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Los Alamos official details expanding partnership with Pueblo of San Ildefonso, cites $2 million county match
Summary
Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Danielle Duran told the Inclusivity Task Force that Los Alamos County has deepened relations with the Pueblo of San Ildefonso through council‑to‑council meetings, joint broadband planning and coordination on trail protection and feral‑cattle response; the county provided a $2,000,000 match for a state broadband application.
Los Alamos County’s intergovernmental affairs manager told the Inclusivity Task Force that the county and the Pueblo of San Ildefonso have been deepening formal ties through regular meetings and joint projects, including a coordinated broadband expansion that required a county match of $2,000,000.
Danielle Duran, who said she has led the county’s tribal outreach since December 2021, told the panel the county now meets monthly with Pueblo administrator John Gonzalez and County Manager Anne Laurent. She said those meetings, plus recent council‑to‑council sessions and an invitation to the Pueblo feast day, have helped build trust after years of intermittent contact.
"We've had a really good relationship with San Ildefonso since I started," Duran said. She described the council‑to‑council meetings as substantive opportunities to exchange historical context and clear misunderstandings between governments.
Duran said San Ildefonso received a federal broadband grant from the NTIA that was delayed, and that the county and Pueblo later collaborated on a state grant application; she said the county provided a $2,000,000 matching contribution to help deliver fiber and ensure the Pueblo has customers for its network.
Beyond broadband, Duran identified several recurring cross‑border issues. She said feral cattle roam on county, laboratory and Pueblo lands, damaging fences and posing risks to hikers. "They destroy property. They destroy fences. They can be a menace to people hiking," she said, adding that the county and Pueblo coordinate with a contracted "wrangler" who does not operate on lab property.
The presentation also highlighted trail misuse and cultural sensitivity. Duran said off‑trail use risks harming cultural sites and proposed educational forums, additional signage and inviting Pueblo representatives — including the lieutenant governor, who has environmental expertise — to speak directly to the task force and the public.
On traffic safety, Duran said the county plans to deploy two radar speed signs on NM 502 to collect speed and vehicle‑count data for New Mexico Department of Transportation as evidence in requests for traffic calming.
Task force members pressed for specifics in a follow‑up Q&A: which trail boundaries are in question, whether estate‑sale contacts could help repatriate artifacts and where the presentation slides could be obtained. Duran agreed to share the slides and to help set up direct Pueblo presentations so the Pueblo’s own representatives could explain cultural‑site boundaries and preferences.
The presentation concluded with Duran noting other tribal outreach efforts — including behavioral‑health partnerships with neighboring Pueblos — and inviting task force input on educational and collaborative steps going forward.
