Valles Caldera's 25th Anniversary

A panoramic photograph of a vivid green montane grassland. Overlain text reads "Valles Caldera @ 25."
Vivid light, shadows, and colors across a valley. Overlain text reads, "Valles Caldera @ 25."

NPS/Irene Owsley

 

Celebrate Valles Caldera's 25th anniversary with us as we host a three-day special event featuring guest speakers, cultural demonstrators, ranger-guided programs, night sky viewing, and more. Activities will take place throughout the park on July 25-27, 2025, with most formal presentations happening at the Volcano Discovery Center in the park's Cabin District.

NOTE: Leashed and well-behaved pets are welcome at this event. They may accompany their humans throughout the Cabin District, on the Cerro La Jara Loop, Rabbit Mountain Loop, South Valle Grande Trail, in picnic areas, and in front-country parking lots. However, pets are not permitted inside of park facilities or in the backcountry. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

 

Daily Event Schedule

 
 
A man holds a wooden arrowhead-shaped plaque while standing outside of an office building.
Dr. Bob Parmenter

NPS

Meet the Speakers & Demonstrators

Friday, July 25 @ 11:00 am:
"Reflecting on 25 Years of Valles Caldera National Preserve"

Dr. Bob Parmenter recently retired from a 21-year career of scientific inquiry and resource stewardship at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Over his tenure at Valles Caldera, he served as Chief Scientist and Chief of Science and Resource Stewardship. He established a premier research and restoration program in partnership with 40 federal, tribal, state, academic, and non-profit organizations.

Because of his passion for science in parks, Valles Caldera is in the top 4% of the entire National Park System for the number of partner-led research projects currently underway.

Dr. Craig D. Allen is a renowned expert in landscape ecology who has spent more than 40 years studying the Jemez Mountains. In 2021, Allen received the Department of Interior Distinguished Service Award, which is given to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to science.

Allen’s career with the Department of Interior spanned 35 years and focused on forest ecology and tree mortality in the face of environmental changes, like warming and drought. During his career, he acted as leader of the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station (located in the Bandelier National Monument), championing place-based science that bridges the gap between long-term research and land managers in New Mexico and the Southwest United States.

In addition to the Department of Interior Distinguished Service Award, Allen was awarded the Meritorious Service Award in 2010 for his work to establish a model science program to support land management at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Allen continues to volunteer at Bandelier National Monument after working there for more than four decades in various capacities.

Dr. Tom Swetnam has studied land use history, forest and fire ecology in the western U.S., Mexico, South America, and Siberia, Russia. Using dendrochronology, Tom and his colleagues have reconstructed hundreds of years of climate and fire history in Southwestern forests and giant sequoia groves of the Sierra Nevada. Tom’s work focuses on applications of science in the management of natural resources and in promoting effective science education and communication with land managers and the public. Tom currently resides in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, where he and his wife Suzanne enjoy a busy retirement life of gardening, community volunteering, and tree-ring dating of historic buildings, archaeological timbers, and fire scars.

 
A group of Pueblo singers and dancers dressed in traditional regalia stand in a montane grassland.
Cloud Eagle in Valle Grande

NPS

Friday, July 25 @ 1:00 pm:
Traditional Dance from the Pueblo of Jemez

Cloud Eagle are the Seasonal Dance Group from the Pueblo of Jemez (Walatowa) in north central New Mexico. The Seasonal Dance Group was formed in 1990 to promote our cultures and languages of the Jemez and Zuni Pueblos and is comprised of members from both tribes.

Aside from participating in Tribal obligations throughout the year, the Seasonal Dance Group also sings and dances at many functions throughout the United States. Dances include: The Buffalo Dance, Corn Dance, Rainbow Dance and the Eagle Dance. The songs and dances represent our seasons throughout the year. The Winter season is represented in our Buffalo Dance; a celebration dance for a successful hunt. The Spring Season is represented in our Corn Dance; a prayer dance for a successful crop. The summer season is represented in our Rainbow Dance; a prayer dance for moisture. The Fall season is represented in our Eagle Dance; a dance for harvest and greatness for what mother nature has grown for us.

We ask the eagle to take our prayers to the outer most stratospheres to ask the creator for many more cycles of this way of life.

 
A park ranger in a formal uniform stands at the edge of an old-growth forest.
Jorge Silva-Bañuelos

NPS

Friday, July 25 @ 3:00 pm:
"Valles Caldera - Past, Present, and Future"

Jorge Silva-Bañuelos is a native New Mexican and long-time federal employee. Before his appointment as superintendent of Valles Caldera, he served as executive director for the Valles Caldera Trust where he was responsible for day-to-day administration and management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

Before coming to the Valles Caldera Trust, Silva-Bañuelos was special assistant to the assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior (DOI) (2012-2014). In that role, he gave policy guidance on operations, management and budgets of the NPS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He also worked on several high-profile issues for the DOI, including Interior’s bison conservation initiative, the DOI working group on Indian water rights settlements, and Interior’s recommendation to the White House to designate the Río Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico.

Silva-Bañuelos previously served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (2007-2012), advising Chairman U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on public lands and natural resource policy.

Silva-Bañuelos earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Spanish from the University of San Diego. In 2001 he completed a semester of intensive language and cultural immersion studies at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. He also is a graduate of the inaugural class of the President’s Leadership Workshop, a six-month development program sponsored by the White House.

 

Saturday, July 26 @ 11:00 am:
"Cultural Continuity - Perspectives from the Pueblos"

Come learn about Valles Caldera and the cultural connections to this sacred place from Tribal Historic Preservation Officers from several local Pueblos. Panelists include:

  • Danny Naranjo: Santa Clara Pueblo
  • Larry Samuel: Tesuque Pueblo
  • Chris Toya: Pueblo of Jemez
  • Ulysses Reid: Zia Pueblo
  • Everett Herrera: Cochiti Pueblo
 
A group of Pueblo singers and dancers dressed in traditional regalia stand in a montane grassland.
Cloud Eagle in Valle Grande

NPS

Saturday, July 26 @ 1:00 pm:
Traditional Dance from the Pueblo of Jemez

Cloud Eagle are the Seasonal Dance Group from the Pueblo of Jemez (Walatowa) in north central New Mexico. The Seasonal Dance Group was formed in 1990 to promote our cultures and languages of the Jemez and Zuni Pueblos and is comprised of members from both tribes.

Aside from participating in Tribal obligations throughout the year, the Seasonal Dance Group also sings and dances at many functions throughout the United States. Dances include: The Buffalo Dance, Corn Dance, Rainbow Dance and the Eagle Dance. The songs and dances represent our seasons throughout the year. The Winter season is represented in our Buffalo Dance; a celebration dance for a successful hunt. The Spring Season is represented in our Corn Dance; a prayer dance for a successful crop. The summer season is represented in our Rainbow Dance; a prayer dance for moisture. The Fall season is represented in our Eagle Dance; a dance for harvest and greatness for what mother nature has grown for us.

We ask the eagle to take our prayers to the outer most stratospheres to ask the creator for many more cycles of this way of life.
 
A gray-haired man wearing glasses stands in a forest.
William deBuys

Courtesy of New Mexico Magazine

Saturday, July 26 @ 3:00 pm:
"A New Vision for New Mexico's National Preserve"

William deBuys is a New Mexico writer and conservationist who served as the founding Chair of the Valles Caldera Trust, responsible for administering Valles Caldera National Preserve upon its establishment in 2000. He has worked for organizations like The Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Fund, leading to the permanent protection of over 150,000 acres of public and private lands in North Carolina, Arizona, and New Mexico. Alongside Don Usner, deBuys is the co-author of Valles Caldera: A New Vision for New Mexico's National Preserve. A book signing will follow the 3:00 pm presentation on Saturday.

U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Jeff Bingaman have played crucial roles in the establishment of Valles Caldera National Preserve. In 2000, Bingaman, retired Sen. Pete Domenici and then-Rep. Tom Udall successfully passed legislation to acquire the property for $101 million. The law established an experimental management framework where a Board of Trustees would manage the Preserve as a working ranch with public access, with the goal of becoming financially self-sustaining by 2015.

Udall and Bingaman first introduced legislation to transfer management of Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service in 2010 in light of inconsistent funding, the need for infrastructure improvements, and concerns that the Preserve would not achieve financial self-sustainability by 2015, as directed by the Valles Caldera Preservation Act of 2000. In 2013, Senators Heinrich and Udall reintroduced this legislation, and on December 19, 2014, Valles Caldera National Preserve was officially added to the national park system. Under this change in management, hunting, fishing, and cattle grazing were permitted to continue. Additionally, the measure strengthened protections for tribal cultural and religious sites and ensured local tribes access to the area.

 
A woman holds up a small, handmade pot while speaking to a crowd.
Madeline Naranjo

NPS/Irene Owsley

Sunday, July 27 @ 11:00 am:
"A Celebration of Old Growth at Valles Caldera"

Nick Sanchez is the network manager of the Old-Growth Forest Network, an organization dedicated to highlighting old-growth, native forests across the U.S., where he has worked since 2021. Nick graduated with a bachelor's degree in forestry from Michigan State University in 2013 and got his start organizing invasive species management with the local Ingham County Parks. He is a certified forester with the Society of American Foresters.

Dr. Tom Swetnam has studied land use history, forest and fire ecology in the western U.S., Mexico, South America, and Siberia, Russia. Using dendrochronology, Tom and his colleagues have reconstructed hundreds of years of climate and fire history in Southwestern forests and giant sequoia groves of the Sierra Nevada. Tom’s work focuses on applications of science in the management of natural resources and in promoting effective science education and communication with land managers and the public. Tom currently resides in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, where he and his wife Suzanne enjoy a busy retirement life of gardening, community volunteering, and tree-ring dating of historic buildings, archaeological timbers, and fire scars.

Sunday, July 27 @ 1:00 pm:
Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery Demonstration

Madeline E. Naranjo is a potter from Santa Clara Pueblo specializing in a traditional style of deep carved black pottery with a contemporary flair. She is a full-time potter who has devoted 34 years to preserving the ancient craft of her pueblo. She has won awards at prestigious shows like Santa Fe Indian Market and Heard Guild Indian Art Market. Her works can be found in private and public collections such as Colby College and Gilcrease Museum.

Words from the artist reflecting on what makes each of her pots unique: "I love my 'job' as a potter, and working with mother clay has been a blessing in my life. Each time I work, I think, 'How lucky am I to be able to play as a way of making a living!'"

Sunday, July 27 @ 3:00 pm:
"Valles Caldera: 25 Years in Photographs"

Don Usner is a celebrated New Mexican photographer who has taught photography at Santa Fe Preparatory School, Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and the College of Santa Fe, and cultural geography at Santa Fe Community College. He continues to cultivate his lifelong interest in cultural and natural history as he works as a writer and photographer in Santa Fe, where he lives with his wife, Deborah Harris. Don was named a New Mexico Luminaria by the New Mexico Community Foundation in 2013, an award given to New Mexicans who “motivate, inspire and support the dreams of others, promote diversity and equity, and build community strength through their leadership and vision.” Alongside William deBuys, Usner is the co-author of Valles Caldera: A New Vision for New Mexico's National Preserve. A book signing will follow his 3:00 pm presentation.

 

The Establishment of Valles Caldera National Preserve

Valles Caldera National Preserve was established on July 25, 2000, as an unprecedented national experiment in public land management through the creation of the Valles Caldera Trust. Through the Trust, the U.S. Congress sought to evaluate the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of decentralized public land management and ecosystem restoration. Although Valles Caldera National Preserve was transferred to the National Park Service in 2015, the Valles Caldera Trust's 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.

Last updated: July 22, 2025

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

090 Villa Louis Martin Dr.
Jemez Springs, NM 87025

Phone:

505-670-1612
Ranger Station (for general park information)

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