COLLABORATORS

History of land use

The Valles Caldera Trust operates the Valles Caldera National Preserve, formerly the privately owned Baca Ranch. The 89,000 acre property, located in the Jemez Mountains in northern New Mexico, is situated inside a collapsed crater. Studded with eruptive domes and featuring Redondo Peak (11,254 feet), this old ranch property is now being developed to explore a new way of managing public lands.

It was purchased by the federal government in 2000 under the Valles Caldera Preservation Act. The property is known for its huge meadows, abundant wildlife, meandering streams, and remarkable scenery. The mission of the Valles Caldera Trust is to create a successful model of land management that protects and preserves the Valles Caldera National Preserve's unique values. Toward that end, the Trust is to operate the Preserve as a working ranch, strive to become financially self-sustaining, meet varied needs of visitors, strive to utilize and steward the multiple resources of the Preserve, and work collaboratively with its neighbors.

For more information see Reference Document section of Valles Caldera National Preserve website for pdf file.