More letters to the editor keep streaming into the Albuquerque Journal (circulation: 101,810 daily, 132,832 on Sunday) regarding the Valles Caldera Trust’s management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. On Monday, another four letters were printed, under the headline “This Land Is Our Land.” All letters were written by Albuquerque residents.
Greg McReynolds, in a letter entitled “Taxpayers Are Entitled To Access,” states the following:
Valles Caldera Board of Trustees Vice Chairman Ed Tinsley is right when he says many people feel “personal entitlement” to the Valles Caldera in his Aug. 11 letter. The public feels entitled because it is public land, purchased with taxpayer money. Sadly, Tinsley and the board have been treating the Caldera as if it were a privately owned venue where the public has no say and is for the most part unwelcome… Tinsley also gets it wrong when he calls Valles Caldera National Preserve a burden on the taxpayer. The board of trustees is the true burden…Valles Caldera is an asset to the state and local economy that will be fully realized when we get rid of the political management restricting fair access and put a professional natural resource agency in charge. We are entitled to nothing less.
Jeremy Vesbach opines in a letter entitled “Extravagant Fees Need To Be Reduced:”
Recently I looked into planning a family fishing outing to the Valles Caldera National Preserve. In the process of signing up I quickly learned that a part-day outing for my family would cost $120 for the Rio San Antonio and $180 for the East Fork of the Jemez… Fewer and fewer kids are getting outside today and I applaud our senators for looking into a new management system for Valles Caldera that would reduce fees while improving management and help open up this jewel of our public lands to more families to enjoy.
Charles Carroll says in a letter entitled “Rules, Fees Protect Park From Misuse:”
I have fished the Valles Caldera and did not mind paying the extra for the chance. I enjoyed the quiet and seeing all the wildlife.
Carroll mentions a photo in the Journal of a fisherman standing in a Caldera river, and points out that this is against Preserve rules, due to the presence of whirling disease in New Mexico.
Bill Black states in “Lack of Access, Fees Keep Locals Out:”
Stephen Henry, the chairman of the Valles Caldera Trust board of trustees, in his op-ed column presented a very positive picture of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Unfortunately it is not true….Mr. Henry contends the fees are reasonable. Well, they are reasonable for private land. But this is public land and the fees and access are unacceptable for taxpayers.
In the past nine days the Journal has published eight letters to the editor critical of the Valles Caldera Trust, with two letters supporting it (one of which was written by a Bush-appointed member of the Valles Caldera Trust, Vice-Chairman Ed Tinsley). One letter warns against following the Forest Service’s model of public access, but calls for a new management style and to redefine the directive of the Preserve.
Trust Vice-Chairman Tinsley stated in his letter that criticism of the Trust has been “voiced largely by a very small group of activists who do not represent the overall opinion of the American taxpayer,” and the “vocal minority.”
Given that the vast majority of letters to the editor of the Journal regarding the Valles Caldera are critical of the management provided by the Valles Caldera Trust (with only one letter supporting it from a person who is not a member of the Trust itself), it would be interesting to find out whether Mr. Tinsley still believes this is a view held by the minority of New Mexicans.
Click here to read these letters in their entirety. Please note: if you are not a subscriber to the Albuquerque Journal, after you click on any of these links you will need to click on the “Trial Premium Pass” button at the bottom-left of the page to read the article/letters.
Click here to read the letters to the editor in the Journal printed on August 11, and click here to read the letters published on August 12.
Click here to read Dave Menicucci’s op-ed, “Access Issue at Valles Caldera,” which seemed to trigger this recent round of op-eds and letters to the editor.
Click here to read Valles Caldera Trust Chairman Stephen Henry’s op-ed, “Valles Caldera Open for Recreation and Comments,” written in response to Mr. Menicucci’s piece.
