Valles Caldera Fall Fiesta

Kick off Valles Caldera Fall Fiesta with a public address by Jorge Silva-Bañuelos, superintendent of Valles Caldera National Preserve! 

Jorge Silva-Bañuelos is a native New Mexican and 19-year federal employee. Before his appointment as superintendent, he served as executive director for the Valles Caldera Trust where he was responsible for day-to-day administration and management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

Before coming to the Valles Caldera Trust, Silva-Bañuelos was special assistant to the assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior (DOI) (2012-2014). In that role, he gave policy guidance on operations, management and budgets of the NPS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He also worked on several high-profile issues for the DOI, including Interior’s bison conservation initiative, the DOI working group on Indian water rights settlements, and Interior’s recommendation to the White House to designate the Río Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico.

Silva-Bañuelos previously served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (2007-2012), advising Chairman U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on public lands and natural resource policy.

Silva-Bañuelos earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Spanish from the University of San Diego. In 2001 he completed a semester of intensive language and cultural immersion studies at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. He also is a graduate of the inaugural class of the President’s Leadership Workshop, a six-month development program sponsored by the White House.

Marlon Magdalena is a Native American artist, educator, and performer from the Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico. He performs with Native American style flutes of his own making and some made by others. He is also the Instructional Coordinator at the Jemez Historic Site where he educates the public about the Jemez People.

Jennifer Armstrong, Ph.D., has taught writing since 1998, exploring areas as diverse as developmental English and documentary expression. She especially enjoys designing activities that encourage reflection and a deeper connection to nature and the self. Jennifer has led workshops in Yellowstone National Park and Valles Caldera National Preserve and is participating in this year's Write Out, a program of place-based writing sponsored by the National Writing Project.

Kirt Kempter is a geologist and large-format photographer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A Fulbright Fellow, his research into plate tectonics has led him around the world—from volcanic fields in Costa Rica and Mexico to the frosty landscapes of the Canadian Rockies and Iceland. Kirt’s publications include numerous academic articles and geologic maps, and his panoramic images are on display at several museums and national parks, such as the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the visitor’s center at Death Valley. Kirt has conducted fieldwork on a National Geographic-funded project and, over the past decade, led many National Geographic Expeditions trips to the western US national parks. He received his doctorate in geology from The University of Texas at Austin.

Yellowman is a Native American self-taught artist whose career spans over 50 years. Based out of New Mexico, he has built a career on his integrity to his craft and subject matter depicting the beauty of the Native American people and cultures. His subject matter spans beyond his own tribe; he has studied the unique history of indigenous peoples across the Americas.

As an award winning artist, Yellowman is well versed in many mediums, but is well known for his dynamic acrylics and intricate watercolors. His work captures Native beauty through depicting their fierceness, strength, and regalia.

This talk presents an overview of the biology and ecology of one of New Mexico's two endemic, terrestrial salamanders - the Jemez Mountains salamander - and ongoing threats to populations and habitats. Drs. Karraker and Loehman have been conducting research on these topics for the past eight years, and will share a summary of their projects and recent findings.

Dr. Nancy Karraker was born at the Grand Canyon and grew up in Yosemite National Park and Olympic National Park, so it’s no wonder that she became interested in wildlife and conservation. Her father, a ranger for the National Park Service, tells the story of how she ran across a wet meadow near their house at Yosemite when she was 5 or 6 years old and came back with a Mason jar full of frogs. She has been obsessed with amphibians ever since. Dr. Karraker's research on the Jemez Mountains salamander is providing land managers with important information on the status of this endangered amphibian species as climate change alters the Jemez Mountains landscape.  

Dr. Rachel Loehman is a research landscape ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Before joining USGS, she worked for the U.S. Forest Service research program at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. She holds a doctorate in ecosystem ecology from the University of Montana, as well as a master’s degree in biogeography and a bachelor’s degree in archaeology from the University of New Mexico. Dr. Loehman began work as an archaeologist in the southwestern U.S., and she has since built an academic and professional career focused on wildfire science and landscape ecology. 

Dave Chavarria is a beading and flint knapping artist from the Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico. As a young boy, Dave would hunt arrowheads outside his family home in Santa Clara. He always wanted to learn how to make them, but no one in the village knew how — it was, in many ways, a lost art in his community.Years later, Dave struck up a conversation with someone at work while waiting in line in the cafeteria one day. The conversation evolved to the two men talking about flint knapping, which eventually led to Dave finally learning the craft.Today, Dave hand carves knives out of mahogany, obsidian, and other materials found in the southwest near Santa Clara. He also creates deerskin sheaths and pouches with intricately beaded designs.The smaller pouches (neck pouches) can take up to 6 hours each to make, and they are traditionally used to carry tobacco, medicine, or items used for protection. The larger pouches are called Strike a Light Bags. Plains Indians would carry paraphernalia in the strike a light bags to carry their flints, pipes, and other items they’d need to start a fire or light a pipe.

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Adam Dean earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in environmental history at the University of Virginia. Prior to joining the National Park Service at Valles Caldera in 2023, he was an associate professor of history and department chair at Lynchburg College, a liberal-arts school. Publications include a 2015 book on the establishment of Yosemite state park and Yellowstone national park as well as articles on 19th-century environmental history. Ranger Adam recently worked with Hemish pueblo elders and tribal historians to produce a self-guided audio tour on Hemish history in Valles Caldera.

Ranger Adam's presentation will focus on the long and complex human history of what is known today as Valles Caldera, starting with the first human inhabitation 21-23,000 years ago, documenting the Ancestral Hemish history from 1100 to 1600 AD, and concluding with the recent private ranch period from 1876 to 2000. Ranger Adam will discuss how ideas about nature changed over time and the effect of these ideas on the environment. 

Dave Chavarria is a beading and flint knapping artist from the Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico. As a young boy, Dave would hunt arrowheads outside his family home in Santa Clara. He always wanted to learn how to make them, but no one in the village knew how — it was, in many ways, a lost art in his community.Years later, Dave struck up a conversation with someone at work while waiting in line in the cafeteria one day. The conversation evolved to the two men talking about flint knapping, which eventually led to Dave finally learning the craft.Today, Dave hand carves knives out of mahogany, obsidian, and other materials found in the southwest near Santa Clara. He also creates deerskin sheaths and pouches with intricately beaded designs.The smaller pouches (neck pouches) can take up to 6 hours each to make, and they are traditionally used to carry tobacco, medicine, or items used for protection. The larger pouches are called Strike a Light Bags. Plains Indians would carry paraphernalia in the strike a light bags to carry their flints, pipes, and other items they’d need to start a fire or light a pipe.

Storm Usrey is the Conservation Education Manager with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF).  He has been employed with NMDGF for almost 19 years and has served in the following previous positions:  Conservation Officer, Field Training Officer, and Resident Game Bird Biologist.

Andrew Harvier, from the Northern NM Indigenous Pueblos of Santa Clara and Taos, and Tohono O’odham (Papago) Indian Nation, AZ, will provide instruction and offer participants a brief history of willow basket weaving and basic knowledge traditional willow style weaving. Participants will be provided with adequate willow materials to complete a 5” to 6” woven platter/plaque, or a 4” to 6” woven turtle which they will take home.

Dr. Bob Parmenter recently retired from a 21-year career of scientific inquiry and resource stewardship at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Over his tenure at Valles Caldera, he served as Chief Scientist and Chief of Science and Resource Stewardship. He established a premier research and restoration program in partnership with 40 federal, tribal, state, academic, and non-profit organizations. Because of his passion for science in parks, Valles Caldera is in the top 4% of the entire National Park System for the number of partner-led research projects currently underway. 

Former Ohkay Owingeh Governor Herman Agoyo once remarked, “To us, these petroglyphs are not the remnants of some long-lost civilization that has been dead for many years…they are part of our living culture. What is stored in the petroglyphs is not written in any book or to be found in any library. We need to return to them to remind us of who we are and where we came from, and to teach our sons and daughters of it.” This talk will draw upon landscapes and rock images that reflect movement and living histories. Despite an ongoing misrepresentation of being non-literate, Indigenous people have always been skilled at documenting stories. Tewa people view themselves within a larger ecological system interconnected to all things living. Mesa Prieta or Tsikwaye is one example of a vast landscape comprised of more than 100,000 petroglyphs and archaeological features that date back thousands of years. Located on the northern Rio Grande region, this place is embedded in stories that are foundational to sharing New Mexico histories and beyond.

Dr. Matthew J. Martinez currently serves as the Executive Director of the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project, a nonprofit in northern New Mexico whose mission is focused on land stewardship and educational outreach. He is a former First Lieutenant Governor of Ohkay Owingeh, an Emmy award-winning documentary film producer and has an established career as an educator. Martinez previously served as Professor of Pueblo Indian Studies at Northern New Mexico College where he taught for 10 years courses on Indigenous History and New Mexico History. He received his Ph.D. in 2008 from the University of Minnesota in American Studies and American Indian Studies, and M.A. in 2000 from Arizona State University in Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Mexico in 1997. He is a proud father of a 15 year old son, Malachi, who currently attends the Santa Fe Indian School.

Andrew Harvier, from the Northern NM Indigenous Pueblos of Santa Clara and Taos, and Tohono O’odham (Papago) Indian Nation, AZ, will provide instruction and offer participants a brief history of willow basket weaving and basic knowledge traditional willow style weaving. Participants will be provided with adequate willow materials to complete a 5” to 6” woven platter/plaque, or a 4” to 6” woven turtle which they will take home.

The atomic bomb is one of the most recognizable symbols and contested legacies of American and world history, revisited in pop culture again by the recent blockbuster film Oppenheimer. With so many perspectives and emotions, how can we approach these complex stories in a meaningful and constructive way? Rather than blanket answers with clearly defined edges and stark contrasts, we will outline a blueprint of questions to help us consider these sites with multiple perspectives, providing a framework for dialogue and integrated stories.

Raffi Andonian is TV’s “Celebrity Historian” with 200 guest appearances on ABC-CBS-FOX-NBC networks across the country, including an Emmy winning piece. He is the author of 3 Amazon best-selling books, including one on interpreting the Manhattan Project at a contested historic site. He began his career at the Gettysburg battlefield, Martin Luther King home in Atlanta, and locally at the Los Alamos Historical Society. He is now an adjunct professor at Harris-Stowe State University, an HBCU in St. Louis. He also serves as President of the St. George Tucker Society, an academic association focused on studying the U.S. South.

Madeline Naranjo will be demonstrating the art of traditional pottery-making on October 12-13 at 2:00 pm at Valles Caldera National Preserve's Ranger Station.

Madeline E. Naranjo is a potter from Santa Clara Pueblo specializing in a traditional style of deep carved black pottery with a contemporary flair. She is a full-time potter who has devoted 34 years to preserving the ancient craft of her pueblo. She has won awards at prestigious shows like Santa Fe Indian Market and Heard Guild Indian Art Market. Her works can be found in private and public collections such as Colby College and Gilcrease Museum.

Words from the artist reflecting on what makes each of her pots unique: "I love my 'job' as a potter, and working with mother clay has been a blessing in my life. Each time I work, I think, 'How lucky am I to be able to play as a way of making a living!'"

Calling all artists and creatives! All skill levels and mediums welcome! 

Join artist-in-residence Izzy Anderson for a sunset hike and plein air paint-out on the Cerro La Jara Loop on Saturday, October 12, in conjunction with Valles Caldera Fall Fiesta. Participants should bring their own plein air painting supplies. Total trail distance is 1.4 miles, and elevation change is negligible. 

Jennifer Armstrong, Ph.D., has taught writing since 1998, exploring areas as diverse as developmental English and documentary expression. She especially enjoys designing activities that encourage reflection and a deeper connection to nature and the self. Jennifer has led workshops in Yellowstone National Park and Valles Caldera National Preserve and is participating in this year's Write Out, a program of place-based writing sponsored by the National Writing Project.

Elmer Torres is a tribal member of Powohgeh Owingeh (Tewa) “Where the Water Cuts Through." He and his wife, Deborah, are the owners of "Passport to Pueblo Country," a local business that offers guided tours of northern New Mexico's cultural landscapes. Elmer is a native Tewa speaker, tribal elder, and traditional leader. He is also a former Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Tribal Council member for San Ildefonso Pueblo.   

Madeline Naranjo will be demonstrating the art of traditional pottery-making on October 12-13 at 2:00 pm at Valles Caldera National Preserve's Ranger Station.

Madeline E. Naranjo is a potter from Santa Clara Pueblo specializing in a traditional style of deep carved black pottery with a contemporary flair. She is a full-time potter who has devoted 34 years to preserving the ancient craft of her pueblo. She has won awards at prestigious shows like Santa Fe Indian Market and Heard Guild Indian Art Market. Her works can be found in private and public collections such as Colby College and Gilcrease Museum.

Words from the artist reflecting on what makes each of her pots unique: "I love my 'job' as a potter, and working with mother clay has been a blessing in my life. Each time I work, I think, 'How lucky am I to be able to play as a way of making a living!'"