Give

“Throughout the repopulation of the town, one question was asked repeatedly: How can I help?”
— Al Toth

Have you found it helpful to assist others going through tough times similar to what you have experienced?

These bright yellow protective shirts were common sights during the rebuilding of trails and replanting of the forest. Gift of Craig Martin. LAHS Archives, 2000.035. Los Alamos Historical Society.

New Mexicans gave their talents and time to recovery efforts. Volunteers planted 10,000 trees in the year following the fire. Individual people stepped up to lead projects they were passionate about. Micki Taylor organized the creation of quilts for families who lost homes. John Hogan, Craig Martin, and teachers Laura Patterson and Gerry Washburn created the Volunteer Task Force (VTF), which focused on environmental restoration and education.

The VTF started a fire ecology lesson at Mountain Elementary School, and soon brought it to all Los Alamos schools. The lesson expanded to reach more than 6,000 students across northern New Mexico and became a national model. The VTF also visited communities recovering from wildfires in Colorado, California, and Arizona. Hearing the perspectives of other wildfire survivors helped people in Los Alamos after Cerro Grande, and the VTF was eager to offer this same assistance to others.

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