Martha Baker New Executive Director Volcan Mountain Foundation

By Bobbi Zane

Millions of people in San Diego are affected by what happens at Volcan Mountain, asserts Martha Baker, the new executive director of Julian's Volcan Mountain Foundation.

Baker, who joined the foundation last winter, is about to preside over her first community fundraising activity, the annual dinner/dance on May 7.

An ardent environmentalist who supports conservation with a passion, Baker explained, "A large geologic structure, Volcan plays a huge role in Southern California wildlife, flora and watershed conservation. It's home to the California spotted owl, deer, mountain lions, bats, skunks, even a black bear. It supports the headwaters of three rivers, the San Diego, San Dieguito and San Luis Rey, and feeds one of the highest-level aquifers in Southern California.

"Besides," Baker goes on, "Volcan can be seen for 30 miles away in every direction. We need to preserve the view shed."

Baker came to the foundation in December following a long career that culminated in serving as director of marketing for the Zoological Society of San Diego at a time when it was in a period of dramatic growth from 1973 to 1997. A native San Diegan, she holds a degree in cultural anthropology and biology from San Diego State University.

Baker moved to Julian as a part-time resident in October 2004, when she and husband Scott purchased Mountain High bed and breakfast. Initially, they planned to welcome guests on weekends and keep their home and jobs in the city. But they soon discovered they didn't want to leave lovely, quiet Julian at the end of a weekend to return to the city.

"We found we loved Julian so much, we didn't want to go back," Scott Baker explained.

An amateur astronomer, Scott Baker had his own reasons for settling in Julian. He enjoys studying the sky from their Pine Hills home where it's dark. Indeed, he now operates the bed and breakfast and offers sky tours to guests as an amenity.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Martha Baker is busy implementing a new five-year plan adopted by the foundation board last fall. One goal is to create a forest management plan to conserve the trees on the mountain now and in the future. The plan also calls for continued land acquisition, conservation activities that include removal of non-native species of plants, and ongoing education.

Running the Volcan foundation is the ideal job, she said. "We may not be able to control every environmental condition around us, but the goal is to leave the planet better because of our existence."