Valles Caldera Preserve: Will Hunting There Become Extinct Like the Volcano?

By Jim Clary

by Dr. Jim and Mary Clary

United States -(AmmoLand.com)- Ownership of the Valles Caldera in Jemez Springs, NM, has passed through several hands over the past 140 years, from the Baca ranch in 1876 to the Dunigan family in 1963.

During this period of private ownership, the land was heavily logged and overgrazed by sheep. No one can argue that these activities caused some serious damage to the Caldera.

In 2000, the Valles Caldera Preservation Act (V.C.P.A.) was signed and the Valles Caldera National Preserve was established. Management of the Preserve was handled by the Valles Caldera Trust, a non-profit. A provision of the V.C.P.A. required that elk hunting was to be allowed for management of the Valles Caldera elk herd.

It is important to point out that sportsmen were worried, at that time, about how management of the elk herd would be handled by the Trust and whether hunting would be eliminated as time passed.

The Trust established a lottery system of draws for the coveted elk tags with the advice and cooperation of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF). The elk tags …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand