Caldera Action is the only non-profit organization focused on the public lands of the Jemez Mountains with a special emphasis on the two National Park Service sites: the Valles Caldera National Preserve and Bandelier National Monument. We formed Caldera Action in 2007 to advocate for sustainable preservation oriented management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. We were one of two organizations that pressed Congress to put the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) under the management of the National Park Service. We celebrated success in 2014.
Key members of our group have been advocating for the Valles Caldera since 1999 when the Baca Ranch was offered to the federal government on a willing seller basis by the Dunnigan family. The land was purchased using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and legislation passed to place the new Preserve under a trust management model.
For 14 years a “Trust” managed the preserve before President Obama signed legislation authored by then-Senator Jeff Bingaman and his successor Martin Heinrich and Senator Tom Udall for National Park Service management. We have been deeply involved in advocating for public access, protection and restoration of natural and cultural features, and for quality education and interpretation programs for the American people. We also take action to protect these lands from threats, either from managers or from outside interests.
Today we have three main areas of interest and involvement. We focus on creating a refugia for plants and wild animals in the Valles Caldera since it is one of the only areas of mountain country in the Southwest where cattle grazing is prohibited. The lack of cattle pressure allows plant communities to thrive along with the wildlife that depend on them, from pollinators, to coyotes, to badgers, pika and prairie dogs. As part of this effort we have led an effort to end cattle trespass by ranchers from neighboring national forest lands. Our effort, focused on litigation supported by Western Watersheds Project has been quite successful with very few trespass cattle in the Preserve in 2026.
We have been monitoring other issues that arise, such as proposals by an area Pueblo to kill eagles at the Caldera. We have monitored the ongoing management activities of the National Park Service as they continue to create one of America’s newest national park units in the face of budget cuts, harassment and intimidation from the Trump Interior Department.
Citizen Efforts to Protect the Valles Caldera National Preserve
In 2026 Caldera Action has a new Board of Directors and an expanded mission. No longer focused only on the Valles Caldera, we have expanded our focus on protecting Bandelier National Monument and other critical public values on the Santa Fe National Forest. Through our litigation we are seeking to turn attention to neighboring national forest grazing allotments which are overgrazed.
Our Vision
Caldera Action has a vision where the natural values of National Park Service managed lands in the Jemez Mountains and nearby are of paramount
importance to our collective perspective. We envision a future where the geologic story, the wildlife, streams, forests, and grasslands of these landsare allowed to recover from past uses and the lands becomes a refuge for Americans needing an accessible, quiet, wild place for retreat. We envision a
place where the Puebloan past in the region and current Pueblo cultural activities are protected. We envision science flourishing in these lands with a
center for environmental education and research. And we envision public lands which offers a diverse population, from nearby communities and elsewhere
opportunities for education, recreation and spiritual renewal. We envision a place where plants and native wildlife can thrive without the industrial pressure of cattle grazing.
Now that the National Park Service manages the VCNP, we are committed to helping them achieve good management results. We will act as assistants and
critics when needed, to speak for the land and its life.
Our Mission
Our mission is to foster active citizen participation in the
restoration, protection, and appreciation of the Valles Caldera National
Preserve, Bandelier National Monument and other nearby lands for the long-term
benefit of the place itself, the American public, and visitors from around the
world.
Our Board of Directors:
Tom Ribe – Executive Director, Staff
Monique Schoustra – President, Treasurer
Rick Light, Board Member –
Brittney Van de Werff – Board Member –
Don Usner, Board Member –
Brad Mason, Board Member –
Kaylin Wirth, Board Member –
Bryan Bird, Board Member-
Contact Us
Email: calderaaction@gmail.com
Phone: 505 690 0305
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caldera-Action/141334715921018?ref=ts&fref=ts