The Atomic City Rises from the Ashes - Los Alamos, NM

The TCC met with representatives from the local mountain bike club and land management agencies to begin trail restoration work.
A map illustrates the extent of the damage of Cerro Grande fire.
A metal swingset stands among the ashes and charred trees.
A dramatic example of the post-fire erosion and sedimentation.

In early May of 2000 the Cerro Grande wildland fire raged through the mountain communities of Los Alamos and Whiterock, New Mexico. The story made national and international news, mostly because the area is home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the United States government's biggest nuclear energy research and development facilities. Over 250 homes or structures were destroyed and 450 families were displaced. Both towns had to be evacuated as the fire engulfed 48,000 acres of forest and 90 miles of trails in the area.

But like the mythical phoenix bird rising from the ashes, the communities of Los Alamos and Whiterock came together to begin the long process of restoring their homes, and their trails. A newly-formed multi-agency volunteer task force immediately took steps toward watershed protection, followed by education, public information, trail restoration and reforestation. Finally, resource inventory and monitoring were also undertaken. People who had just lost their homes were volunteering any time they had to restoring the forest.

The task force, led by trail enthusiast Craig Martin, has linked several agencies together including Los Alamos County, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and many other community members. Trail users such as the local mountain bike club, the Los Alamos Tuff Riders have played an exceptional role. Gabriela Lopez Escobedo, President of the Tuff Riders has led thousands of club volunteer hours on the trails in the forest. She also saw a great opportunity to invite the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew to Los Alamos for a trail building clinic.

Joey Klein and Nichole Williams of the Trail Care Crew taught a 3-day workshop focusing on sustainable trail design, construction and maintenance. After the fire, any bad sections of trail were obliterated by the large scale erosion. The fire also enabled the Crew to see where it would be better to reroute sections of trail in many cases.

The TCC presented a slideshow to the public lands managers who will steer the restoration of the Los Alamos trails. Miles Standish of the Sante Fe National Forest and Glenn Ryan of Bandelier National Monument shared many of their trail experiences, working closely with the TCC. Over 70 volunteers attended the workshop and trail building clinic. On the final day, nearly half a mile of damaged trail tread was restored on the Cabra Trail. Using rock techniques to "armor" sensitive tread sections, Rick Kelly of the Tuff Riders led trail crews experimenting with the process.

The timing of the TCC visit was perfect as it helped everyone to envision a better trail system for the forest surrounding Los Alamos. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, Miles Standish sees the aftermath of the disastrous Cerro Grande fire as an opportunity to leave behind a trail legacy that will protect the forest and bring people closer to nature.