1/20 Least visitors to the Valles Caldera think the park is in a static state, Superintendent Jorge Silva Banuelos assured Caldera Action’s board of directors at a Santa Fe meeting in November that a great deal is going on behind the scenes.
The NPS is using the information gathered in numerous public scoping meetings during the years when the Trust was managing the preserve, to change facilities and develop programs for the public. For example the NPS is finalizing a Front Country Development Plan” which will guide facilities development in the Valle Grande including the Cabin District and visitor centers. They are doing an inventory of lands above 5000 acres that could be designated wilderness by Congress and continuing trails management and planning.
The NPS has obtained the Sulfur Springs property on the south edge of the park where small hot springs bubble forth heavy with minerals and create a mini Mammoth Hot Springs (Yellowstone). This property was an inholding with dilapidated structures on it. The NPS plans to use the site to interpret volcanic activity in the Jemez Mountains for the public.
The NPS also has funding to rehabilitate some of the cabins on the preserve including San Antonio and some in the Cabin District.
Many other things are going on which will directly benefit the public with added interpretation, access, and safety. Caldera Action will continue to stay informed and involved as the VCNP matures. We continue to monitor compliance with environmental protection laws.
Progress at Valles Caldera
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