Summary
VALLES CALDERA
PURCHASED BY CONGRESS IN 2000, THE FORMER BACA RANCH'S LACK OF A BUSINESS PLAN, POOR FINANCIAL RECORD-KEEPING AND TURNOVER IS HOLDING BACK PROGRESSSee the full content of this document
Extract
Struggling to Preserve
Preserve: Future uncertain, 6 years after Congress pays $101 million
When the Molina Complex Fire swept through part of the Santa Fe National Forest in 2003, it wiped out two-thirds of a grazing allotment leased by Pojoaque rancher David Ortiz. While the land recovered, Ortiz applied to graze his cattle on the Valles Caldera, an 89,000-acre ranch in Northern New Mexico purchased by the U.S. Congress in 2000.The preserve's grazing program has kept Ortiz's small herd fed, but the program is set to expire this month, and the trust that manages the Valles Caldera is considering closing the program for a year. "I'm hopeful they'll extend it," Ortiz said. "If not, I'll have to apply for a different ...See the full content of this document
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