From left, Bandelier National Monument Superintendent Jason Lott, Manhattan Project National Historical Park (MPNHP) Superintendent Kris Kirby, Valles Caldera National Perserve Superintendent Jorge Silva-Banuelos and MPNHP Education Specialist Valerie Glowinski. Photo by Linda Matteson/LAC  

Local three National Parks enjoy a lot of successes; however, the parks also face lengthy to-do lists and many challenges.

Manhattan Project National Historical Park (MPNHP) Superintendent Kris Kirby, Valles Caldera National Preserve Superintendent Jorge Silva-Banuelos and Bandelier National Monument Superintendent Jason Lott presented reports about each of their parks to the Los Alamos County Council during the Tuesday night work session.

Assistant to County Manager Linda Matteson introduced the three park superintendents, saying, “In Los Alamos we are proud to be the gateway to three national parks and tonight it is such an honor to have our three superintendents here to give us an update.”

Being a relatively new national park, Kirby said the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes not only Los Alamos but also Hanford, Wash., and Oak Ridge, Tenn., is undertaking several tasks.

She said the park’s digital infrastructure is being built, which includes the website, an app for the park and virtual tours of different facilities for the public. Signage for the park also is being addressed as well as marketing for the park.
With a budget of $684,000 for all three sites, Kirby praised the park’s ability to do a lot with a little.  

For instance, she said the park has been able to offer public tours of areas “behind the fence” and has successfully partnered with several entities.

Kirby mentioned New Mexico Highlands University interns have helped create new information panels at the park’s visitor center and last year the Los Alamos Friends of MPNHP organized a Santa Fe Opera partnership, which funded the park’s Teacher-Ranger-Teacher program this summer. The park also has partnered with the Los Alamos History Museum, the Bradbury Science Museum and the County.

Additionally, Kirby said while volunteer numbers vary, they have had 15 volunteers and 493 Junior Rangers since July. She reported there has been 289 community outreach programs. The park has been a popular destination, Kirby told the Los Alamos Daily Post before the meeting, saying that last year the entire park received 69,543 visitors and 14,000 came to Los Alamos. So far this year, she said 8,700 people have visited Los Alamos.

“Thanks to the support and commitment from this community, the park has really been able to have a lot of positive impact on our visitors using very little resources,” Kirby told the Post.

Still, budgetary constraints do present challenges particularly with staffing. Kirby told Councilors that they are unable to hire an on-site manager for the park and there is only one permanent ranger in Los Alamos. Housing was another issue. Kirby said lower-grade employees can’t work at the park because they are unable to afford it.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve is another recent addition to the National Parks. Silva-Banuelos reported that this year is the fifth anniversary of the Valles being a National Park.

He reported visitor numbers are now at 50,000 annually and the number increases 10 percent each year. A variety of programs are offered from backcountry driving routes to vehicle tours that are led by organizations. New programs also are being added such as the dark sky program.

Silva-Banuelos discussed some of the work being done in the park. With several major wildfires, he said ecological restoration is being done. Prescribed burns and forest thinning operations are being conducted so when an unplanned forest fire occurs, it can be managed.

Work also is being done to restore wetlands. Plus, Silva-Banuelos reported that due to U.S. Sen. Tom Udall successfully securing $450,000 in water allocation funds, the Valles is close to purchasing a 30-acre piece of property, known as Sulphur Springs.

The purchase, he said, will mean there will be no more inholdings in the park. The springs has rare and unique geothermal features and the Valles staff hopes to restore the property and hold tours.

The infrastructure in the park also is being addressed. Silva-Banuelos said work is planned to improve the gravel roads, upgrade the boundary fence and stabilize and rehab the historic cabins.

“We are committed to enhancing our visitors’ services including new visitor programming,” Silva Banuelos told the Post. “We are knee-deep in planning efforts in order to pursue additional infrastructure development to improve visitors’ experience. We really encourage and welcome members of the community to come visit, recreate and learn about the history of the place.”

While the MPNHP and the Valles Caldera National Preserve are relatively new national parks, Bandelier National Monument has been a long-time fixture.

Lott commended the community for its continuous support of Bandelier.

“Being a part of the community and what the community has done for us has really made (Bandelier) work,” he told the Post.

Lott reported that Bandelier receives 200,000 visitors a year. He called that number “very comfortable”.  

Any more, and it would begin impacting the park’s infrastructure, bus service and other things, he said.

Among the park’s successes, Lott praised the Atomic City Transit’s shuttle service to and from Bandelier.

“It is a great service,” he said. “It is clean, on time; the County operates a shuttle that would be great for any national park … the park would not function today without the bus service.”

Lott also praised the White Rock Visitor Center and the marketing the park has received from the state’s New Mexico True campaign.

There are numerous capital improvement projects being done throughout Bandelier.

For instance, Lott said the Main Loop Trail is being resurfaced and will be made ADA compliant. Additionally, a tri-plex housing unit for Bandelier staff will be built.

More parking is being added and upgrades to the Juniper Campground, which include electrical hookups and showers are being made.

Lott said in an effort to restore the seed source in the upper elevations of the park, 100,000 tree plantings are underway.

There are challenges and some are out of Bandelier’s control. Lott reported that the park is being impacted by climate change.

 “It’s getting warmer, our environment is changing … other things are coming in … how it impacts our cultural resources is a big deal … those are real issues for us. We want to be proactive but the uncertainty makes it hard,” he said.

Council Chair Sara Scott thanked all three superintendents for their presentations.

“We really appreciate all the hard work of you and your staff,” she said.