Rutherford Ranch on
Volcan Mountain
The pristine 11,000 acre Rutherford Ranch is located at the eastern
end of the San Dieguito River Park. It is the location of fern-filled
Ironside Spring, the headwaters of the San Dieguito River. As the
ranch rolls across the crest of the Volcan Mountains and reaches
into the desert at San Felipe Valley, it links the San Dieguito
River Park on the west with the Anza Borrego State Park on the
east, thus providing a natural corridor from the desert to the
ocean.
Thousands of years ago, Native Americans crossed the Volcan
Mountains on their journeys between the desert and the sea.
Settlers from the east built their homesteads on ranch territory.
Tax
records indicate the earliest known cabins were built in the
mid-1860s. Although the ranch supported vineyards, orchards and
agricultural
crops, it was primarily used for grazing cattle and sheep.
Human activity has been limited, leaving the ranch relatively undisturbed.
Six sensitive habitats, 22 sensitive plant species and 39
sensitive or locally rare animal species occur within the
Volcan Mountain
area. Mountain lions, bobcats, mule deer, coyotes and grey
foxes
are common in this wild country. Bald eagles and golden eagles
breed on the mountain.
In the mid-1990s, the owner entered into an agreement with The Trust for Public
Land, a non-profit land conservancy. The Trust for Public Land
took over
the bank note owed by the property owner, and received an option on a large piece of the property. The
Trust for Public Land has since been working with the San Dieguito
River Park, the County of San Diego, the State Department of Fish & Game, and the private 501(c)(3) organizations, the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation and the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, to assist those agencies in finding the funding
to gradually acquire the property. In the last decade, approximately 9,000 acres of the former Rutherford Ranch on Volcan Mountain have been brought into public ownership. The County of San Diego and the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation lead organized tours to the summit of Volcan Mountain. Check the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation's website for more information.
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