Natural resource conditions at Valles Caldera National Preserve: Findings & management considerations for selected resources

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Valles Caldera National Preserve (VALL) encompasses 35,977 ha (88,900 ac) in the Jemez Mountains of north-central New Mexico and is surrounded by the Santa Fe National Forest, the Pueblo of Santa Clara, and Bandelier National Monument. VALL’s explosive volcanic origin, about 1.23 million years ago, formed the Valles Caldera—a broad, 19- to 24-km (12- to 15-mi) wide circular depression. It is one of the world’s best examples of a young caldera (in geologic time) and serves as the model for understanding caldera resurgence worldwide. A series of resurgent eruptions and magmatic intrusive events followed the original explosion, creating numerous volcanic domes in present day VALL—one of which is Redondo Peak at an elevation of 3,430 m (11,254 ft), which is the second highest peak in the Jemez Mountains. In fact, VALL in its entirety is a high-elevation preserve that hosts a rich assemblage of vegetation, wildlife, and volcanic resources. The National Park Service (NPS) Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program selected VALL to pilot its new NRCA project series. VALL managers and the NRCA Program selected seven focal study resources for condition evaluation. To help us understand what is causing change in resource conditions, we selected a subset of drivers and stressors known or suspected of influencing the preserve’s resources. What is causing change in resource conditions? Mean temperatures during the spring and summer months are increasing, but warming is slower at VALL than for neighboring areas (e.g., Bandelier National Monument). The proportion of precipitation received as snow has declined. From 2000 to 2018, forest pests damaged or killed 75% of the preserve’s forested areas. Only small, forested areas in VALL were affected by forest pests after the 2011 Las Conchas and the 2013 Thompson Ridge fires. The all-sky light pollution model and the sound pressure level model predict the lowest degree of impacts from light and sound to be in the western half of the preserve.