Los Alamos County Open Space Plan

Craig Martin will give a talk at PEEC about his plan for the Los Alamos Open Space System, which he has been working on for 15 years.

The purpose of the plan is to identify the key features of County open space that make Los Alamos a desirable place to live and visit, and to outline ways to protect those important resources. The work on this plan began in the late 1990s when the County established two open space planning committees. Martin’s plan relies heavily on the work of those committees, which represents about four years of work.

An officially designated Open Space System where the County maintains 62 miles of trails and ensures connections to another 50 miles of trail in the Santa Fe National Forest would also make it easier and more attractive for visitors looking for outdoor recreation.

The plan also states the County’s ongoing goals for protecting natural and cultural resources, managing open space as trail corridors, and searching for ways to preserve the vistas and viewpoints that are one of the constantly positive amenities of living in Los Alamos.

Getting down to details, the plan addresses key land management issues in six distinct ecosystems on County-owned land. Specific actions to prevent erosion by storm water runoff from urbanized areas, maintaining service roads, eliminating invasive species, and reducing wildland fuels are discussed in the plan.

No advance registration is required.