Your Voice is Needed to Protect Streams, Wetlands, and Wildlife at Valles Caldera!

Congress established the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) in 2000 to protect, preserve, and restore fish and wildlife habitat, watersheds, and the natural, cultural, and recreational values of the area. Initially managed by the Valles Caldera Trust, VCNP was designated as a unit of the National Park System in 2014, and the National Park Service (“NPS”) assumed management of the VCNP in 2015.

VCNP is known for its huge mountain meadows, abundant wildlife, and meandering streams. Located at the top of the Jemez Mountains in north-central New Mexico, VCNP encompasses 88,900 acres of large grassland meadows and forest-covered volcanic domes, with elevations ranging from 8,000 to over 11,000 feet. The area also has a rich cultural history and encompasses the ancestral homelands of affiliated Pueblos and Tribes.

The streams in the VCNP’s upper watersheds provide important riparian habitat and contribute to the physical and biological health of larger perennial streams. Wetlands and wet meadows fed by these streams provide habitat that supports a diverse variety of wildlife and plants, including threatened and endangered species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Outstanding National Resource Waters are Being Threatened by Trespass Livestock

In 2022, the New Mexico Environment Department recognized the importance of the streams and wetlands in VCNP and designated them as Outstanding National Resource Waters (“ONRWs”). ONRWs are streams and wetlands that receive enhanced protection against pollution under the state’s water quality standards and the federal Clean Water Act.

Although VCNP has a long history of livestock grazing, grazing is no longer allowed along the sensitive streams and wetlands within VCNP. The NPS is supposed to be managing those areas for ecological restoration. But the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) still allows grazing on Forest Service lands surrounding VCNP, and unfortunately, there has been an ongoing problem with trespass (i.e., illegal and unauthorized) livestock entering VCNP from adjacent grazing allotments in the SFNF. This has been a well-known and well-documented issue since at least 2017.

During the summer and fall of 2023, New Mexico Wild staff and volunteers conducted monitoring visits to document the extent of the ongoing problem. Throughout 17 visits, staff and volunteers documented 969 trespass cattle. In many instances, the cattle were found in riparian areas, and there was obvious damage to streams, wetlands, and vegetation due to congregating cattle.

VCNP Superintendent Jorge Silva-Bañuelos has recognized the need to protect park resources from the damage inflicted by trespass cattle. In April 2024, the NPS announced a proposal to hire horse-mounted wranglers to help round up and remove trespass cattle from VCNP during the summer and fall of 2024.

Despite the obvious need to address past, current, and future damage to sensitive streams and wetlands within VCNP, some people have questioned or opposed the proposal, arguing that there is no need for the NPS to hire a wrangler to support trespass cattle removal.

Take Action Today!

Please contact Superintendent Jorge Silva-Bañuelos, Senator Ben Ray Luján, and Representative Teresa Leger Fernández today and tell them that hiring a wrangler is a good and necessary step to protect the Outstanding Waters, wildlife, and riparian habitat at VCNP. New Mexicans care deeply about this unique and sensitive landscape, and we must ensure that federal officials keep the pressure on until this issue is finally resolved.

Superintendent Jorge Silva-Bañuelos:

505-428-7731

Senator Ben Ray Luján:

505-230-7040

Representative Teresa Leger Fernández:

505-428-4680

Sample phone script: