Home Care In Los Alamos, NM

How Los Alamos (N.M) Community Golf Club transformed an eyesore into a pollinator paradise.

Los Alamos County Golf Course transformed an eyesore of an area formerly referred to as the Bermuda Triangle into a lovely pollinator-friendly meadow thanks to a cooperative venture with nonprofit Bee City Los Alamos. Photo by Jason Tomko

Los Alamos County Golf Course’s Bermuda Triangle has received an impressive glow-up.

Nestled near the southernmost tip of the New Mexico facility, near the point of what appears to be an arrowhead shape between the Nos. 1 and 3 greens and No. 4 tees, the Bermuda Triangle, as local golfers came to refer to it, had been a bit of an eyesore.

“It was just this brown, barren area,” says Jason Tomko, GCSAA Class A golf course and ice rink superintendent at the facility in Los Alamos and 13-year association member. “Then in the rainy season, it was just 3-, 4-foot-tall weeds.”

The tense is important here, because now that section of the course that was built in 1947 by the Atomic Energy Commission is among its most beautiful after a cooperative project between the course and the local nonprofit Bee City Los Alamos. Golf course staff and volunteers from that backyard pollinator project — part of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center in Los Alamos — helped turn the Triangle into a meadow, filled with wildflowers and grasses.

“Bee City started by having a demonstration garden and a few other little areas where they tried to do some pollinator gardens,” Tomko said. “Our director (Community Services Department Director) Cory Styron said, ‘Hey, we have a lot of usable dead space here at the golf course. Maybe we can do something with them.’ That’s when they brought me on board, and I said I’d love to do that.”

The wildflower haven formerly known as the Bermuda Triangle is one of several areas on the recently renovated Los Alamos County GC that sit outside or just on the edge of the irrigation system. It was conspicuous, but also a testing ground for Tomko.

“It’s about a 9,000-square-foot area that turning the irrigation around would hit,” he says. “We started with that 9,000 square feet as kind of a proof of concept. We have another 2 or 3 acres we’re planning to do over the next few years.”

Involvement by the course’s staff was minimal. Because the Bee City folks didn’t want the area touched by herbicides, Tomko tilled it instead. Bee City volunteers turned out in September 2025 to sow the seeds, a mix of native grasses, like blue grama, buffalograss and Indians rice grass, and wildflowers, like blue flax, prairie coneflower, black-eyed Susans and primrose.

“Tilling it just re-tilled the weeds back into it,” Tomko says. “Once they sowed it and let it go, probably about 30% of the area is kind of weedy. They’ve been back to weed it a few times, but they said, ‘Moving forward, let’s treat everything.’”

Despite the weeds, the meadow has proven to be a marked aesthetic upgrade from the barren brown of before. The grasses and flowers were part of seed mixes from a nearby seed supplier — which the course bought for a “couple hundred dollars” — that provide nearly season-long color.

“They all have different seasons, which is nice,” Tomko says. “You have the flax going in June, then the black-eyed Susan in July. Now (in late August) the coneflower and gaillardia are really blooming. We have about 3½ months of actual flowers.”

Golfers’ opinions are mixed.

Though they universally acknowledge the visual upgrade, “Golfers are fickle,” Tomko says with a laugh. “Some of them think it’s pretty cool. Others are mad they lose their golf balls in there.”

Tomko — who, as his title suggests, in the (golf) offseason tends to the Los Alamos County Ice Rink, the only refrigerated, NHL-regulation, outdoor ice rink in New Mexico — says he’s not much of a “bee guy.” But the folks at Bee City know their bees (fun fact: New Mexico is home to nearly 1,000 species of native bees) and other pollinators, and they’re pleased with the outcome.

“They came out and did some checks,” Tomko says, “and there are a lot of bees in there.”

Next spring, Tomko hopes to expand the project more visibly. Five of the course’s 18 holes lie to the north of New Mexico State Road 501, and there’s another Triangle-like area there between holes Nos. 12 and 13 that Tomko would like to give the pollinator-area treatment.

“You can’t really see the Bermuda Triangle from the road,” Tomko says. “But that area between 12 and 13, it’s elevated. If you’re driving by, you can see that. It’s more visible. I want to sow that so people driving through can see it and enjoy it.”

Andrew Hartsock is a GCM staff member.

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Vince Rodriguez, program manager, environmental remediation with Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC, provides New Mexico State University’s 2026 NuChemE Pipeline Summer Program undergraduate students with an overview on groundwater, surface water and stormwater sampling and monitoring.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — New Mexico State University’s 2026 NuChemE Pipeline Summer Program recently provided undergraduate students from across the country a rare, firsthand look at cleanup efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and its legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B), showed students key sites that address legacy contamination and waste from nuclear weapons production and research from the Manhattan Project and Cold War era at LANL.

“We are excited about the opportunity for our students to see firsthand the environmental remediation work that is being done at Los Alamos National Laboratory,” said Catherine Brewer, chemical and materials professor at New Mexico State University and NuChemE Pipeline program director. “Nuclear is a challenging STEM field to get your foot in the door. Without any experience or knowledge, students are likely to not even try to open the door. That’s why we are so appreciative of the support from the DOE and its contractors.”

Undergraduate students in New Mexico State University’s 2026 NuChemE Pipeline Summer Program get an up-close look at contact-handled waste operations at Technical Area 54, Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC explained the process for characterizing legacy transuranic waste and the activities required prior to shipping the waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

The NuChemE Pipeline, which is supported by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), was created to address a longstanding gap between what students know about nuclear materials, radioisotopes, and DOE operations, and the level of understanding expected during recruitment.

During the tour, students learned how crews conduct groundwater and soil remediation, manage legacy waste and continue long-term environmental monitoring at LANL.

“I’ve been doing this work for a longtime. Soon, I will be handing over the reins to young adults like those participating in this program,” N3B President and General Manager Brad Smith said. “I look forward to welcoming the next generation of young professionals to a career that is meaningful and rewarding.”

This year’s class includes 12 students from 11 universities across the country, majoring in chemical engineering, chemistry, geology, environmental science and business information systems.

The LANL cleanup tour includes visits to LANL’s Chemistry Division; museums on nuclear history in Los Alamos and Albuquerque, New Mexico; the University of New Mexico Nuclear Engineering Department; Urenco USA, the only commercial enrichment facility operating in the U.S.; EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico; the Savannah River Site in South Carolina; and Plant Vogtle, the largest nuclear power plant in the country.

Long-term plans for the NuChemE Pipeline include developing a remote graduate certificate in nuclear chemical engineering at New Mexico State University to expand access to EM careers for students in science, engineering and business fields. By combining hands-on learning with exposure to real world cleanup work, the program aims to build a diverse, well-prepared pipeline of future scientists, engineers and professionals ready to support EM’s environmental stewardship responsibilities.

–Contributor: Donavan Mager

CHRISTUS Health is set to break ground July 23 on new community hospital in Los Alamos. Photo Courtesy CHRISTUS

CHRISTUS HEALTH NEWS RELEASE

Patients will soon have greater access to high-quality, compassionate care as CHRISTUS Health breaks ground July 23 on its new state-of-the-art community hospital in Los Alamos, N.M. This marks a major milestone in expanding access to integrated, reliable and accessible health care for residents.

The new 37,277-square-foot, two-story building, located at 401 Trinity Drive, will bring emergency, surgical, diagnostic and specialty services together under one roof, making it easier for patients to receive care they need, close to home. The hospital will feature:

This project represents a significant investment in the future health and well-being of Los Alamos and surrounding communities, expanding local access to high-quality care while helping meet the region’s growing health care needs.

As part of the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Mayo Clinic Care Network membership, patients also have access to trusted clinical knowledge and second opinions from the Mayo Clinic, further enhancing local care options.

“This new community hospital will allow CHRISTUS St. Vincent to provide essential, integrated health care services closer to home for the residents of Los Alamos,” said Lillian Montoya, senior vice president CHRISTUS Heath New Mexico Group Operations. “Once completed, it will complement our existing Los Alamos clinics and further strengthen our commitment to the communities we serve throughout Northern New Mexico.”

CHRISTUS St. Vincent has served the Los Alamos community for more than a decade through its Sports Medicine Clinic and has recently expanded its services to include primary care, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics and gynecology. The new hospital builds on the commitment to create a more connected network of care that offers patients reliable access to a broad range of services in one convenient location.

About CHRISTUS Health

CHRISTUS Health is an international faith-based, not-for-profit health care system based in Irving, Texas, with more than 60 hospitals in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. CHRISTUS Health is made up of 50,000 Associates providing compassionate and individualized care at more than 600 centers, including community hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and health ministries. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio and the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to every individual we serve. For more information, visit christushealth.org.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — Continual dry weather conditions in northern New Mexico prompt the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) to conduct ongoing wildfire mitigation and preparedness measures in an area of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

EM-LA and legacy cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B) manage operations at Technical Area (TA) 54, Area G, where legacy radioactive and hazardous waste is safely stored.

“Ongoing wildfire mitigation preparation is paramount to protecting the containers holding radioactive and hazardous waste at Area G,” said Julie Wood, N3B director of fire protection engineering. “N3B works hand in hand with LANL to ensure we are on the same page and that protective safety measures are in place.”

Past large wildfires in the Los Alamos area, such as the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 and the Los Conchas Fire in 2011, underscore the importance of mitigation.

All wildfire mitigation and preparedness efforts are integrated into LANL’s Emergency Management Program through its Wildland Fire and Forest Program. In accordance with that program’s standards, N3B manages vegetation at TA-54, Area G, collaborates with LANL to keep evacuation routes clear and implements safe shutdown protocols for facilities threatened by wildfire.

During periods of high fire risk, many activities — such as cutting and welding, and off-road vehicle use — are restricted because they could create ignition sources in wildland areas.

Brian Clayman, contact-handled transuranic waste program manager for Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B), presents on wildfire mitigation and preparedness measures for Technical Area 54, Area G, at Los Alamos National Laboratory, during the recent Environmental Management Cleanup Forum held by the Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and N3B.

Minimizing Wildfire Risk at TA-54, Area G

Waste containers are safely secured within structures with steel or aluminum frames, protected by fire-retardant fabric.

Removing legacy radioactive and hazardous waste reduces wildfire risk at TA-54, Area G. Over the past eight years, EM-LA and N3B have made significant progress in moving legacy waste off-site, including:

Wildfire fuel mitigation efforts are continuously underway around TA-54, Area G. Tree thinning is done in the canyons adjacent to Area G. Vegetation on the Area G mesa primarily consists of small trees, shrubs and grasses. A perimeter is maintained around structures containing radioactive waste, where vegetation taller than 6 inches is cut and removed at least once a month during the growing season from April to October.

EM-LA and N3B’s year-round wildfire mitigation efforts are coordinated with several LANL Wildland Fire and Forest Program partners, including with the National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Field Office; Los Alamos County; Four Accord Pueblos comprised of the Pueblo de Cochiti, Pueblo of Jemez, Pueblo de San Ildefonso and Santa Clara Pueblo; U.S. Forest Service; National Park Service; and Bureau of Land Management.

-Contributor: Donavan Mager