Julian Meets the World at Airport Terminal Exhibit
By Bobbi Zane

The museum assembled the exhibit from typical items in its collection: a miner's gold pan, a miner's hat, an antique quilt, a bit of lace from its extensive lace collection and a pack saddle.File Photo

Travelers passing through San Diego's International Airport will have an opportunity to discover Julian's natural and historic charms during the next few months.

A six-panel display illustrating the activities and mission of the California Wolf Center and the historic collections found in the Julian Pioneer Museum has been installed in the airport's East Concourse of Terminal Two, where it can be seen by travelers, locals and visitors to the facility.

It's a huge outreach, according to airport officials, who say that on average 40,000 travelers pass through the gates every day. That adds up to more than 7 million people who may get inspired to visit Julian in the next six months.

The display, a combined effort by the wolf center and the museum, is sponsored by the airport authority's cultural exhibits program, inaugurated in 1999, according to Constance White, airport art programs manager.

Photos courtesy of the California Wolf Center

So, how did Julian get to fly at the airport?

All it took was a timely response to a request for proposals by a couple of heads-up organizations and their leaders, some research, and the hands-on work of installing the items on display.

White said that the requests for proposals were sent out three years ago to organizations identified as likely to want to produce displays. Several came to Julian organizations. However, Kim Miller at the wolf center and Eddie Silbernagel of the museum, seized on the potential, forged a partnership and went to work submitting the application and organized installation of the display.

Five of the six display windows are devoted to the wolf center, according to Miller, who notes that the exhibit fulfills the center's mission of "increasing awareness and conservation efforts in protecting and understanding the importance of wildlife and wild lands by focusing on history, biology and ecology of the North American gray wolf."

Wolf center topics are: location and mission of the center; using animals found in San Diego County, ecosystem balance and their relation to wolves; history of removal of wolves in the lower 48 states; reintroduction of wolves into their historic range; and the natural history of wolves.

To put it all into historic perspective, the museum panel will focus on the gold rush era that started with Fred Coleman's gold discovery here in 1869. The museum assembled the exhibit from typical items in its collection: a miner's gold pan, a miner's hat, an antique quilt, a bit of lace from its extensive lace collection and a pack saddle.

"This is a great recognition for Julian," according to Silbernagel, who coordinated the museum's part in the application process. "We received an application in the mail in 2004 along with thousands of other organizations in the county. I just wanted to get Julian noticed as I went through the process."

The California Wolf Center, located on Highway 79, has been pursuing its educational and outreach mission for more than 20 years. It now holds 28 animals including Alaskan and rare Mexican wolves and operates a captive breeding program. On Saturday afternoons it offers public programs that include discussion of wolf behavior, conservation, the importance of top predators in the environment, as well as an opportunity to see the wolves in their enclosures. For information, call 619-234-9653.

The Julian Pioneer Museum occupies a corner of Pioneer Park. It holds a large collection of original local and old-family photos, artifacts, tools, clothing, gold mining apparatus and old lace. The museum is open generally from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Information 760-765-0227.