NPS - National Park Service
04/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/09/2024 09:04
Two Former Valles Caldera Employees Receive Regional Awards
News Release Date:
April 9, 2024
April 9, 2024
Contact:Dave Krueger, 505-412-0826
Jemez Springs, NM - The regional office of the National Park Service announced that two former Valles Caldera employees have received regional awards in their areas of expertise.
Dr. Ana Steffen, who served as a long-time archaeologist and science communicator at Valles Caldera, received the posthumous 2023 Regional Professional Achievement in Archaeological Management Award. This award recognizes an individual who has had significant and far-reaching impacts on archaeology, conservation of pre-Columbian architectural sites, and research. Ana was an enthusiastic advocate for park archaeology, history, research, and mentorship during her nearly 24-year association with Valles Caldera. During her distinguished career, she oversaw large-scale archaeological surveys of vast areas within the park landscape, conducted fire archaeology research, produced numerous publications, and shared her national expertise in obsidian archaeology and geochemical tracing. Ana passed away in February 2024 and the National Park Service is honored to recognize her contribution to the field of archaeology.
Dr. Robert Parmenter received the 2023 Regional Director's Award for Professional Excellence in Natural Resources. The award recognizes Bob's significant contributions in natural resource stewardship during his career and his critical leadership to achieve notable conservation results. Bob established a premier science and ecological restoration program, operated a research network with nearly 50 scientific installations, transitioned to an ecological approach to wildfire management, and established the Jemez Mountains Research Learning Center. Some of the highlights of the ecological restoration work he oversaw include restoring more than 12,000 acres of forests and more than 700 acres of wetlands, establishing a pollinator monitoring program, initiating an all-taxa biological survey, securing designation of Valles Caldera as a site with significant thermal features, and removing interior legacy sheep and cattle fencing that was injuring and killing wildlife. Throughout these efforts, he formed partnerships with numerous academic and research organizations, including the Western Regional Climate Center, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Critical Zone Observatory, AmeriFlux, USGS, and NOAA.
"Both Ana and Bob were instrumental in creating and fostering a strong resource management ethos within the park. It is an ethos that has established Valles Caldera as a top-tier research site and a model of how we can preserve cultural heritage and renew a landscape and ecological processes that were heavily exploited," said Superintendent Jorge Silva-Bañuelos. "These awards are well-deserved, and we look forward to continuing to preserve and to renew this special part of New Mexico."
Valles Caldera National Preserve | About 1.2 million years ago, a spectacular volcanic eruption created the 14-mile-wide circular depression now known as Valles Caldera. The park is known for its huge mountain meadows, abundant wildlife, and meandering streams. The area also preserves the homeland of ancestral native peoples and embraces a rich cultural history. Visit us at nps.gov/vall.
National Park Service | More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 420+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at nps.gov.