A scene from the interactive public meeting held Aug. 29 at Fuller Lodge. The public weighed in on the effort to consolidate the various open space and trail management plans. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
When asked what is a favorite pastime in Los Alamos or the best thing is about living on the Hill, one of the most often heard answer is the great outdoors.
There is a lot of it to enjoy; according to the 2015 Open Space Management Plan, there is 4,000 acres of open space, not to mention all the trails.
The 2022 Trail Management Planning Document reports that there are more than 100 miles of trails – 58 miles are owned by the County and the rest is mostly located in the Santa Fe National Forest.
These huge swaths of land call for effective management and planning and currently Los Alamos County has shelves of plans.
Open Space Specialist Eric Peterson provided the list:
- 2013 – Los Alamos Community Trail Plan
- 2015 – Los Alamos County Open Space Management Plan
- 2017 – Bicycle Transportation Plan
- 2022 – Los Alamos County Trailhead Assessment
- 2022 – Los Alamos County Audit and Transition Plan
- 2022 – Los Alamos County Trails Management Planning Documents (Trail Policy Plan, Proposed Additions to Trail Network, Trail Needs Assessment and Trail Standards)
- 2022 – Americans with Disabilities Act Audit and Transition Plan
- 2023 – Community Services Department Integrated Master Plan
- 2023 – Los Alamos County Canyon Restoration Feasibility Assessment
In February, it was decided to consolidate all these plans. Peterson said Sites Southwest were contracted to do the work.
“The plan will identify existing County services and opportunities as well as a review, update, and consolidation of existing relevant County documents,” Peterson said. “We have a list of documents that will be reviewed. We’ll consolidate and reconcile recommendations.”
Ultimately, he added, “this plan is intended to provide recommendations for Open Space and Trails that meet the needs of the trail users in the County.”
More specifically, the consolidated plan will incorporate trail maintenance standards, future projects, how to install trail head signs, how to add new trails, reroute existing ones, close trails and support protection of cultural and natural resources.
Having one document will help achieve these objectives, he said.
“Having one document to work off of makes it easier and I think it will really be a benefit … for future Open Space projects.”
To make the best recommendations, the public is invited to give input. So far, three public meetings have been held and the public can continue to give feedback by going to the Open Space Trails Management Plan project page.
Peterson said feedback will be collected until a draft of the consolidated plan is produced.
“We received a lot of great feedback … we have such a big public involvement in this project … one of the biggest things is trail maintenance … We are trying to maintain what we have before we build new trails.”
Regarding trail maintenance, Peterson said accessibility is a major focus. He explained work is being done to make more trails accessible for ADA users, equestrians, mountain bikers so that everyone has an opportunity to use the trail systems.
The public has offered more than just comments to improve trails in the County, they have provided some elbow grease.
“This year we had a great success with our monthly volunteer projects,” Peterson said.
He reported that on average, eight to 15 people show up to help do trail work.
The next opportunity to volunteer is Sept. 28, Public Lands Day. Work will be done on the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail area. To sign up, go to VolunteerLosAlamos.org.
Between the work on the consolidated open space and trails management plan and the various groups in town offering trail maintenance work – whether it is the volunteers, the YMCA Youth Corps and other organizations, Peterson said things are looking good for the County’s Open Space and Trails.
“We are moving in the right direction,” he said.