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Volunteer ‘Adopt a Trail’ plan aims to expand county trail maintenance and participation
Summary
An Open Space working‑group plan would retool the county's volunteer trail program into three adoption types (organized, one‑day, custom), online signups, training and appreciation incentives to increase participation and reduce county maintenance costs; staff and council signaled support while noting resource needs.
A proposed Los Alamos County "Adopt a Trail" overhaul would give residents multiple short‑term and custom volunteer options, an online sign‑up system, and training to tackle maintenance across more than 58 miles of local trails, the Open Space Working Group told the council on Oct. 7.
Celeste Draffen outlined a three‑tier approach: organized adoptions (county‑run monthly volunteer days), one‑day adoptions (time‑bound tasks adopters can schedule), and custom adoptions for groups or memorial projects. Draffen said making tasks specific, measurable and time‑limited would increase participation compared with the previous year‑long, open‑ended model. She proposed a staffed program coordinator, a website and app integration, training videos, and a tiered swag program to reward repeat volunteers.
Eric Peterson (Open Space Specialist) told council staff capacity is thin — two full‑time staff plus limited volunteers — and said a formal program with county oversight could improve coordination with larger open‑space goals and the updated trails plan. Councilors expressed support but asked for a budget and implementation timeline; staff said the program would need dedicated hours from county staff and an initial budget to build the portal and pay a coordinator.
Draffen and several public commenters emphasized volunteer appreciation and publicity as retention tools and suggested piloting the program in 2026. The council encouraged staff to provide a budget proposal for consideration in the next budget cycle.
