The Valles Caldera Trust conducted a heavily-attended public meeting in Los Alamos on June 11. Roger Snodgrass covered the meeting in an article in the Los Alamos Monitor, which can be read in full by clicking here. From the article:
The Valles Caldera Trust took a few more jabs from its critics at a standing-room only public meeting Thursday night at the Hilltop House, while announcing plans for several improvements.
Trustees muted their recent emphasis on commercial development projects on the public property, and Gary Bratcher, the Valles Caldera’s executive director, said he was serious about trying to help Dorothy Hoard of Los Alamos realize her vision of a 78-mile rim trail around the entire Valles Caldera Preserve.
“The board has discussed the rim project, said board chairman Stephen Henry, “and we do think that’s a good idea.”
Valles Caldera Trust Vice Chairman Ed Tinsley described “‘four criteria that we are trying to achieve,’ which included making the preserve ‘inclusive’ of all socio-economic classes, making it possible for ‘more people to experience the preserve,’ while maintaining the ‘balance’ inherent in protecting the ‘pristine asset’ that the preserve represents for many in the public, as well as “to strive to be self-sustaining by 2015 – or at least to be moving in that direction,” according to the article.
Some upcoming plans discussed by the Trust in the meeting included “work to be done on a six-mile stretch of back road along with deferred maintenance work on some of the preserve’s historic buildings,” as well as an upgrade to its website, the article reports.
The Monitor also reported that the Trust announced a two-month program in which the public will be encouraged to provide their feedback to the Trust via the internet as well as at three public meetings, beginning in Jemez Springs in July 15, and followed up by meetings in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The Trust will combine this input with “a round of scoping meetings from two years ago to provide the substance for phase one of an environmental impact statement.”
These plans were met with skepticism by conservation groups:
Betsy Barnett, vice president of Caldera Action, a citizen watchdog group that is part of a federation of environmental organizations, questioned the renewed planning process, noting that she had reviewed a document with comments from the previous scoping sessions showed overwhelming support for public programs and only three entries suggesting lodging or high-end camping. But the trust’s revenue enhancement plan proposing hotels and luxury camping credited the scoping process as a source.
She also said she believes the trust continues to misinterpret the founding legislation to justify their preference for the developments.
“I do not think that the act says that you must attain financial self-sufficiency at all costs,” she said, noting the explicit charge to “protect and preserve” the scenic and environmental values for future generations.
According to a list of past meetings on the Valles Caldera National Preserve’s website, this was the first time in more than three years that the Trust has held a public meeting after business hours. However, Tom Ribe of Caldera Action, among others, has stated that “the trustees make their decisions in closed door meetings held before the public one, (possibly in violation of the Valles Caldera legislation).”
