Valles Caldera National Preserve. Courtesy/VCNP

COUNTY News:

The Los Alamos County Council is seeking community input on the Valles Caldera National Preserve’s new Public Access and Use Plan (Plan.)

The Plan, part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released by the Trust in June 2012, presents six options for locating and constructing a new visitor and interpretation center, as well as developing infrastructure and access to the many uses offered at the Preserve.

To access the EIS, citizens are asked to visit the News link from the County’s home page at www.losalamosnm.us.

The Executive Summary may be the most useful, concise document for citizens to review and understand the options in order to provide comments, without the need to review the lengthy report.

Public comments will be accepted July 24 through noon Aug. 7. Citizens may e-mail the County’s Marketing Specialist, Kelly Stewart, at kelly.stewart@lacnm.us.

She will gather all comments and present them to Council at the Tuesday, Aug 7 meeting.

Council will consider the comments, hear additional public comment during the meeting, then discuss the potential opportunities and impacts, along with any other recommendation from County staff.

They could then make a formal motion that evening on a recommendation for a preferred alternative and ask that it be transmitted in a letter to the Trust before the public comment deadline closes on Aug. 14.

Copies of the EIS are available at the 311 Customer Care Center (150 Central Park Square) or either public library.

Comments can be sent via US Mail to be received no later than Aug. 7 by mailing them to: Kelly Stewart, Los Alamos County CAO, 133 Central Park Square.

The Trust will include all comments received when it publishes its Final EIS.

The final decision on an alternative rests with the Preserve’s Executive Director, Dennis Trujillo, who has been invited to attend the Aug. 7 Council meeting.

For more information on the Trust’s process for the Preserve, visit www.vallescaldera.gov.