Volcan Mountain Foundation

Sunday, July 23: Learn to make your own nourishing herbal salve and wild-crafted crescent moon wreath from seasonal plants that we find at VMF's Volcan Mountain Nature Center.

VMF's Outdoor Naturalist Educator, Janice Smith, will lead a walk around the nature center to identify and collect plants and other botanical items for each project. The plants we choose will be infused into oil to make our herbal salve and to decorate crescent moon wreaths. Crescent moon wreaths are a beautiful and natural way to celebrate the summer season and decorate your home. 

Sunday, May 28: Join VMF's Outdoor Naturalist Janice Smith as we start our spa day by relaxing quietly at our individual sit spot. Afterward, we will walk around the nature center to identify and forage some of the plants that we will include in three unique DIY nature inspired beauty products that you can use at home. We will make pine needle lemon tea to sip while we craft wild mountain lilac soap, horsetail raw sugar scrub, and wild herbal bath salts. 

Saturday, May 27: Join VMF's Outdoor Naturalist Janice Smith as we start our spa day by relaxing quietly at our individual sit spot. Afterward, we will walk around the nature center to identify and forage some of the plants that we will include in three unique DIY nature inspired beauty products that you can use at home. We will make pine needle lemon tea to sip while we craft wild mountain lilac soap, horsetail raw sugar scrub, and wild herbal bath salts. 

Sunday, March 19: 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. 

Sunday, April 30: 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. 

Join VMF on January 11 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. 

Date: Wednesday, January 11

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

Bring: Work gloves (VMF has its own supply as well), water, snacks, lunch.

Wear: Sturdy shoes and dress warmly and in layers.

January 22, 2023 – Winter Conifer Tea Party! 

There is nothing more cozy than enjoying a hot cup of tea on a cold winter day.  In this class, VMF's Education Coordinator, Janice Smith, will teach you to identify, forage, and make an assortment of wild conifer teas. We will pair these teas with delicious fresh baked conifer rosehip scones that we will also make together. Finally, you will create your very own conifer tea bag blend to take home.

Monday, December 19: 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 the areas near our Sky Island trail 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: Monday, December 19

Time: 9:00 am - 1:30 pm

December 3: Join Tori Klinge for a presentation on coyotes. As a coyote enthusiast and volunteer for Project Coyote, Tori will talk about their unique features, their habitat, and life cycle. She will also discuss the challenges they face in a fragmented landscape. After her presentation, we will go on a 1 1/2 mile hike along VMF's Sky Island Trail. 

To learn more about Project Coyote and the work that they do, visit https://www.projectcoyote.org

Date: Saturday, December 3

February 26: 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?