Use, Access, and Fire/Fuels Management Attitudes and Preferences of User Groups Concerning the Valles Caldera National Preserve (Vcnp) and Adjacent Areas
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FINAL REPORT PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGING MULTI-CULTURAL LANDSCAPES: USE, ACCESS, AND FIRE/FUELS MANAGEMENT ATTITUDES AND PREFERENCES OF USER GROUPS CONCERNING THE VALLES CALDERA NATIONAL PRESERVE (VCNP) AND ADJACENT AREAS PREPARED BY: KURT F. ANSCHUETZ, PH.D. CONSULTING ANTHROPOLOGIST/ARCHEOLOGIST 6228 CALLE PINON NW ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87114 TELEPHONE: 505-294-9709 or 505-681-6933 [email protected] WITH A FOREWORD BY CAROL B. RAISH, PH.D. RESEARCH SOCIAL SCIENTIST (RETIRED) USDA FOREST SERVICE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION ALBUQUERQUE, NM PREPARED FOR: USDA FOREST SERVICE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION FORT COLLINS, CO AND VALLES CALDERA TRUST VALLES CALDERA NATIONAL PRESERVE JEMEZ SPRINGS, NM USDA FOREST SERVICE JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT NUMBER: 07-JV-11221602 COOPERATOR AGREEMENT NUMBER: KFA 2007-026 REV. FEBRUARY 10, 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This examination of the diverse use, access, and fire/fuels management attitudes and preferences of user groups concerning the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) and adjacent areas of the Jemez Mountains would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of many others. These individuals not only made invaluable contributions to this scientific enterprise, they also helped make this undertaking a much more enjoyable and enriching personal experience for me throughout this process. I begin by singling out Carol B. Raish, Research Social Scientist (retired), USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), Albuquerque, NM, for overseeing the project, assisting in the conduct of each of the interviews reported herein, and providing keen insight and unwavering encouragement during the preparation of this report. I also appreciate Carol’s continuing service to the project, both in providing administrative oversight and reviewing the draft manuscript as the writing progressed even after she retired from the agency. I also am grateful to Carol for agreeing to contribute the forward to this volume. The 34 individuals who participated in this study’s interviews—Craig Allen, Anthony Armijo, William Armstrong, Greg Cajete, Debbie and Charlie Carrillo, Bob Dryja, Dick Ford, Terry Foxx, Louie Hena, Dorothy Hoard, John Hogan, Tom Jervis, Tim Johnson, Chris Judson, Chick Keller, Greg Kendall, Fred Lucero, Orlando Lucero, Craig Martin, Anthony Moquino, Art Morrison, Gray Morton, Tito Naranjo, Peter Pino, Tom Ribe, Hilario Romero, Gilbert Sandoval, Georgia Strickfaden, Porter Swentzell, Don Usner, Roberto Valdez, Fred Vigil and Branden Willman-Kozimor—gave generously of their time and knowledge. At the time, it was not always easy finding people willing both to participate in this project and to share their forthright opinions while doing so. Looking back, I feel that Carol Raish and I were extremely privileged to have talked with the people that we did. Each of our interviews was remarkable, with every person sharing kindly of their backgrounds, experiences, and opinions. In doing so, these people made this report into something much more than I ever thought was possible at the outset. Carol and I left every interview not only in awe of what we had just learned, but also of the character and graciousness of the person with whom we had just talked. I am especially struck by the love of the Jemez Mountains that each of these individuals conveyed in framing their remarks. These participants also deserve acknowledgement for reviewing drafts of their interview transcriptions ii and this manuscript. I am delighted that the many contributions that these people made will forever now stand as a demonstration in the multiplicity of cultural landscapes and the beauty of—and the epic meanings in—the landscapes in which all people live. Once again, thank you all. I would like to thank Tom Merlan, an independent historian who lives and works in Santa Fe, for his work with Carol Raish in interviewing Timothy Johnson. The inclusion of this discussion in this study was helpful. Hedy Dunn, Museum Director, Los Alamos Historical Society, Los Alamos, and Anastasia Steffen, Cultural Resources Coordinator, VCNP, offered helpful suggestions, contact information for a number of prospective candidates at the beginning of Phase I. They also facilitated several introductions. Tessie Naranjo and Rina Swentzell, both of whom are members of the Pueblo of Santa Clara, and Tim Coughlin, a resident of Jemez Springs, identified several people who ultimately agreed to participate in Phases II and III of the study, respectively. J. Michael Bremer, Forest Archeologist, SFNF, Santa Fe, and Anne Baldwin, District Archeologist, Espanola Ranger District, SFNF, Espanola, similarly provided valuable guidance and contract information during Phase III. The contributions of each of these people, although seemingly minor at first look, actually proved highly substantive. I offer Hedy, Ana, Tessie, Rina, Mike, and Anne sincere gratitude. Ana Steffen subsequently provided a user review of the report manuscript. Kurt E. Dongoske, Principal Investigator and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Zuni Cultural Enterprise, Pueblo of Zuni, and T.J. Ferguson, Professor, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, completed peer reviews. I am thankful to each of these individuals for making time in their busy schedules to read this volume and offer suggestions for its improvement. Funding for this undertaking was provided by the National Fire Plan through the RMRS (Research Joint Venture Agreement Number 07-JV-11221602) and the Valles Caldera National Preserve, as authorized by the Valles Caldera Trust. Although the many people and institutions listed above contributed to making whatever is good in this volume possible, I alone bear the responsibility of whatever remains weak and incomplete. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Valles Caldera Trust and the USDA Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) joined in a collaborate effort during the final quarter of Fiscal Year 2007 to undertake the present study to provide land managers, including the USFS and the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP), researchers, and members of the public with information concerning the use, access, and fire and fuels management attitudes and preferences of groups using the VCNP area and vicinity. Major funding was provided by the National Fire Plan through the RMRS, with additional funding contributed by the VCNP through the approval of the Valles Caldera Trust, in three phases (Fiscal Years 2007, 2008 and 2009). The RMRS contracted with Dr. Kurt F. Anschuetz, an anthropologist and archaeologist to conduct this research and to report the findings presented in this volume through a Research Joint Venture Agreement (RJVA) Number 07-JV-11221602 (RJVA). Dr. Carol B. Raish, Research Social Scientist (now retired), RMRS, served as the Project Coordinator and was an active participant in the conduct of the data collection during the interview phases of the project. The RJVA agreement was made under the provisions of the National Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-113), as amended by the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S. Code 3318 and 3319, Public Law 99-198 [a.k.a. the 1985 U.S. Farm Bill]). As stipulated in this agreement, the USFS’ interest in this effort was to facilitate communication and understanding on the part of the agencies, user groups, and the public on above-mentioned topics. The USFS also was interested in providing information concerning how views on fire and fuels management, use, and access might differ among the region’s varying ethnic and cultural communities. Simultaneously, Anschuetz’ s interest in the RJVA agreement is in developing research instruments, gathering data, and analyzing information concerning user group attitudes and preferences concerning use, access, fire and fuels management techniques, and risk reduction measures in the area. The project was conducted in three phases. Phase 1, which was authorized in the fall of 2007 and completed in the spring of 2009, consisted of two tasks: (1) background research on forest and wildfire ecology, public perceptions of wildfire, and fire and fuels management to develop an Interview Instrument; and (2) the identification, recruitment, and interview of iv knowledgeable study candidates. The first task was completed in during the late winter of 2008. During this effort, Anschuetz and Raish with 19 individuals, most of whom are residents of Anglo-American communities around the Jemez Mountains, between the spring of 2008 and the spring of 2009. Phases II and II, which were authorized in the falls of 2008 and 2009, respectively, but which were implemented concurrently, saw the expansion of the interviews with residents of other communities with significant ties to the Jemez Mountains. Phase II resulted in the completion of 6 interviews with Native American stakeholders, while Phase III led to the identification and interview of 7 additional individuals from traditional and historic Hispanic communities with intimate knowledge of and experience in the Jemez Mountains. In combination, the compilation of these 33 interviews contributes in-depth perspectives on the importance of the Jemez Mountains of these Native American and Hispanic communities and highlighted these resident’s concerns with the importance of educating the youth in the traditional ways of their communities. This volume presents the information, perceptions, and insights shared by the study contributors during the interviews in 19 chapters: Chapter 1 introduces