Jeff Bingaman: “I rise today to reintroduce legislation that would transfer administrative jurisdiction of the Valles Caldera National…”

“I rise today to reintroduce legislation that would transfer administrative jurisdiction of the Valles Caldera National Preserve from the Valles Caldera Trust to the National Park Service. I am pleased that my colleague from New Mexico, Tom Udall, is again a cosponsor of this bill. For those not familiar with this area, the Valles Caldera in Northern New Mexico is one of only three supervolcanoes in the United States, the other two being Yellowstone, WY, and Long Valley, CA. Spanning more than 100,000 acres, the caldera contains lush and expansive grassland valleys, ponderosa pines in the foothills and mixed conifer forests in the higher elevations of the volcanic domes and peaks. Numerous cultural and archaeological sites are scattered throughout the landscape that provides quality habitat to elk, trout, golden and bald eagles, and myriad other species. In 1975, the Valles Caldera received formal recognition as an outstanding and nationally significant geologic resource when it was designated a National Natural Landmark.”