Advocate Urges Bike Park Near Middle School, Preserve North Mesa Open Space

Georgia Strickfaden urged Los Alamos County to protect the North Mesa Natural Area from encroaching amenities and to pursue a bike park site adjacent to the middle school instead. In a letter to the editor published January 26, 2026, Strickfaden framed the question as one of preserving the mesa’s open-grassland and piñon-juniper character while still meeting community recreation needs.

Strickfaden highlighted language in the North Mesa Park Master Plan site analysis that notes existing paved walking trails which provide universal access across the eastern canyon edge. The letter argues that introducing developed features such as a bike park into that landscape would diminish the natural amenity residents currently use and value. The concern centers on the eastern canyon edge’s dual role as both a recreational corridor and a visible open space for neighborhoods bordering the mesa.

Instead of placing a bike park inside the North Mesa Natural Area, Strickfaden recommended negotiating with Los Alamos Public Schools to use land between the middle school and adjacent ball fields. That location, the letter said, would better serve the school’s mountain bike program and could reduce recreational pressure on the North Mesa Natural Area by concentrating bike activity near existing school facilities and fields.

The policy choices before county planners reflect a common tradeoff in local land use: how to accommodate growing demand for recreational infrastructure without eroding the ecological and scenic values that define a community amenity. Decisions about the North Mesa Park Master Plan will affect trail maintenance priorities, habitat continuity for piñon-juniper stands, and universal access provided by paved paths. Locating high-impact amenities away from the mesa edge could preserve sightlines and the largely undeveloped character that many residents identify with North Mesa.

Strickfaden’s proposal also intersects with youth programming and facility use. Placing a bike park adjacent to the middle school could concentrate program support, supervision, and routine maintenance in an area already used for athletics, potentially offering operational efficiencies for Los Alamos Public Schools and County Parks staff. At the same time, officials will need to assess access rules, liability, and scheduling to ensure the facility serves both school programs and broader public recreation.

As Los Alamos County continues to refine the North Mesa Park Master Plan, residents can expect competing priorities to shape final siting choices for amenities. Strickfaden’s letter frames a compromise: meet recreational demand while preserving the intrinsic open-space values of North Mesa by thoughtful placement of new facilities. The outcome will determine whether the mesa remains primarily a natural edge for the canyon or becomes a hub of developed recreation.