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105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1210

To authorize the acquisition of the Valles Caldera currently managed by

the Baca Land and Cattle Company, and to provide for an effective

management program for this resource within the Department of Agriculture, and consistent with land management to protect the watershed

of the Bandelier National Monument.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 24, 1997

Mr. BINGAMAN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and

referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To authorize the acquisition of the Valles Caldera currently

managed by the Baca Land and Cattle Company, and

to provide for an effective management program for this

resource within the Department of Agriculture, and consistent with land management to protect the watershed

of the Bandelier National Monument.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the Valle Grande/Valles

5 Caldera Preservation bill.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 The Congress of the United States finds the follow3 ing:

4 (1) The lands managed by the Baca Land and

5 Cattle Company which comprise most of the Valles

6 Caldera in central New Mexico, represent a unique

7 land mass, with significant scientific, cultural, his8 toric, recreational, ecological, and productive values,

9 including:

10 (A) The Valles Caldera is one of the

11 world’s largest resurgent lava domes, testing by

12 the United States Geological Survey of the

13 Valles Caldera indicates significant geothermal

14 activity;

15 (B) The land was originally granted to the

16 heirs of Don Luis Maria Cabeza de Vaca as

17 part of a settlement by the United States of

18 their Spanish land grant claims to the Village

19 of Las Vegas, New Mexico, under the 1848

20 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, (Act of June 21,

21 1860, an Act to Confirm Certain Private Land

22 Claims in the Territory of New Mexico, Section

23 6). Generations have used this land to raise

24 sheep, cattle and horses, and as a timber sup25 ply. Archaeological evidence of this use in the

26 form of old logging camps, and other artifacts
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1 is important to a historical knowledge of terri2 torial New Mexico. In addition, these lands

3 have been used since the 1940s for numerous

4 films about the American West, and the various

5 film sets remaining on the property are a sig6 nificant part of the history of the American film

7 industry;

8 (C) The careful husbandry of the land by

9 the Dunigan family, the current owners, includ10 ing selective timbering, limited grazing and

11 hunting, and the use of proscribed fire, have

12 preserved a mix of healthy and nearly pristine

13 range and timber land with significant species

14 diversity which could be used as a model for

15 sustainable land use; and

16 (D) The incredible natural beauty and

17 splendor of these lands, and their proximity to

18 large municipal populations could provide nu19 merous recreational opportunities for hiking,

20 fishing, camping, cross-country skiing, and

21 hunting.

22 (2) The current owners have indicated that they

23 wish to sell the land, creating an opportunity to ac24 quire these lands into public ownership and allow for
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1 public access and enjoyment of these lands for the

2 first time since 1860.

3 (3) The Baca Land and Cattle Company Lands

4 are bordered by the Sante Fe National Forest and

5 the Bandelier National Monument. They also con6 tain the headwaters for the Jemez and San Antonio

7 rivers.

8 (4) These lands should be acquired expedi9 tiously so that the American people will not lose the

10 opportunity presented by this resource to potential

11 subdivisions.

12 (5) As these lands have different potential uses

13 with different resulting impacts on water and land

14 resources, an appropriate set of authorities is needed

15 to allow the Department of Agriculture and the De16 partment of the Interior to jointly develop a jurisdic17 tional mechanism for best use and preservation of

18 these lands.

19 SEC. 3. ACQUISITION OF LANDS.

20 The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the For21 est Service is hereby authorized to acquire all of the rights,

22 title, and interests in the lands shown and described as

23 Baca Location No. 1, on the plat entitled ‘‘Independent

24 Resurvey of the Baca Location No. 1,’’ made by L.A.

25 Osterhoudt, W.V. Hall and Charles W. Devendorf, U.S.
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1 Cadastral Engineers, June 30, 1920–August 24, 1921,

2 under special instructions for Group No. 107 dated Feb3 ruary 12, 1920, in New Mexico, by purchase through ap4 propriated funds or funds which may be later made avail5 able by Congress from the sale of lands or assets adminis6 tered by the Bureau of Land Management or the General

7 Services Administration, by exchange of lands, or by dona8 tion: Provided, That such acquisition be on a willing seller

9 basis, and on terms mutually acceptable to the current

10 owners and the Secretary.

11 SEC. 4. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS: SANTA FE NATIONAL

12 FOREST; BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT.

13 The Secretary of Agriculture acting through the For14 est Service, and the Secretary of the Interior acting

15 through the National Park Service (the Secretaries), shall

16 jointly develop a plan to adjust the boundaries between

17 the Santa Fe National Forest and the Bandelier National

18 Monument to provide consistent land management to pro19 tect the watershed of the monument. The Secretaries shall

20 submit this plan to Congress within 120 days of the acqui21 sition of the Baca Location No. 1 by the Secretary of Agri22 culture.

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