It’s been a wet monsoon season at the Valles Caldera. One day in middle July, the Valle Grande got 1.6 inches of rain in one afternoon (much to the dismay of a group of mountain bikers). After months of drought, the rains are watering thirsty wildflowers and meadows and aspen shoots growing in various burn scars.
The rain is drenching more than a hundred trespass cattle who have settled into the Valle San Antonio. The Park Service has been calling the rancher owners of the cattle to come get their animals. The ranchers come in on horseback and drive the cattle out. They seem to return soon thereafter. NPS staff told Caldera Action they are using a “good neighbor” approach to the trespass cattle issue, meaning being friendly to the ranchers.
Clearly this system isn’t working. The cows may be in the Preserve all summer. Meanwhile, NPS managers are counting on the new fence being built (between rainstorms) to solve the problem. Obviously, a new fence won’t solve the problem as trees fall and clippers cut wire on old fences and new fences.
Caldera Action is working with other environmental groups to develop a comprehensive solution to the trespass cattle problem. We will keep you posted and appreciate everyone sending us photos of bulls and other cattle in the Preserve as you enjoy your Preserve this summer.
Call to Action:
Please contact your Senator and Congressperson and ask them to ask President Biden to appoint a National Park Service Director quickly. The former president never appointed an NPS director in 4 years and now the Biden administration is dragging its feet on an appointment. The agency urgently needs new leadership.
The National Park Service is facing a crisis of low morale among its ranks, increasing employee attrition (Valles Caldera continues to lose employees) and overcrowding at major parks like Zion which are understaffed and underfunded. With no Senate-confirmed top leadership, the NPS seems to be floundering even as the parks are more popular than ever before.
Please write your senators and ask them to urge President Biden to appoint an NPS director very soon.
Here are the addresses:
Senator Ben Ray Lujan: https://www.lujan.senate.gov/?fbclid=IwAR08GpmcHsM2SrxKDvCuAx7iyBZ4Oxvd0vBPfLHW9rINsDSWRfiYHkrI4xg
Senator Martin Heinrich: https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/contact/write-martin
Fence Removal Coming Up
We are working with the National Park Service to set up dates for volunteer re-wilding in August and September. We’ll keep you posted.
