Valles Caldera, in New Mexico's high country, is a huge dormant field of volcanoes high in the Jemez Mountains west of Santa Fe. Within the collapsed supervolcano are sparkling streams, miles of hiking, unusual geological features, and herds of wild turkey and elk. Thanks to Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Tom Udall (D-NM), it may finally take its place among the crown jewels of the country as a national park. And it'll be a sharp poke in the eye to conservative, free market ideology.
Action alert! Please support S.3452 by July 6 -- link below.
Valles Caldera has been considered for a national park as long ago as the 1890s. As detailed in Valles Caldera Preserve: Free Market Fail, in 2000 a free market compromise was reached in which the preserve would rely entirely on steep use fees and not receive any federal funding. However, the experiment in pay to play Reaganism hasn't worked.
In May 2010, Senator Bingaman introduced S.3452, which would place Valles Caldera under National Park Service administration. Last Wednesday, the Energy & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) spoke at last Wednesday's hearing; watch and listen (he's thoughtfully captioned)
The idea of Valles Caldera joining the National Park system, possibly as a preserve (for hunting and fishing), is supported by local Pueblo leaders, Governor Bill Richardson, and the Clinton-era NPS director. The National Parks Conservation Association fully and enthusiastically supports S.3452:
Valles Caldera National Preserve is an appropriate and compatible national park unit and that it would offer a special and comprehensive complement to Bandelier National
Monument. It would further burnish these iconic and culturally significant
landscapes with the special luster of national park designation.
The Energy & Natural Resources Committee is accepting public comments on S.3452 through July 6. You can submit a comment on the public comment webpage or by emailing Senator Bingaman directly at Senator_Bingaman at (use symbol) Bingaman.Senate.Gov. Your comment can simply express full support for S.3452: a vote for recognizing a very special place as a national park, and an end to failed free market ideological management of public lands.
