The mission of the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation (VMPF) is conservation and stewardship of the majestic 15-mile long Volcan Mountains complex, situated within the Peninsular Ranges of Southern California (Figure 1). The emphasis of VMPF is conserving natural habitats and the species they support, maintaining wilderness values and connections to adjacent open space, preserving archaeological sites, and encouraging natural history-based research and education.
Land conservation in the Volcan Mountains began in 1989; since that time, over 9,000 acres of the former Rutherford Ranch on Volcan Mountain have been acquired by public agencies and non-governmental organizations as protected open space, complemented by conservation of tens of thousands of acres of surrounding lands (Figure 2). However, approximately 1,800 acres of Rutherford Ranch in the heart of the range, between these conserved lands and the Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation on the western flank of the mountain, lie unprotected and are currently threatened with development of estate lots.
VMPF requested that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) prepare a brief case statement that would provide the basis from which it can develop a focused conservation strategic plan. This case statement describes the landscape that is the inspiration for the VMPF, with a focus on the privately held portions of Rutherford Ranch, by identifying regional conservation values and potential partners for conservation of these values within the context of existing opportunities.
