The Valles Caldera National Preserve has been public land for 20 years this summer. In difficult times like these, with a pandemic and an economic downturn, we can really understand the value of having large areas of public land. We need places to escape not only from other people, but from our normal selves and the stress of our daily lives. The Valles Caldera is a supreme retreat.
With thousands of people discovering the outdoors during the pandemic, finding solitude in a national park setting gives all of us access to peace and relief. While nearby national forest lands are overwhelmed with visitors and the noise and damage of off-road vehicles, the Valles Caldera (and Bandelier National Monument) is an island of peace. The National Park Service only allows 35 vehicles per day past the visitor center at the Caldera, but those of us on foot can go virtually anywhere while hundreds of miles of abandoned logging roads invite bicycle and horse riders. Off road vehicles are not allowed.
When Congress first established the Valles Caldera National Preserve in 2000, they set up a management experiment called a “trust” as most readers will recall. While the trustees did a huge amount of good work in their 14 years, the trust model was not going to succeed over the long run and today we can celebrate the wisdom of people like former Senator Jeff Bingaman and Senator Tom Udall who realized the need to have long-term protection for the Valles Caldera through the National Park Service.
The National Park Service has been managing the VCNP since 2014 and though their planning and study seems endless, we know that the Preserve will have a solid future once their plans and infrastructure are in place. Today the VCNP staff are working with regional National Park Service planners to lay out the infrastructure that will serve us and generations to come.
In the meantime, the Preserve is open. We have our challenges with trespass cattle illegally damaging the Valle San Antonio. We have drought and dangerous political times. But we also have hope for the flourishing of the VCNP and the new research learning center that will greatly expand the outdoor literacy of kids and adults alike in the future.
Click here to read the article on the Santa Fe New Mexican celebrating the VCNP’s 20th.
New Mexican Highlights Coco Rae’s VCNP Trails Book
Readers of Caldera Action updates know about Coco Rae’s new hiking guide to the Valles Caldera. The New Mexican ran an article about the book complete with a video of Ms. Rae by the East Fork this week.
We have a few copies of the book and will send you a copy if you donate $50 or more to Caldera Action. Visit our webpage for the Paypal button or mail a check to Caldera Action, 56 Hidden Valley Rd., Santa Fe 87505. Also please let other people know about our work so we can be more effective. Thank you.
Fun Facts
Did you know that the National Park Service manages 44 million acres of designated wilderness in the United States, more than any other federal agency? We could designate wilderness in Valles Caldera and adjacent lands in the future.
