A spot overlooking a wide grassy valley and the black rock cliffs of an ancient collapsed volcano in the Valles Caldera National Preserve might sound like the perfect last resting spot.

So-called "green burials" are among a dozen possible revenue sources discussed in a new business model for the Northern New Mexico preserve that will be released today.

But burial plots in the preserve aren't likely to be in any final business plan, said Steve Henry, chairman of the Valles Caldera Trust board, which manages the 89,000-acre preserve. Although "a lot of older people are looking at this kind of thing," Henry said, "the pueblos made it plain they would be hesitant to go along with it. Even if we could force it through, it wouldn't make us look good. So it is tabled unless the tribes come forward and say OK."

Pueblos near the Valles Caldera have sacred sites on the preserve and oppose the idea of burying people anywhere nearby.

The computerized business model proposes a variety of other ways to maximize revenue to the preserve — from a high-end lodge to wildlife tent camps — without damaging the preserve's natural resources. The model provides two alternatives to illustrate how different combinations of activities will boost revenue and at what cost. Neither alternative is set in stone, Henry said.

Building a visitor center with a gift shop tops both alternatives as a priority for quickly attracting more people and revenue to the preserve.

The business model was designed by a team of economists from Entrix, a nationwide environmental consulting firm that's worked on financial analyses and feasibility studies for both private companies and public agencies. The model allows trust staff and the board to see exactly how changing the number of visitors and types of activities would change total annual revenue.

A graph showing expenses compared to revenues shifts instantly on the model as factors are changed. The flexible business model will help staff determine the financial impacts from different combinations of activities, said Gary D. Bratcher, the new executive director of the Valles Caldera Trust.

Congress bought the former ranch in 2000 and renamed it the Valles Caldera National Preserve. It was established as an "experiment in land management" and is supposed to be managed as a business that is eventually capable of paying for itself. Congress also mandated public access to the preserve and the protection of natural resources.

The lack of a solid business plan or public-access plan has hampered the experiment's progress, according to many longtime observers. So has the lack of year-round access and the absence of amenities for visitors.

Some people recently have called for Congress to end the experiment and turn management of the preserve over to another federal agency such as the National Park Service. Bratcher believes the business model will show skeptics there are a variety of ways for the preserve to meet congressional goals.

Gretchen Greene, the project's manager from Entrix, said it looks like the number of visitors to the preserve will plateau at about 120,000 people a year. Nearby Bandelier National Monument brings in about 220,000 visitors a year. "Certainly there needs to be plenty of public access, especially for people living near the preserve," Greene said.

Last year, about 15,000 people visited the preserve. The number of visitors to the preserve has increased almost 25 percent each year since 2002. The largest sources of revenue have been from hunting, donations and direct grants.

The business model gives two alternatives for making the preserve financially viable while meeting other requirements set by Congress. In one, which includes a luxury hunting lodge and a medium-priced lodge with a restaurant, the preserve is projected to make enough money to pay its operating costs after six years. In the second alternative, which does not include lodges, the preserve could pay operating costs within seven years through revenues from camping fees, recreational activities, gift store sales, donations and a livestock grazing program.

Entrix laid out some keys to the preserve's financial success. Congressional appropriations will still be needed until 2015 to pay for road improvements, buildings and trust operations. A capital campaign is needed immediately to raise between $17.5 million and $22 million over the next decade. Partnerships with local communities and pueblos will help market the preserve and reduce costs.

Greene said it will take ongoing congressional appropriations of between $2.5 million and $5 million to sustain the preserve if management is turned over to a new federal agency. Last year's operating budget for the preserve was $3.6 million.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.