Caldera Clears Congress

Senate approves defense bill that gives Valles Caldera management to Parks Service

The US Senate cleared a large defense spending bill Friday afternoon with  that included several public lands provisions that will impact New Mexico.

One of the biggest changes that the bill imposes is transferring control of northern New Mexico's Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. Since 2000, the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera has been managed by a board of trustees with the goal of financial self sufficiency by this year. Instead, the caldera is expected to generate just $800,000 this expenditures of about $3.4 million.

The US House of Representatives approved the National Defense Authorization Act last week. The Senate approved the bill today by an 89-11 vote. It now goes to the desk of President Obama, who is expected to sign it into law.

Among other changes, Valles Caldera's management will no longer have to ask Congress for a new budget each year. Instead, the caldera will be a part of the Park Service's appropriations budget.

Formerly the private Baca Ranch, the federal government purchased the Valles Caldera at the turn of the millennium for $101 million and turned it into public land. Then US Sen. Pete Domenici, R-NM, exercised his muscle in only allowing the purchase to go forward if the caldera was operated on an experimental management model. That model called for the caldera to work toward financially self-sustainability, which was supposed to be achieved by fiscal year 2015.

Instead, the self-sustainability goal mostly created controversy.

Throughout the years, however, the caldera failed to achieve it. Along the way, several outdoors enthusiasts complained about a lack of public access and expensive entrance fees compared to national parks like the nearby Bandelier National Monument.

Public outcry over the setup made its way to Washington DC in 2009, when former Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, introduced a bill that would shift management to the Park Service. Currently, the caldera's board of trustees works closely with the US National Forest Service, which technically owns the land. Proponents of the transfer argue that the Park Service, with a greater focus on land preservation, is best suited to operate the caldera.

The bill, if approved by Obama, will impose a six-month transition to the Park Service. The board of trustees will shift to an advisory board, which will then dissolve at the end of the transition phase.

The staff that currently answers to the board, however, will likely be protected. Valles Caldera Executive Director Jorge Silva-Bañuelos says his top priority during the transition will be to advocate for his staff.

This may not be the end of the caldera's transfer of management. Jemez Pueblo, which holds the Valles Caldera as sacred land important to their tribe, is in the midst of a lawsuit seeking to reclaim ownership of the area.

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