Laboratory Director Pete Nanos on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding in which the Lab will provide technical expertise to assist the Valles Caldera National Preserve with environmental and geological research that will lead to a greater understanding of the Preserve.
Nanos and Valles Caldera Trust Executive Director Ray Powell signed the memorandum of understanding providing for collaboration between the two institutions. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who was instrumental in creation of the Preserve and is an avid supporter of the Laboratory, helped facilitate the MOU. As a result, the Laboratory will provide at least $120,000 this year for research activities on the Preserve, with options for continuing funding in the future.
“This MOU represents another good neighbor effort by the lab to make resources available to the region,” Domenici said. “The preservation and exploration of the Valles Caldera is a worthwhile endeavor, and [Los Alamos’] scientific expertise can aid that cause. I’m very pleased that Director Nanos took hold of this idea and reached a positive agreement with the Valles Caldera Trust.”
Under the agreement, the University of California, which operates the Laboratory for the National Nuclear Security Administration, will provide research staff from the Laboratory or UC campuses for a “Directed Research and Development” program at the Preserve—an 89,000-acre area located in the Jemez Mountains approximately 20 miles west of Los Alamos.
“The Valles Caldera National Preserve is a national treasure located in the Laboratory’s back yard,” Nanos said. “It is truly an honor to be able to lend scientific expertise to the Preserve, which provides a unique setting in which to conduct environmental research.”
Research under the program could include surveys of threatened and endangered species, geologic surveys, elk movement and migration studies, analysis of carbon-cycling and evapotranspiration within the Preserve, and Geographic Information System (GIS) processing and mapping assistance.
The MOU provides for development of other studies and scientific assistance as needed, and allows the Laboratory to continue providing technical assistance for the remaining 10 years of the Preserve’s Experimental Management Program.
“The Valles Caldera Trust appreciates the ongoing partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory,” said Powell. “The Valles Caldera National Preserve is a place to create new ideas, solve problems and build partnerships. The contribution of the Laboratory allows us to further our commitment to science-based adaptive management of this magnificent landscape.”
The Valles Caldera National Preserve was created in January 2000 by the Valles Caldera Preservation Act, which provided for acquisition of the Baca Ranch. The Preserve is located in the crater of a dormant volcano, which last erupted about 1.2 million years ago, and is home to diverse plant and animal species. The Preserve is famed for its expansive grasslands and large elk herds. The Valles Caldera Preservation act calls for the protection and preservation of all resources within the Preserve, while providing for public recreation opportunities and operation as a working ranch.
