Court to hear arguments on Valles Caldera claim

A federal appeals court will hear legal arguments Thursday in Albuquerque on a case involving the Jemez Pueblo's claim to recover land now included in the Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will consider the Jemez Pueblo's appeal of a federal judge's 2013 ruling that dismissed the tribe's 2012 lawsuit over 89,000 acres that it considers sacred. The judge ruled in September 2013 that the federal government did not consent to being sued. The preserve is home to vast grasslands, the remnants of one of North America's few super volcanoes, and one of New Mexico's most famous elk herds...more