Saturday, April 28, 2012
Congressional Recommendation
Hello GIS practitioners... yes, that's you now. Congratulations on the many thoughtful and considered responses to the blog questions. The final blog should conclude your discourse. In this blog please make your best recommendation to the US Congress regarding the viability of moving the management of the Valles Caldera by the National Park Service. Please avoid passion and bias and stick to the facts as you have observed them. Indicate, to the best of your ability the plusses and minuses of such a move. Be as objective as possible. You will compile this and all your other blog entries for part of your Valles Caldera report assignment.
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The best recommendation to congress would be to turn over management of the Caldera to the National Park Service. They simply have more resources, expertise, and experience with managing a park like the caldera.
ReplyDeleteWith the Caldera becoming a national park finances would be secured because they could charge entrance fees which the money would go toward preservation. However, there is concern that the National Park Service would focus more on using the caldera as a recreational open park than on the preservation. This would include expansion as far as facilities, buildings, more trails, ect.
This is mind, the Trust has many goals that are passionate and show that they care for the Caldera, but without the proper resources it is not possible to reach these goals. However, it is possible for the Trust to educate the management that will be taking over about what their goals and importance of certain park areas that should stay preserved.
All of these areas that are important for the Trust to stay preserved can be put into the GIS system and then transferring the management over could happen with ease and everyone could find peace. Overall, the National Park Service will have to take over management, but luckily they will have GIS to help them manage the Caldera in a safe and public way.
Along with a robust GIS which is very costly for licenses and services along with salary for the people to operate the GIS system, there is also the question of data. While some data is free some of it is really expensive. A very helpful layer would be air photos but they are really expensive to obtain especially to hire a company to fly a air-flight mission.
DeleteI couldn't agree more about your statement. And I completely agree on your aspects you addressed Jazmine. Although, the question arises to me is that do we as a nation know what's best for the Caldera and are we making the correct decisions and choices? Just something for all of to keep in mind.
DeleteIn my humble opinion the park should be turned over to the National Park Service. I don't believe the park has the means to become economically independent by 2015. The preservation should still be fulfilled.
ReplyDeleteThere is a ranch on the premises but I don't believe this could generate the kind of money to maintain and manage the park. There is also government competition against private ranches in the state that is also a key issue.
The park also has many goals as well as unforseen issues within the area. There is not sufficient safety management that is a must in the area. An established agency should take over the park.
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DeleteI agree with you that the ranching should end because to be a true preserve only native or indigenous wildlife (animals and plants) should be allowed.
DeleteAt this rate there is no way to financial stability in the required time. It appears to be a lose lose situation. On one hand, the government could possibly turn the area into a complete recreational area, losing a lot of the wildlife and potential archeological finds. And on the other hand, if it continues down the path right now there will never be sustainability and no chance for preservation.
DeleteThe fact is the park is not self-sustainable and your comments argue that fact really well. Is there any out of the box agencies you could think of that could take over the park?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Valles Caldera National Preserve should NOT be turned over to the National Park Service or any other agency. My basic reasoning behind this is that I believe that they are moving in a positive direction and that turning them over to the NPS would change the character of the preserve, defeating the goal of preserving it. While their expenditures far exceed their revenue, their revenues are increasing and with the addition of their appropriations, do cover the expenditures.
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of the preserve’s revenues come from the hunting programs. By moving them into the NPS, these programs would likely go away as hunting is not allowed within the national parks. On the up side, this revenue would likely be replaced by entrance fees, so financially this would likely be a wash. However, this would serve to destroy their main method for generating revenue and at the same time eliminate a long-standing use of the area. I feel that preserving this area includes the preservation of the uses of this area.
Inclusion in the NPS would also likely require improvements and expansion of infrastructure. New buildings, roads, trails, increased visitation, etc will all serve to change many aspects of the environment within the VCNP. Again, I do not see these changes as being for the better. While the NPS does a wonderful job of making extraordinary places accessible to many people, by doing so they fail to keep these places extraordinary! Some places deserve to remain wild and natural. The Valles Caldera National Preserve is one of those places.
I like your boldness!
DeleteI really enjoy your perspective on this issue. Just because the Trust members haven't reached all of the goals necessary yet for the Caldera to be financially self-sustaining doesn't mean they're not moving in a good direction. I really like your point about the extraordinary-ness of a place being taken away from NPS but I would elaborate on that a bit more. What exactly do they take away?
DeleteAlexxis,
DeleteI've seen the NPS do a really good job of making places accessible to the masses. In doing so, they've paved over pristine areas, put up hotels and villages to accommodate increased usage, put strings of cables up beautiful rock faces, overcrowded once remote places, destroyed animal habitat, created traffic jams polluting beautiful places with traffic and exhaust, etc. Oh, and how about an elevator into an underground cave???
While I do believe the NPS does do a pretty good job provide a reasonable balance in many cases, I don't believe that it's a balance that is good for every place.
Here are a few examples:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/half-dome-cables.htm
http://www.ccnationalparks.com/zion/angelslanding.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPqsNXDOpww
I believe your points are valid because I was on the fence about which way to go Valles Caldera National Preserve or the National Park Service. What moved me over to the National Park Service was the ranching; cattle are not wild or natural in the Caldera.
DeleteI agree Robert, I never thought of it that way with the ranching. Good point
DeleteI agree with many of the others that have posted when I say that, by a financial standpoint, the Valles Caldera would be better served gto be turned over to the NPS. Inclusion into the NPS would give the Caldera greater financial stability and greater resources to draw upon. On the other hand, charging entrance fees could interfere with the rise in visitation. Though the Valles Caldera Trust had done an admirable job with the Preserve with the resources it had, I believe the NPS would be, not better, but more stable, which is what a new preserve means. Implementing and addressing the GIS database and safety protocols are expensive endeavors, which the current Preserve, despite its progress, is incapable of meeting.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also agree that management under the NPS could lead to a unnecessary focus on recreation over preservation or cultural aspects that are currently provided for in the Preserve's mandates. If stipulations could be worked onto the NPS's charter regarding these mandates, I am sure that it would relieve many concerns regarding any future decisions.
I think if you raise the rate on out of state visitors to the park that would offset the drop on visitation that you had stated. It could be like tuition and fishing licenses which are more expensive for out of state individuals.
DeleteAfter my review of information concerning the Valles Caldera; articles, maps, websites, statistics and using my specific GIS knowledge, my recommendation to the US Congress: the US congress should consider using the National Parks Service as the best option for management of the valles Caldera. Due to lack of revenue using the experimental management, the Valles Caldera will likely not meet the deadline to become self-sustaining by 2015.
ReplyDeleteThe positives of this change in management; Sufficient funding will be given to the Valles Caldera by the US government (this is the major reason the NPS should manage) Current management is not meeting the amount of revenue needed to become self-sustaining. The VC will continue being persevered and Camping, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching and other activities will remain part of the Valles Caldera experience, along with Fishing. The Negatives of a change in management; Hunting will not be allowed and it will not be a working ranch.
It’s a tough decision to make but without the funding, the Valles Caldera will not be able to be preserved. So the best option is to use the National Parks Service and be comfortable fiscally.
I disagree with your negatives; hunting will probably have to continue because there are not enough predatory animals (no wolves and few mountain lions) to control the Elk population. I also believe if ranching is removed from the Caldera plant and animal life will return to more balanced, natural state.
DeleteFew national parks allow hunting, I don't see the Valles Caldera being one of those that will allow it. It takes congress to allow hunting on certain National Parks, and still it has to be permitted after that. The reason I say it will be a negative, is for the same reason you say it wouldn't be: The animals would over populate. Read my first post and you will see I brought that issue up on Blog 1.
DeleteAbout the ranching I don't feel removing it will give a more balanced or natural state. Animals on a ranch such as this live in a natural environment. I see that you said (in another post) that cattle are not native to the VC, nor are elk, all elk native to new mexico were killed off. The Elk there now are a different type of elk, native to Canada. I feel this is negative for the people who have worked to keep this a working ranch, not necessarily for the public or wildlife.
i disagree, I think one of the best options will be hunting. Hunting is a billion dollar industry and plus the majority of the funds used to preserve parks comes from hunting. hunting would be the best option.
Deletenegative should be to remove the working ranch, cattle grazing has a higher impact to the fauna and flora.
It is hard to make recommendation for a huge project such Valles Caldera National Park Services. It is really a big challenge. However, I think that we have to think in caldera as a comprehensive integrated issue that need for interdisciplinary framework for management. Many different approaches can be used to deal with the NPS plan in congress, and I think that GIS technique would be one of the best choices. Yes, I agree that Caldera is natural, historical, cultural, geographical, and environmental values that society should preserve. However, it an economic value that can be managed for survive. I think that congressional representatives should take into account some NPS example like Grand Canyon and how could be managed successfully. In this regards, the GIS tools can be used to develop an integrated framework that can maximize the net benefits and return from different cultural, education, natural, and land management programs included in this NPS framework.
ReplyDeleteMy recommendation to congress is that the Valles Caldera NOT be transferred to the National Park Service. The initial goal of The Valles Caldera was to be an experimental study in preservation, and while the trust has had some problems making the area financially independent, they are on the right track. Based on their Strategic Management Plan, I believe that the Trust understands their setbacks and the specific reasons for them. They are completing an Environmental Study and have identified key entities such as The Nature Conservancy that be of great benefit in meeting their goals of securing the sustainability of the area. This is a major first step in reaching all of their goals. They are working under Historic Preservation regulation as well, with the same foreseeable outcome. Plans are in place to expand visitation and recreational activities for the area. I encourage your to review the Strategic Management Plan to gain more insight into what the Trust has designed.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion is to allow them to complete the initial time period, expiring in 2020, before making any such decision as to transferring the Caldera to the National Park Service. If the Valles Caldera goes under the umbrella of the Park Service, it will indeed see more visitors; however, the cost of increased infrastructure, visitation and use will greatly change the quality of the area. Other recreational areas in New Mexico that have lost their "hidden" charm are over-crowed and dirty. They have lost their natural peace and silence. The Valles Caldera has a chance of retaining these qualities. I believe that congress should allow the Trust time to make changes that will ensure that it does.
Overall the Valles Caldera Trust has done the best that it can to fulfill its mandates. It has done its best to keep the Caldera as preserved as possible which is one of their main objectives that they are accomplishing, based on the gathered information. However, one of the mandates that may not be possible to complete is trying to make the preserve self-sustainable. With that being said, I also believe that the Valles Caldera SHOULD be turned over to the NPS. As others have mentioned, the NPS does have the expertise and experience with managing other parks, along with the addition of having more resources in order to keep the area financially secured. By switching to NPS, they “can produce economic benefits, provide more reliable resources protection, allow a superior visitor experience and allow more opportunities for public recreation” (Kamerick, 2011).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Lee and Ms. Karen, I think the Valles Caldera Trust has done an amazing job in managing the site and is heading towards the right direction. I also agree that by switching to the NPS, some of the unique and precious qualities of the Caldera can be affected and endangered.
However, the main reason I believe the Caldera should be turned over to the NPS is in order for the site to become financially secured. Overall, this decision was hard to make.
Kamerick, M. (2011, October 24). Study advocates putting Valles Caldera under National Park Service. Retrieved April 29, 2012, from New Mexico Business Weekly: http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2011/10/24/study-advocates-putting-valles-caldera.html?page=all
Congressional Recommendation Final Blog
ReplyDeleteMy congressional recommendation that the Valles Caldera National Preserves management be turned over to the National Park Service comes with some trepidation. Yes, the VCNP is meeting some of their mandates but not all of them and they are still getting some federal funding, which I think they will continue to need past their operational deadline.
There are not many National Parks that earn enough money to be self-sufficient financially. The few that do like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon National Park do so because they attract extremely large crowds of people from around the world. The National Park Service manages the large crowds along with the wildlife and ecologically beauty of these unique areas quite well. The NPS is not perfect, they have made many mistakes in the past like allowing American Black Bears to be friendly and unafraid of people in Yosemite or letting everyone who came enter the Grand Canyon. Those policies had to be reversed and the NPS learned valuable lessons from them. What the VCPN has shown is the number of people who want to visit there is limited and in my opinion that is a good thing.
My point that I’m trying to make with all of this is the NPS has the experience, expertise and financial backing of the federal government to manage the VCNP. This means I am willing as a U.S. taxpayer to allow the VCNP into that financial stream of funding and management. It is time for the experiment to end.
It is interesting what you said about the downfalls of the NPS but it is important that we focus on the lessons learned and with the financial backing as well as experience the NPS offers Caldera could greatly benefit. The Trust does not bring the range of expertise to the table, although they might be able to offer knowledge regarding the area more so then the NPS.
DeleteI would make a recommendation to Congress that the Valles Caldera would be better served by the Nation Park Service. By transferring management to a larger establishment would give a wider variety of resources to pull from, which is what I believe has made the management process slow for the trust. Studies of wildlife and archeological sites can continue under the direction of the NPS which is one of the main goals of the preserve, but these studies can be done in house by NPS employees. Also they would be able to expand on another goal, of providing opportunities to the public.
ReplyDeleteSince a concern of having the NPS manage the preserve is that there would be an increase in public access improvements, I would also suggest to congress that the land be categorized as a National Wildlife Refuge. Then it would be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who is able to provide sufficient management as well as protecting the preserves beauty and ecosystem.
Regardless of which department the Valles Caldera is transferred to I feel that it is best the trust relinquishes their management over the preserve because they have failed to establish a financially stable management system. And by moving the management of the Caldera to an organization that has more experience and resources to offer the public, wildlife, and environment would benefit.
You are correct that the National Park Service has a wide variety of resources to pull from, such as personnel experienced in GIS with the equipment to begin to an extensive inventory of the Valles Caldera. This is what the Trust is lacking in because they don’t have the funds to take on that kind of a project, which they really need.
DeleteIn my personal opinion I do not believe the Valles Caldera should be turned over to the National Park Service. I will admit that the Trust members haven’t gotten as far as they could have by 2012 but they can still make significant progress. One of the factors that set back the Trust members is the length of term each member runs if there is any way that member’s terms can be extended to implement their ideas ultimately I believe allowing more progress to be made. As I’ve stated in my previous blogs the Trust has been making positive movements in the hopes of making the Caldera financially self-sustaining but though they still have a ways to go it indicates that they are heading in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIn 2015 I don’t believe Congress should make a closed decision on the fate of the Caldera. Congress should extend 8 to 10 more years to allow Trust members to make more head way towards a financially self-sustaining area as long as congress also extends the allotted time Trust members serve on the board. I know that extending members terms will allow for ideas to become realities. Also just from graduating GIS majors or professors can shed some light to the issues that have arisen in class and assist the Trust members on the areas they need to begin focusing on to help the preserve. What better people to assist with the preservation of this area than a Geographer who can work with their database and show them models on what areas of the preserve needs assistance and how to function at its best when or if it’s ever completely open to the public.
Turning over such a vast and diversified area of wildlife, vegetation, hydrology, hunting, fishing, ect, to the NPS wouldn’t be the worst idea but also wouldn’t be the best idea either. Why allow the Caldera to turn into just another national park? Granted the national parks around the U.S. are amazing but the Valles Caldera will be much more unique, the natural beauty and purpose of the area will stay intact with a lot more minimal human involvement than with turning it over to the NPS. If the issues that the class has brought up during the year can be dealt with and new ideas can begin to be set in motion the Valles Calderas can become a financially self-sustaining area that sets itself apart from other national parks. The Caldera already allows a lot more visitor interaction (hunting, fishing, horseback riding, skiing, ect) than a national park would. The Trust members may have started off a little rough trying to preserve this area but I believe with the help of geographers and extended amount of time this area can become an amazing preserve that future generations will not visit to view its wonders but will get a hands on experience of this naturally diversified area.
The Valles Caldera Trust board-of-trustees has made commendable advances toward the preservation of the Valles Caldera. The achievements that the preserve has made thus far will have a long lasting effect and the developments it has made in the early years of its formation will be forever vital. However, management operations at its current state are not meeting the financial needs of the preserve. Expenditures made by the preserve are not equally matching the revenues that are taken in on an annual basis. The 2015 deadline of making the preserve financially self-sustaining is quickly taking the form of an unattainable goal. Furthermore, the preserve is not in the position that it was scheduled to be in, at this particular time. Thus, the intervention of the National Park Service (NPS) will be needed to take the Valles Caldera to the pinnacle of its operational capability. It is evident that the Valles Caldera is destined to be a fascinating and easily accessed attraction, but an organization such as the NPS is needed to tap into the preserves potential. Throughout the research conducted for this project, it seems that the NPS would be the ideal solution for the preserves current problems. The NPS has a large amount of resources at its disposal and can literally and figuratively put the Valles Caldera on the national park map. However, the organization is not limited to getting the word out about the Valles Caldera; it also has the financial ability to get projects done properly and quickly. In addition, the presence of the NPS can boost the local economy. To close, from the documentation that was analyzed for this project, there is no discredit associated with how the preserve has been handled thus far but the strides that could be achieved under the guidance of the NPS are apparent and unparalleled.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your addition to why NPS would be the best choice, and I agree completely. I did not go into detail but I too believe that the local economy would benefit as well as give the Caldera more recognition nationwide, which could possibly bring monies for more research.
DeleteI hinted at this in my comment above, but the NPS does not have a large amount of resources at the moment. Like every other governmental agency they have had budget cuts, and are struggling to make ends meet. I did some work creating geology map for a National Park, and I can tell you that Parks that been in existence for years are still missing important GIS layers. So I am not sure that transferring the Valles Caldera to the NPS is going to solve the financial problems. However, I do agree that it will improve the infrastructure of the Preserve.
DeleteIt is my opinion that the National Park Service (NPS) would better serve Valles Caldera. NPS offers more experience and a greater chance for preservation of the Caldera over time. Up to now the Trust has made a valiant effort to maintain the integrity of the Caldera but with so many stakeholders it is difficult to find resolution and in the end the best interest of the Caldera is being lost. NPS already have in place guidelines and regulations for areas such as the Caldera that can be easily be maintained and improved upon. It would be my overall recommendation that the NPS take over Valles Caldera for a probationary time frame of 5 years and at that point be re-evaluated and assessed for the future of the preserve.
ReplyDeleteShould the Valles Caldera National Preserve be turned over to the National Park Service? For me that is a difficult decision to decided. I would love for the preserve to become self-sufficient; however, management has their work cut out for them. The preserve has had financial instability for over a decade yet they have made a valiant effort in fulfilling mandated guidelines. They have worked with what they have and continue to do so but how much further can they go. Turning management over to the National Park Service will greatly improve the financial stability of the preserve. The National park Service is a large sector and will have more revenue circulating. What concerns me is the National Park Service’s willingness to stay true to the Preserves already in place management principles. Will the park service impede on this area’s natural beauty and build more infrastructures. Will an increase of public accessibility take place and strain the natural environment as well as impose on religious sites. In any decision making one must take the good with the bad.
ReplyDeleteI believe the Valles Caldera should be turned over to the National Park Service for the fact that the preserve will have financial stability as well as a more experienced staff. The National Park Service should take into account the unique aspects of this caldera and hold true to the already in place management principles.
The one issue I have with having something like the NPS take over Valles Caldera is that the NPS in not really required to make there parks be finically self-sustaining. The majority of income is coming from fees (giftshops are run by outside organizations) and that is not much, particularly for smaller parks. So most parks are supported by taxes, not by income. And most Parks are really strapped for money right now.The way I see the Valles Caldera Preserve is as an experiment in preserving land without using tax money and making it a National Park would be concluding that we can not preserve land in such a way that it is self-sustaining. And maybe that is the case.
ReplyDeleteShifting the Valles Caldera National preserve in to a National Park Service will have its negative impact on the preserve. As the number of visitor increases so will the use on the environment and its ability to cope with this use within the acceptable limits of change. Uncontrolled tourism poses potential threats to many natural areas It can put enormous pressure on an area and lead to impacts such as: soil erosion, increased pollution, natural habitat loss, increased pressure on endangered species, discharges into the rivers, streams and often place strain on water resources, forcing local populations to compete for the use of critical resources and heightened vulnerability to forest fires.
ReplyDeletemexican spotted owl is a keystone species found in this part of the country and is one that is threaten to go in the endangered list. many of the reason for its low numbers, has to do with the human impact to its critical habitat.
DeleteThe Valles Caldera Preserve was created, in part, as an experiment to see if it is possible for land to be both preserved for the future and financially support its own preservation. The Trust was charge with some very ambitious goals to meet in the creation of the Park. They have not, as of yet, met this goals. However, is this because the goals were unrealistic, because the management ineffectual in meeting the goals, or because the act of preserving land and creating profit from the land at the same time are essentially incompatible?
ReplyDeleteThe question before us is whether or not the experiment at Valles Caldera should continue as is or if the Preserve should be incorporated into the National Forest Service, the National Park Service, or the Bureau of Land Management. This is not an easy question to answer. In my opinion, the Valles Caldera Preserve should not be incorporated into another agency at this point in time. The creation of the Preserve was an experiment, and as with most experiments, there has been the need for adjustments to the original plan. This does not mean that the experiment itself has failed.
While incorporating the Preserve into the NPS has advantages (an existing infrastructure, experience), I do not believe that it will solve the problems facing the Preserve. The NPS, as well as every other governmental agency, is facing budgetary restrictions at the moment, and there is a real risk of the Preserve suffering from lack of funds and personnel to take on the project of restructuring. However, it is not guaranteed that the Preserve will be able to make it on its own in the long run, and I would also recommend that the Preserve start using the standards and procedures already used by the NPS, both to benefit from methods that are tested now and to make the incorporation in the future easier, if necessary.
I strongly agree that the best effort to keep the valles caldera at its natural state is to leave the caldera as a national preserve, but by letting National Park Services take over has many advantages. NPS has high manageable experience in this issue, as much as we would love to see the caldera project stay with the national preserve, funding is not available. The majority of funds the national park service brings are through tourism either by fishing, hiking, camping, and hunting. The national park service will have more experience managing its unique and preserving and also having economic impact to the area. For this area I feel there should be stricter guidelines that will keep minimal damage to designated areas where endangered species are located.
ReplyDeleteI agree, how would they manage these areas of endangered species?
DeleteValles Caldera could be turned over to the National Park services because based on the a lot of studies, especially by Harbinger Consulting Group, putting this management under the NPS will produce around” 202 local jobs, and nearly $8 million in wages and $11 million in economic activity by 2016” Kamerick, M. (2011, October 24). Also, management of this area should be compared for evaluating in success level among various management systems like Valles Caldera Trust or National Park Services also NPS has a lot of experience in similar cases and previous experience of NPS can be evaluated for decision making regarding the future of Valles Caldera management. Valles Caldera Preserve is very important because of various historical, ecological, wildlife, natural resources, and allot of other reasons. Therefore, for managing system in this area, decision makers (congress) have to debate with many experts that have been worked with various management systems like NPS. Also, I think that this managing should not been given to any management system for a long time, and should be evaluated several times (for example during a year) for producing more economical benefits in this area and preventing damages to this national resources.
ReplyDeleteIn the best interest of the Valles Caldera, the best recommendations to give it is to hand it over to the National Park Service and create a well rounded GIS database for better management to be implemented. Due to the Caldera not achieving their entire long list of mandates, turning it over the National Park Service could help successful accomplish more of the mandates set in place. The National Park Service has a vast variety of employees who specialize in nature and how it is affect so therefore, the best candidate for the job is the National Park Service. On the contrary, it is great to try and apply new approaches to things, in this case due to the preservation of the Caldera trying a new management approach and testing to see if it may work may not be the best things for a national preserve. The trust has many goals that they are very passionate about, as Jazmine stated, but with not the necessary and vital resources it needs the Caldera may end up hurt in the end. In the end, more education and implementation of GIS databases need to be put into affect to help management and preserve the Valles Caldera.
ReplyDeleteDear Congress,
ReplyDeleteAs your GIS consultant for the Valles Caldera it is my duty to recommend that the Caldera be placed in the care of the National Park Service for a variety of reasons, the most important being the procurement of finances and needed funding. This is necessary to maintain the mandates created to preserve this area, which should be considered one of our national treasures. The trust, as it stands at this point in time, is unable to keep to those mandates. With only 20% of the Preserve’s revenue coming from actual Preserve activities there is no way in sight that the Caldera can meet its goal of becoming self sufficient (Director Resigns, 2011). The Valles must either gain more public access, more public funds, or become an entirely private entity in order to become economically sustainable. As it is not in the people’s interest to allow the area to become privately owned, the Valles Caldera must join the Park system. Greater public access will bring in more funds as well as more interest in the area.
Reduction of cattle grazing may anger some local residents but it is possible accommodation could be reached as it has been on other public lands with grazing allowed at certain times and in more limited areas. This may be beneficial by allowing the grassland ecosystems to recover for longer periods after grazing, preserving soil integrity. Hunting and fishing should be allowed to continue due to the high potential to raise revenue as well as attract visitors during traditionally off seasons. Tribal access should be allowed to continue in accordance with federal law. Camping should be considered for this area but with limited access and amenities in order to preserve natural beauty. Education and research should be emphasized. People value what they understand and every effort should be made to promote the historical, cultural, geological, and environmental value of the Valles Caldera. Allowing this preserve to join the National Park system would in the end truly preserve the Caldera. Perhaps not to the degree the original owners of the donated ranch intended, but at least the area will remain open for the public to enjoy in the future.
Reference:
Staci Matlock (2011). Valles Caldera Director Resigns. Retrieved from
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/valles-caldera-for-web
It is recommended that the Valles Calderas Trust consider turning the preserve over to The National Park Service. Although, the Trust board members have made commendable progress with the mandates set forth by Congress, there are still various management issues that they have yet to resolve. For many years, they have yet to define and stratify a long term goal and plan for becoming a self-sustaining organization. The mandates are required to be fully met by 2015, and in recent reports, it was stated that they may not meet this requirement. The National Park service is a government agency that is familiar with stratifying a long term goal and using various management skills. Through this agency, a Geographic Information System (GIS) database would be better executed to improve the management of the Valles Calderas.
ReplyDeleteAs a final conclusion I want to recommend government to let Valles Caldera National Trust continue managing the preserve. Based on the data available from the 2011 fiscal year annual report the trust has been improving its performance during last five years and if they move towards that direction they can fulfill most of the mandate’s requirements in 15 years planning horizon. Based on the annual report the trust has been able to earn around 20% of their total revenues through their own revenues. This is considering the biggest wildfire in the history of New Mexico and the drought that has been going on.
ReplyDeleteMany would argue that if park services take the control of the Valles Caldera with experience they have and their access to sources of money they can be more successful in managing the preserve, but I think there have been a lot of time and capital and energy invested on the trust (since 2000) and now they are getting more and more adapted to the management situation. Here we can use the concept of opportunity cost, i.e. the costs (time, money and energy) spent on the trust could have been spent somewhere else.
Finally I believe although they are not completely successful in accomplishing the mandates and probably will not be able to reach the self-sufficiency point; they are in the right direction and should be given more time.
Valles Caldera Trust (2011). Valles Caldera Trust 2011 Report to Congress Fiscal Year 2011. Jemez Springs, NM