Los Alamos County parks department named national Gold Medal finalist again
Los Alamos County reached the Gold Medal finalist stage for the second year in a row. The winner will be announced Sept. 30 in Philadelphia.
Los Alamos County’s Community Services Department earned a second straight spot among the nation’s finalists for the 2026 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management, a repeat showing that puts the county in the top tier of public agencies serving its size category.
The Gold Medal program, created in 1965, recognizes communities for long-range planning, resource management, environmental stewardship and innovative programming. For Los Alamos County, the finalist designation is not just a plaque chase. It points to the day-to-day work that keeps local parks, trails, open spaces and recreation programs functioning in a county where public amenities are part of civic life as much as roads, utilities and schools.
The department also carries another national credential: CAPRA accreditation, which it earned in 2024. Taken together, the accreditation and the finalist recognition suggest a system that has been measured against outside standards and found to be operating at a high level. That matters for residents who rely on county facilities, from neighborhood parks and athletic fields to organized programs and the maintenance practices that keep those spaces usable year-round.
County Manager Anne Laurent congratulated Director Cory Styron and the department, saying the recognition reflects staff dedication, county support and the strong connection between residents and community services. That framing matters locally because parks and recreation in Los Alamos are not treated as extras. They are part of the county’s public infrastructure, shaping how families spend weekends, how children and teens access programs, and how residents use trails and shared outdoor spaces.
The county will compete for the Grand Plaque, with the winner to be announced Sept. 30 at the NRPA Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Even without the top prize, finalist status for a second year in a row gives county leaders a national benchmark as they make future decisions about funding, amenities and service expectations. It also raises the standard for what residents can expect from the department going forward: well-kept parks, reliable programming and management practices that stand up to national scrutiny.
In a community known worldwide for science and federal work, the recognition is a reminder that quality of life is also built in quieter places, on local trails, in neighborhood fields and through the recreation programs that bring families back to county facilities again and again.
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