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Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Friday, November 06, 2009
Caldera May Become Park
By Phil Parker
Journal Staff Writer
The chairman of the Valles Caldera board of trustees says a study is under way by the National Park Service to determine whether the Valles Caldera would be better off as a national park.
That news came as part of Chairman Stephen Henry's written response to a recent Government Accountability Office report to Congress. The GAO report said the trust-run caldera is at least five years behind schedule to become financially self-sustaining by the time federal appropriations are due to expire in 2015.
Henry said it costs about $4 million per year to run the preserve — money that goes for everything from paying staff to maintaining vehicles. That money comes through congressional appropriations, less the amount the Valles Caldera can raise for itself through its revenue-raising programs such as hunting, fishing and hiking, for which the preserve charges fees.
The amount the preserve has raised, however, has come nowhere close to $4 million needed for operations. Henry said they've managed to raise about $800,000 a year from cattle grazing and user fees for outdoor activities.
Because it's run by a trust, the Valles Caldera can charge users more than a national park, run by a government agency, would.
The GAO report lauded the trust for rehabilitating roads, fences and structures; creating numerous science programs; expanding recreational opportunities; and taking “first steps toward becoming financially self-sustaining.”
But it also concluded, “The Trust's financial management has been weak.”
Henry said he agrees with the assessment. He said a study was commissioned to determine how the Valles Caldera could get to the $4 million figure each year. The conclusion, he said, “was things we don't think we can do and that no one wants us to do,” such as developing lodges or luxury hotels.
If the board of trustees were to retain control of the preserve, Henry said, then the Preservation Act that established the Valles Caldera as a trust needs to be changed.
“We won't get there without something most of the public doesn't want,” Henry said. “So we're suggesting that the act be amended to say a financially self-sustaining operation is not in the best interests of the place or the American public. Congress seems to recognize that fact.”
In its report, the GAO writes: “The Valles Caldera Trust was created by Congress as a 20-year public-private land management experiment, whose aim was to protect and preserve — without the need for continuing infusions of federal tax dollars — a unique volcanic parcel of land in New Mexico.”
The board of trustees has undergone frequent turnover since it was established, and Henry said the constant efforts to raise money have been “absolutely stressful.”
“There's a perception that we're highly political party loyalists here, but that's not true,” he said. “We just want to do it right. We keep discussing how we'll make a go here. How do we advertise and get more people into this place? We keep trying to be optimistic and think 'OK, what else can we do? What other things can we do?' ”
If Congress takes a hard look at the GAO report, fundraising pressure could be lessened. Caldera Action, a not-for-profit citizens group, issued a news release Thursday encouraging the transfer of the preserve to the National Park Service. The group has also drafted legislation which would make that happen while still allowing hunting and fishing.
Henry said the National Park Service study, requested by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, will be finished “any day now.”
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