Statement on Signing the Valles Caldera Preservation Act

Statement on Signing the Valles Caldera Preservation Act

July 25, 2000

I am very pleased to sign into law S. 1892, the ``Valles Caldera
Preservation Act.'' This legislation is the culmination of a gratifying
cooperative effort with the Congress, led by Senator Bingaman, Senator
Dominici, Representative Udall, and Representative Heather Wilson of New
Mexico. Its enactment will permit us to protect over 95,000 acres of
unique, irreplaceable land in northern New Mexico--one of my top
conservation priorities--for future generations to enjoy.
Specifically, this Act authorizes the acquisition and preservation
of nearly 95,000 acres in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico. It also
permits the sale of about 5,000 acres, containing the headwaters of the
Santa Clara Creek, to the Santa Clara Pueblo, to allow the Pueblo to
protect its water quality and resource values. A separate title of the
bill authorizes the proceeds from the sale or exchange of certain
Federal lands identified by the Bureau of Land Management as surplus to
be used to purchase and protect other lands with exceptional natural
resource values.
The Valles Caldera is at the heart of the Jemez Mountains and is the
site of perhaps the greatest of New Mexico's volcanic features. It also
is home to a wide range of scenic, wildlife, cultural, and ecological
resources, and provides incomparable scenic beauty and recreational
potential. The importance of the preservation of the Valles Caldera lies
in the unique combination of all of these features in a relatively
pristine setting that is nevertheless close by, and accessible to, the
people of New Mexico. It has remained intact as a single unit in private
ownership since the original land grant in 1860. Known as Baca Ranch, it
has been well managed for several decades and is an example of a
sustainable working ranch.
The caldera is an enormous depression more than a half-mile deep and
15 miles wide that was created by a volcanic eruption over a million
years ago. Secondary volcanic domes arise from the caldera floor to
elevations as high as 11,000 feet. Its scenic quality--a large network
of grassland and forested mountains, surrounded by the caldera rim--does
not exist elsewhere in the Southwest. It provides habitat to a broad
range of species, including one of the largest elk herds in the
continental United States, black bear, mountain lion, Mexican spotted
owl, goshawk, peregrine falcon, and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Its
vegetation reflects a high level of ecological diversity, and includes
grasslands, ponderosa pine, spruce, Douglas fir, and aspen.
The Jemez Wild and Scenic River, which originates in the Caldera, as
well as the San Antonio, Jaramillo, and La Jara Creeks, all have
outstanding fishery resources. Baca Ranch also adjoins the Santa Fe
National Forest and Bandelier National Monument, and its protection will
enhance the values of those properties as well.
The special designation of the ranch as the Valles Caldera National
Preserve will help ensure the protection of important scenic and natural
values. Baca Ranch has been well managed by its current owners, who
permit selective grazing, timber harvest, fishing, and hunting--all in a
manner that respects and preserves the underlying resource. The bill
creates a unique management structure for this unique property. A Board
of Trustees, with each member providing a particular expertise in the
range of issues raised by the management of this property, will make
decisions about Baca Ranch in a process that fully involves the American
public--the real owners of the land. It is my hope that a member of the
Native American community in New Mexico be included on this Board. This
legislation makes clear that the managers of this property will make
resource protection a top priority, and that sustainable multiple uses
and financial self-sufficiency will be pursued to the extent consistent
with protection of these irreplaceable resources. The Baca Ranch is a
working ranch today, and the goal is to make it a model of sustainable
practices, ensuring resource protection and providing for public
recreational uses.
The purchase of the Valles Caldera is one of the most significant
Federal land acquisitions in recent history and is a prime example of
what we can achieve through my Lands Legacy Initiative. The permanent
funding

source for conservation that I am working with the Congress to provide
will guarantee that places like the Valles Caldera will not disappear,
but will be protected for all to enjoy. The acquisition of this
irreplaceable resource has been a top conservation priority for my
Administration and many in the Congress. This Act protects a magnificent
natural resource for New Mexicans and all Americans, and we can all be
proud of this legacy that we leave for generations to come.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
July 25, 2000.