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$575,000 in Grant Awards Fund VMPF Land Acquisition

In June of 2004, the California Department of Transportation awarded $490,000 to the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation (VMPF)to purchase land on Volcan Mountain. The funds are earmarked for the expansion of the Wilderness Preserve in partnership with the San Dieguito River Park and the County of San Diego. The grant was made possible through a competitive statewide proposal process to the Department's Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program (EEMP).

Susan Cary, VMPF's Executive Director and the EEMP grant author, is thrilled by this success for Volcan- "We're very proud of this achievement. It reaffirms Volcan Mountain as one of California's most important conservation priorities, and puts VMPF on the map as a significant private contributor to the land acquisition effort."

Equally as significant is the recent award of $85,000 to VMPF from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). These funds also will be used for land acquisition for the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve.

NFWF's regional director, Claire Thorpe, toured Volcan Mountain in October and was impressed by Volcan's valuable habitat and spectacular vistas. Her tour of Volcan was hosted by Mike McFedries and Jeff Rundell of San Diego's Parks and Recreation department on behalf of the VMPF and the County.

Mike Mc Fedries is the County's District Park Supervisor and a resident of Julian. Jeff Rundell is the Volcan Ranger. Both men have contributed their skill and dedication to maintain and preserve the Volcan and Santa Ysabel Preserves. The VMPF is very grateful to them both for their excellence and service.

These two grant awards come at a crucial time for Volcan Mountain. If we are to prevent development of the pristine Volcan Mountain wilderness, huge sums of money become increasing necessary to buy what land is left and preserve it for future generations of California's people and wildlife.