NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Valles Caldera National Preserve New Mexico March 2018 Foundation Document Chicoma Mountain 11561ft eek 3524m Cr a llin s Ga o 10380ft di In 3164m s lo Cerro Toledo E L A O D G A R 10930ft R R I T A e E d C 3331m o t i R SANTA CLARA INDIAN RESERVATION Sa S n V A ant L L E a ek Cre S A N Clara A An N T O N I O to Cr nio eek V A L L E T O L E D O San An to Caballo Mountain C n 10496ft CERRO E io k Cerro San Luis R C 3199m E e SANTA ROSA R R e 9510ft C R r 2899m O re O C Cerro Seco S e S k 9931ft o D D i 3026m E n 9701ft E o L t San Antonio 2957m n L A Mountain O A 9986ft S B 3044m n R a P S I k O e G e S VALLE r O C O S SECO 10332ft FOREST NATIONAL 3149m k e re VALLES CALDERA C SANTA FE SANTA s i u VALLE L DE LOS POSOS A NATIONAL PRESERVE r L A N u M O O k h C A N Y ree p C SANTA FE SANTA l Su n V A I L L O a L L E J A R A M S lo il am C E R R O D E L M E D I O R Jar NATIONAL FOREST NATIONAL E D R O B 9848ft O 3002m D Cerro N O Piñon D 8745ft E k 2665m R e L re O C S Redondito Ja Pajarito 105 ra A o 10898ft m Mountain LA d il M n 3322m lo O 10441ft S 126 o R I N C O N D E d C 3182m C e r A e NY R LOS SOLDADOS ON e Redondo Peak k 11254ft History 3430m L Grove Cerro Grande To Los Alamos a and Manhattan Project VALLE GRANDE 10199ft National Historical Park J 3109m a r a Redondo Visitor Contact Station Cr eek Valle Grande Entrance Station 501 er iv R 4 Cerro la Jara z me 4 8745ft Je 2665m rk BANCO BONITO Fo BANDELIER South Mountain Rabbit NATIONAL EL CAJETE 9795ft Mountain 2986m 9938ft MONUMENT t 3029m 4 O s Preserve G Ea Ponderosa I E Entrance D Group Campground (reservation required) N A To White Rock, S East er Bandelier National Monument, iv F and Sante Fe E R Jemez Falls or D k Jemez N River O z SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST Ñ e A m R e i C to J s d le e los Frijo To 25 and Albuquerque North 0 1 2 Kilometers 0 1 2 Miles Los Griegos Restrooms Campground Ranger station Unpaved road Trail 10117ft 3084m Valles Caldera National Preserve Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: Core Components 3 Establishment of Valles Caldera National Preserve . 3 Brief Description of Valles Caldera National Preserve . 3 . Park Purpose . 5. Park Significance . 6 . Fundamental Resources and Values . 7 Other Important Resources and Values . 9. Interpretive Themes . 10 . Part 2: Dynamic Components 11 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments . 11 Special Mandates . .11 . Assessment of Planning and Data Needs . 12. Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values . 12 Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values . 33 Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs . 39 . Planning and Data Needs . 42. Part 3: Contributors 57 Valles Caldera National Preserve . 57. NPS Intermountain Region . .57 . Other NPS Staff . 57 Photo Credits . 57 Appendixes 58 Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Valles Caldera National Preserve . 58 . Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments . 83 Appendix C: List of Potential Traditionally Associated Tribes . 86 Foundation Document Valles Caldera National Preserve Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are: · Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community. · Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service. · Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another. · Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it. · Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone. The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service. The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations. The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. 1 Foundation Document Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Valles Caldera National Preserve can be accessed online at: http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/. 2 Valles Caldera National Preserve Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts. Establishment of Valles Caldera National Preserve Valles Caldera was first established in 2000 as an unprecedented national experiment in public land management through the creation of the Valles Caldera Trust. The Valles Caldera Trust was a wholly-owned government corporation overseen by a board of trustees appointed by the president of the United States. Through the Valles Caldera Trust, the U.S. Congress sought to evaluate the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of decentralized public land management and ecosystem restoration. This 15-year experiment in public land management continues to contribute to the national dialogue on the role of protected areas for long-term economic and environmental sustainability along with innovative approaches to place-based and science- based adaptive management. On December 19, 2014, Valles Caldera National Preserve was designated as a unit of the national park system. After a brief transition period, the National Park Service assumed management of the preserve on October 1, 2015. Brief Description of Valles Caldera National Preserve Valles Caldera is located in the center and at the top of the Jemez Mountains in north-central New Mexico.