2022 Annual Report: Visitor & Resource Protection

At A Glance

• 266 total elk tags issued
• 74 antlered elk harvested
• 45 antlerless elk harvested
• 45% success rate for elk hunters during 2022 season

A park ranger in his patrol truck.

NPS/L. Ray

Visitor & Resource Protection is responsible for law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue, and all Special Use Permits for events and special park uses. Visitor & Resource Protection staff manage fees, concessionaires and private businesses operating in the Preserve. The division also oversees security of park facilities, buildings and park-owned offices.

Our small team of Visitor & Resource Protection personnel juggled a lot of responsibilities this year, but a sigh of relief is on the horizon with several positions slated to be filled in early 2023.

Rangers logged more than 3,300 patrol hours and 50 poaching protection hours on the Preserve, leading to 2 citations for poaching cases and 16 citations for various other offenses. We also assisted with the identification of trespass cattle and notified the U.S. Forest Service of rightful owners for notifications and timely removal. We implemented UTV and bicycle patrol programs that will help us reach more remote areas of the park for law enforcement and visitor assistance.

One field ranger successfully completed 700+ hours of Land Management Police Training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and 440+ hours of the Field Training and Evaluation Program. He has recently returned to Valles Caldera full-time to put this training into practice to protect visitors and park resources.

The permitting office issued 292 special use permits and 14 commercial use authorizations in 2022. We also provided 32 hunter orientation sessions for 249 Zone 6B elk hunters, totaling 65 hours of staff time.