What is the Valles Caldera National Preserve?

Hi 481 / 578 Learners

One assignment you have deals with informing the US Congress about the efficacy of switching control of the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. As with any place-based consulting position, your first task is to inform yourself about the study area, conditions under which the existing governance was formed, and legal mandates for the management agency.

Your first content-related blog entries should respond to THIS blog entry, not the opening blog entry. Here is your first set of questions. Answer them as completely as possible and use your own interpretation when necessary. While there are no completely correct or perfect answers there are good answers and bad answers... defensible answers and non-defensible answers. Read the appropriate Valles Caldera documentation provided in Blackboard, together with any other reading material you discover. Keep in mind you will be required to cite any information you use so that you avoid plagiarism. For help with correct citations the following is an excellent source:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/

So, unless your statements are completely your own, or are independent conclusions, you MUST provide a citation for any borrowed ideas or quotations.

Below are your questions:

1. In your own words how the Valles Caldera was formed. Use diagrams, either your own or others (don't forget to citations!) to assist you in your description.
2. In your informed (yes this means reading and looking at pictures) opinion, what are the properties that make it worthy of preservation?
3. Evaluate, again based on informed opinion, whether you believe the Valles Caldera should be preserved. Why or why not?

As you encounter other posts, respond to those that inspire you, those that trouble you, those about which you have questions, or those that you just find intriguing. Please stay on topic (the answering of the three questions). Take time to argue, praise, contribute to, correct, and otherwise see to learn more about these questions. REMEMBER TO REPLY TO THE CONTENT NOT THE PERSON POSTING!!!!! Be kind, be gentle, be fair but most of all, be curious and focused on learning as much as you can.

Feel free to contact me directly via e-mail, skype or phone if you in need of help.

Dr. DeMers

Sign on to the blog.

Hi GIS learners. By the end of the semester you should have a good idea of what the Valles Caldera is, who manages it and how, what legislation is pending in congress, and how you can inform Congress on their legislation.

For now, sign on to the blog and make sure you can successfully post by just saying hello to everyone. Perhaps you can borrow some information from your Blackboard roster to let us know.

Happy Blogging.

Dr. DeMers