| Valles Caldera attracting more visitors, but falls short of financial goals — report |
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Six years after its creation, the Valles Caldera National Preserve, an
experiment in public lands management, has lived up to its promise as a
popular destination for tourists, hunters, hikers and mountain bikers.
But it still has a long way to go to meet its congressional mandate to
become self-sufficient, according to a new report assessing the
preserve's first half-decade.
The "state of the preserve" report -- the first assessment of the congressionally created preserve since the former Baca Ranch opened to the public in 2001 -- is aimed at providing the board of trustees that oversees the preserve with "the technical and scientific basis for comprehensive management," according to the document. According to the Valles Caldera Trust, which manages the day-to-day operations of the preserve, one of three primary goals set by Congress has been met, one is close to being met and the other remains elusive. The preserve has offered "reasonable access" to the area for recreation, research, education and commercial enterprises such as grazing. And the "basic components" of a comprehensive management plan are in place. But the preserve falls short of its financial goal to become self-sufficient by 2015. "The goal of financial self-sufficiency will continue to challenge not only the Trust, but also the stakeholders engaged in this experiment," the report says. Congress authorized the purchase of the private ranch in 2000 but required it to be managed by a board of trustees representing various interests instead of by a single agency, as most public land units are. The board consists of the supervisor of Santa Fe National Forest, the superintendent of nearby Bandelier National Monument and seven members appointed by the president. The panel is under an unusual mandate to manage the scenic volcanic highlands as a working ranch, while also protecting its natural resources and providing for recreation, hunting and scientific research. The report covers the period between 2002-2007 -- the first five years of management under the board of trustees. According to Valles Cadera Trust executive director Jeff Cross, the 89,000-acre preserve is seeing more visitors each year and demand is increasing for access and more recreational opportunities. The number of visitors jumped to nearly 10,000 in 2006, up from 200-300 people per year when the ranch was in private hands. The number of visitors is expected to increase by 50 to 100 percent over the next five years (Land Letter, Dec. 14, 2006). The preserve's staff is close to crafting a comprehensive management plan -- something preserve watchdogs have been advocating for years. That document will be completed after program-specific plans for livestock grazing, wildlife management, forest management and recreation are competed in 2008, according to the report. "We've collected enough information, and now we're in a pace where we can move forward with five- to ten-year management plans," Cross said. Improvements seen under the federal hand Ecologically, the preserve has shown marked improvement under federal ownership. For instance, the trust has upgraded 13 miles of ranch roads, restoring the natural hydrology of over 3,000 acres of wetlands. But streams in the preserve are too warm and sediment levels are too high, the report says. The preserve has met its congressional mandate to continue being managed as a working ranch, although the trust had to temporarily suspend the grazing program in 2006 due to drought. But as preserve officials make progress in determining its vision for how the preserve should be managed, they have struggled with meeting the congressional directive to make the preserve pay its own way, the report notes. The preserve has expanded opportunities for recreation, scientific research and special events, and revenues have increased from $321,000 in 2002 to $795,000 in 2006. But that is still less than a quarter of the preserve's $3.6 million operating budget, and the trust continues to rely on federal appropriations to make up the difference. "It's going to be a challenge," Cross said. "If we were a private landowner, I'd be very confident we're going to meet that goal. But we're the federal government, and there are a lot of things that we're required to do that don't generate revenue," like environmental reviews and Endangered Species Act requirements. "We can generate revenue from our programs to cover our infrastructure and that sort of thing, but the change is to come up with enough revenue to cover all those things required by federal laws," he said. The preserve's popular hunting program has consistently brought in the most money for the preserve, generating $317,365 last season. Fishing garnered $60,000, and special events, which last year included mountain biking and a first-ever vehicle drive-through, yielded about $38,000. The trust is accepting public comments on the report until Oct. 24. A final document is expected by December. Click here to read the report.
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