiday Cookies

Join VMF's Education Coordinator, Janice Smith, for a fun workshop making acorn cookies!  Note: Due to its popularity, this workshop repeats on Sunday, November 24

We're excited to have you join us at a special Rubenson Endowment Artists' Reception featuring the art work inspired by Volcan Mountain and created by 2024 residency recipients, Elizabeth Washburn and Betsy Schulz!

Date: Sunday, December 8

Time: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location: Ilan-Lael Foundation in Julian. Parking and event location directions will be sent after registration.

Price: $45 per person.

Sunday, October 13: Join Janice Smith, VMF’s Education Coordinator and Certified Forest Therapy Guide, on a guided Forest Bathing walk at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center. This is a new program of bi-monthly Forest Bathing walks offered through VMF.

What is Forest Bathing?  

Saturday, September 21: The Volcan Mountain Foundation is partnering with I Love a Clean San Diego to clean up VMF's Copper Spur Ranch. The focus will be to remove trash items in a forested area near the headwaters of the San Dieguito River. By participating in this clean-up, you will be restoring the forest to a healthy ecosystem. 

The Volcan Mountain Foundation greatly appreciates the time and energy volunteers take to restore the beautiful ecosystems of the Volcan Mountains in Julian, CA.

Date: Saturday, September 21

Saturday, November 9: Every year hundreds of people from around the county visit Julian to go apple picking near Volcan Mountain or hike its trails at the Santa Ysabel East and Volcan Mountain Preserves, and while we celebrate the public connecting to nature, at times visitors inadvertently leave small amounts of trash along Farmer Road. 

November 24, 2024 Wildcrafting: Acorn Holiday Cookies

Join VMF's Education Coordinator, Janice Smith, for a fun workshop making acorn cookies!  Note: Due to its popularity, this workshop is also held on Saturday, November 23.

Dinner Dance and Auction


We're excited to have you join us at the festive 2024 Volcan Mountain Foundation Annual Dinner Dance and Auction Fundraiser!

Date: Saturday, April 6

Time: 4:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location: Camp Stevens, Julian

Your enjoyment of all the fun, good friends, delicious food, local libations, much-anticipated auction, and dancing contributes vital proceeds for protecting and caring for Volcan Mountain.

CELEBRATING THE INSPIRED IMAGES & CONNECTED YOUTH OF VOLCAN MOUNTAIN

Make your reservations now for the 21st Annual Volcan Mountain Foundation (VMF) Dinner Dance & Auction to be held on Sunday, March 4th again at Camp Stevens in Julian.  The proceeds from this fun-filled, delicious and entertaining event all go to support the VMF’s efforts to protect and preserve Volcan Mountain—the Crest of the San Dieguito River Park’s Coast to Crest Trail.  The past couple of years have been sell outs, so it’s important to make your reservations early!