Your Dollars At Work

A ranger at the entrance station window reaches to give a driver the park map.
Park staff at the entrance station collects fees and provide visitors with a map.

NPS Photo

 

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) allows the monument to retain 80% of the fees collected for use on maintenance and infrastructure improvements, and interpretive services projects which directly benefit visitors. Since the beginning of FLREA, White Sands has spent over $4,020,000 to enhance visitor services at the park, fund facility repair and maintenance, and provide interpretive programs and exhibits.


FLREA Projects at White Sands
Below is a listing of just a few of the projects that are either currently on-going or have been completed using monies collected as entrance fees. Some amounts are cumulative expenditures from 1995 to present.

 
A hiker with a backpack heading toward a trail marker in white sand dunes.

NPS Photo

Trail Care
$211,861 in FLREA funds are being used to improve dune trails for community health, visitor satisfaction, and enjoyment. Trail maintenance, such as installing, maintaining and replacing trail markers, is an ongoing activity for the White Sands’ resource management team.
 
A phone with headphones on a keyboard

NPS Photo

Media Outreach and Applications
$98,205 in FLREA funds are being used to develop digital education media. This project funds the creation of interactive, in-depth media and curricula for students K-12 and includes the necessary staff positions to develop content and interface with researchers, educators and other subject matter experts.

In addition, $304,459 in FLREA funds are being used to “redefine the world’s largest gypsum dunefield” by creating a variety of media products, such as citizen science opportunities, to share recent discoveries at White Sands and increase public understanding and interaction with all of the monuments resources, not just the sand.
 
A stand containing technical equipment and a projector

NPS Photo

AV Program Equipment
$27,256 in FLREA funds were used to repair and replace interpretive program equipment, including essential audio-visual elements used in the visitor center theatre and at the evening program amphitheate.
 
A woman looks at a trail sign in white sand dunes.

NPS Photo

Dune Life Nature Trail signs
$10,753 of FLREA funds were used to plan, design, fabricate, and install exhibit signs along the Dune Life Nature Trail in 2015 and 2016. These signs illustrate the variety of wildlife that call White Sands home and explain the way each adapts to survive and flourish in a unique and challenging environment.
 
A sign points to the restroom with a line of people.

NPS Photo

Sewer Repair
$231,366 of FLREA funds are being used to repair the main sewer system throughout the park. These repairs are essential to maintain restroom facility function and guest comfort. Planning for this project began in 2015 and completed in 2018.
 
An indoor museum displays a lizard with information

NPS Photo

New Exhibits in the Visitor Center
$581,196 of FLREA funds were used to plan, design, fabricate, and install new interactive exhibits in the visitor center. These exhibits provide visitors with opportunities to learn about the unique geology, plants, and animals of the park, as well as the more than 10,000 years of human history of the Tularosa Basin. Planning for this project began in 2009 and was completed with the installation of the exhibits in 2011.
 
A covered picnic table

NPS Photo

Replacement and Repair of Picnic Shelters
$474,744 in FLREA funds has gone into the maintenance of the park's picnic shelters. These shelters play a large role in visitor enjoyment of the dunefield. Strong sunlight, seasonal heavy winds, and salt from the gypsum sand take their toll on the shelters, making ongoing upkeep a necessity.
 
A brown building surrounded by green scrub and vegetated dunes

NPS Photo

Vault Toilets
$487,590 in FLREA funds has gone towards the maintenance and repair of the vault toilets provided throughout the park. This includes the installation of two new toilets in 2010 at the Dune Life Nature Trail and the Boardwalk. These toilets include women's and men's restrooms, providing modern facilities at convenient locations throughout the park.
 
Picnic tables and a picnic shelter on sand

NPS Photo

Group Use Facilities
$113,377 of FLREA funds was spent to construct facilities in the Group Use Area, including the installation of two large pavilions and grills. This reservable area is popular with visitors and is often used for large group functions such as weddings, Boy Scout camping trips, family reunions, and more.
 
A brown adobe building with a graveled plant garden in front

NPS Photo

Visitor Center Repairs and Maintenance
$624,029 in FLREA funds have been used for ongoing maintenance and repair of the park's historic visitor center. Repairs have included the replacement of six doors, the repair of leaks and water damage, and repairs to the electrical system. This also includes the installation of a new highly energy-efficient HVAC system to replace the outdated 1998 system. Several energy-saving steps were taken to improve the system and make for a more climate controlled atmosphere, ensuring a comfortable building for both visitors and staff.
 
A tan building

NPS Photo

Entrance Station Renovation and Updates
$1,622,000 in FLREA funds was used to replace the old entrance station in order to reduce traffic safety hazards, improve visitor safety and contact services, address employee health and safety concerns, accommodate increased visitor use, and improve park operations. The new fee collection station buildings were relocated further from U.S. Highway 70. This lengthened stacking lanes to eliminate traffic interference along the highway and provided parking for staff and visitors. These renovations were completed in 2009. Also included was the installation of a point-of-sales system in 2012, allowing visitors to use debit and credit cards to cover entrance fees.
 
A sign reading "White Sands National Monument"

NPS Photo

New Wayfinding Signs
$97,968 in FLREA funds was used to design, fabricate, and install new directional and informational signs throughout the park. This project was completed in 2015.
 
Two signs, one illustrating a hiker and the other with information about Dune Life Nature trail

NPS Photo

New Wayside Exhibits Along Dunes Drive
$204,402 in FLREA funds was used to design and fabricate more than 30 new interpretive panels installed along Dunes Drive in 2015. These panels will replace existing damaged, outdated panels and highlight key safety messages for hiking, backcountry camping, and visiting the park, helping visitors understand more about the world's largest gypsum dunefield.
 
A green plant growing from a white sand pedestal

NPS Photo

Treatment of Non-Native Saltcedar
$66,511 in FLREA funds was used to remove invasive stands of saltcedar (tamarisk). As an invasive species, saltcedar compromises not only the view of visitors, taking away from the pure white gypsum dunes, it also spreads rapidly and alters the dunefield's formation, threatening the stability of the dunes and the unique ecosystems that form the park. Over 100 acres of the most concentrated stands of saltcedar were treated. Through the project, spraying and cutting were used to treat the most dense stands throughout the park. This project was completed in 2012.
 
Old boards or pieces of a structure lying in arid scrub grassland

NPS Photo

Condition Assessment of Historic Sites, Roads, and Trails
$40,707 in FLREA funds is being used to assess the condition of the park's historic sites, roads, and trails, as well as to survey and document new and existing ones. All sites, roads, trails, and associated features will be recorded with condition assessments and determinations of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. The sites and roads will be mapped and incorporated into GIS. This work will build a knowledge base of park history and be incorporated into interpretive stories and programs.
 
A black and white arrow in brown dirt to provide scale for the adjacent stone arrowhead

NPS Photo

Condition Assessment of Archaeological Sites
$20,000 in FLREA funds is being used to survey and document archaeological sites within the park. These sites will be mapped and incorporated into GIS. The condition of these sites will also be assessed. This work will build a knowledge base of park history and be incorporated into interpretive stories and programs.
 

Last updated: September 27, 2022

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