California Wolf Center plans to expand education, conservation efforts

The California Wolf Center is preparing for a major expansion that leaders say will make its education programs more accessible and broaden its focus beyond wolves to other native California predators.

The nonprofit conservation organization has acquired Mariposa Ranch, a more than 35-acre site off Highway 79 between downtown Julian and Lake Cuyamaca. The property is in the early stages of permitting and environmental studies, but the center hopes it can eventually become a new public-facing campus.

The California Wolf Center’s mission is to create “a sustainable future in which wolves and people share a healthy ecosystem,” according to the organization. Its existing Julian conservation center offers reservation-only guided tours, while its downtown Julian nature store provides educational exhibits and wildlife-related programming.

Center leaders say Mariposa Ranch is intended to make the organization more accessible to visitors and strengthen public education about wolves’ roles in ecosystems.… [READ MORE]