Open Space Specialist Eric Peterson speaks at Rotary Club Los Alamos. Photo by Linda Hull

By LINDA Hull
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

Open Space Specialist Eric Peterson, a staff member in the County’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Division, spoke at the Rotary Club of Los Alamos meeting June 6 at Cottonwood on the Greens. He began by describing the scope and diversity of his position overseeing County-owned lands as guided by the Open Space Management Plan. 

As stated on the County’s website, “The plan’s purpose is to identify key features of open space that make Los Alamos a desirable place to live or visit and to outline ways to protect those features.”

With preservation, environmental stewardship, and public safety in the forefront, Peterson and his colleagues oversee the County’s extensive trails, a network “linked by over 150-miles of developed trails.” Trail users, including hikers, horseback riders, bird watchers, wildflower enthusiasts, and mountain bikers have a variety of options available; some trails are also ADA compliant.

As broad and encompassing as Peterson’s responsibilities are, he had not anticipated cowboy among “other duties as assigned.” However, the increasing dangers of feral cattle on our highways and trails led him to develop the agile skills required to assist professional cattle wranglers removing feral cattle from County property. In 2021 he received the Los Alamos Public Safety Award for tackling this often-overlooked issue that creates serious problems for people and the environment. 

Peterson, a graduate of Bowling Green State University, Ohio, found life in the Southwest of particular interest after teaching on the Navajo Reservation. He has been the Open Space Specialist for our County for eight years.

For more information about the County’s open spaces and trails, please go to  https://www.losalamosnm.us/government/departments/community_services/parks_recreation_and_open_spaces/openspaceandtrails