2022 Annual Report: Science & Resource Stewardship

At A Glance

• 77 miles of legacy fencing and horse paddocks removed

• 219 acres of wetlands restored on Jaramillo Creek

• 69 research permits granted

• 529 acres of forest restored on San Antonio Mountain

Two scientists look at data on a tablet in the field.

Photo courtesy of Irene Owsley

Science & Resource Stewardship provides scientific guidance to park management on all matters relating to natural and cultural resources. The division conducts and oversees studies on physical, biological and cultural resources.

Our team has been hard at work this past year to uphold Valles Caldera National Preserve’s obligation to protect, monitor, and restore the resources within its boundaries. In 2022, we granted 69 research permits, placing us in the top 4% of all NPS units for the number of scientific studies hosted. We completed a 219-acre wetland restoration project along Jaramillo Creek and worked closely with the Santa Clara Pueblo to complete a 58-acre forest restoration project at Cerro Pinon. We also conducted endangered species surveys for the Jemez Mountains salamander, Mexican spotted owl, and New Mexico meadow jumping mouse and continued routine monitoring of climate, hydrology, water quality, vegetation, hazard trees, soils, wetlands, large mammals, birds, fisheries, and arthropods.

Under the leadership of our new Cultural Resources Program Manager, our team completed final drafts of the Cabin District Cultural Landscape Inventory, Historic Structures Report, Historic Resources Study, and Archeological Overview & Assessment. Each of these documents plays a critical role in the future of Valles Caldera by informing land managers of the cultural resources that are present and how to preserve them concurrently with park development and infrastructure improvements. We also conducted tribal consultations regarding the upcoming Frontcountry Infrastructure Improvements Project (FCIIP) and incorporated this feedback into our plans. Finally, our team published several articles in peer-reviewed science journals, a testament to Valles Caldera’s ongoing contribution to scientific discovery and the state of human knowledge.