According to the Valles Caldera Preservation Act of 2000, the Valles Caldera Trust (VCT) that manages the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) is supposed to have nine members.
Two of the VCT members are ex officio - the Superintendent of Bandelier National Monument and the Supervisor of the Santa Fe National Forest. They are fully voting members and are on the Trust by virtue of their position in the agencies which are neighbors to the VCNP.
The other seven of the members, who hold expertise in specific areas, are to be appointed by the President in consultation with the New Mexico congressional delegation. As of right now, only four of these seven presidential appointees are on the Trust. Those four were all appointed by former President Bush.
There are currently three vacancies in the areas of Forestry, Cultural and Natural History and Nonprofit Conservation Organization.
I am hoping that President Barack Obama, in consultation with New Mexico's congressional delegation, will soon appoint the remaining three members to the Valles Caldera Trust (VCT) to fill these vacancies. It seems obvious to me that the Valles Caldera Trust can more effectively do its job if it has the full complement of members on board.
If you feel this is important, please contact your United States senators and representatives to ask that this be done soon. If you are unsure who your Representative or Senator is, you can look up their names on these websites:
U.S. Senate/ Senators Home
Write Your Representative - Contact your Congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Two of the VCT members are ex officio - the Superintendent of Bandelier National Monument and the Supervisor of the Santa Fe National Forest. They are fully voting members and are on the Trust by virtue of their position in the agencies which are neighbors to the VCNP.
The other seven of the members, who hold expertise in specific areas, are to be appointed by the President in consultation with the New Mexico congressional delegation. As of right now, only four of these seven presidential appointees are on the Trust. Those four were all appointed by former President Bush.
There are currently three vacancies in the areas of Forestry, Cultural and Natural History and Nonprofit Conservation Organization.
I am hoping that President Barack Obama, in consultation with New Mexico's congressional delegation, will soon appoint the remaining three members to the Valles Caldera Trust (VCT) to fill these vacancies. It seems obvious to me that the Valles Caldera Trust can more effectively do its job if it has the full complement of members on board.
If you feel this is important, please contact your United States senators and representatives to ask that this be done soon. If you are unsure who your Representative or Senator is, you can look up their names on these websites:
U.S. Senate/ Senators Home
Write Your Representative - Contact your Congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives.