VALLES CALDERA NATIONAL PRESERVE, N.M. (AP) — Not as many people visited Valles Caldera National Preserve in 2013 as the previous year.
Officials say the 11 percent drop in visitation is a result of the northern New Mexico preserve being forced to close while firefighters battled the Thompson Ridge Fire.
The blaze burned across more than 36 square miles of the preserve during the height of the summer tourist season.
Visitation numbers, efforts to expand public access to Valles Caldera, post-fire concerns and the effects of last year's federal shutdown are all detailed in the preserve's annual report to Congress. It was released late last week.
The report notes that assessments have consistently found that expanding public access and use of the preserve has been limited by a lack of parking areas, picnic sites and other infrastructure.