LANGMUIR LABORATORY
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE PLAN

May 1, 2003 - April 30, 2004

CIBOLA NATIONAL FOREST
MAGDALENA RANGER DISTRICT

Dennis R. Aldridge, District Ranger, Approved 06/20/03
W. P. Winn, Chairman, Langmuir Laboratory, Approved 06/13/03

USFS sign on Forest Road 235 to Langmuir Lab

PLAN OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this annual plan is to provide close on-the-ground coordination and management of the Langmuir Research Site as required in the Special Use Authorization, dated March 12, 1992, Clause 23.

MUTUAL AUTHORITIES

The Magdalena District Ranger or the designated Acting Magdalena District Ranger is authorized to help prepare and approve the Annual Operation and Maintenance Plan or amendment to the Plan.

The President of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology or the Chairman of Langmuir Laboratory is authorized to help prepare and approve the Annual Operation and Maintenance Plan or amendments to the Plan.

An annual meeting of both parties will be scheduled by the District Ranger at the convenience of both parties to provide the coordination needed to prepare the Plan.

The Plan will be prepared by Langmuir Laboratory and approved by all parties prior to the field season.

Amendments that are within the scope of the Operation and Maintenance Plan may be submitted at any time for review and approval of the other party. The maximum response time for amendments by either party is 7 days; exceptions may be made if additional information is needed.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS

Preparations for summer experiments will begin in late May or early June. Only a few people, on an irregular basis, are expected to stay overnight at Langmuir Laboratory during the 2003 summer research season. The active season will end around August 22, 2003. Laboratory maintenance and winterizing will continue into October and perhaps November, depending on weather.

Trees and other fuel next to buildings are concerns which will be addressed in cooperation with the District Ranger.

The main research activities will include the following:

  1. An array of lightning rods and radiation detectors will be installed near South Baldy Peak and at other locations around Langmuir Laboratory to study the zone of protection around the rods. Measurements of lightning currents near South Baldy Peak will be conducted by personnel from New Mexico Tech.
  2. Seismic activity will be monitored with an instrument located just south of the Main Langmuir Building.
  3. Four seismic stations will be operated in the area of the proposed Magdalena Ridge Observatory optical interferometer. One station is located at the center of the array and the other three are located at the ends of each arm of the array.
  4. The Long-Term Ecological Research Project will study ground-dwelling arthropods, tree demography, and rodent populations.
  5. Instruments on two poles in the vicinity of the New Mexico Tech Remote Observatory will be used to characterize turbulence and its effect on telescope observations. One pole will be 30 feet high and the other 45 feet high.
  6. A 14-inch telescope within the New Mexico Tech Remote Observatory building will be used to measure astronomical seeing conditions.
  7. A 16-inch telescope will be used to measure the astronomical seeing at the MRO optical interferometer site and the New Mexico Tech Remote Observatory. The telescope will be housed in a 10-foot portable dome that will be moved between the two sites as needed. Delivery of the telescope is scheduled for October 2003.
  8. Chemists at New Mexico Tech will measure background levels of ozone, NOx, hydrocarbons and carbonyl compounds in the atmosphere, and similar compounds emitted from pine and fir trees, and will collect weather data from a trailer at Microphone Hill.
  9. Small rockets with trailing wires will be launched to trigger lightning in late July or in August after the forest becomes wet.
  10. Lightning paths inside thunderclouds will be mapped using a Lightning Mapping Array (LMA).
  11. A geo-technical survey will be conducted to determine soil structure and strength for telescope and structure design recommendations. It will include 15 drill holes of 8-inch diameter, and a seismic investigation using a steel plate, sledge hammer, and microphones, temporarily placed about the ridge. Two 18-inch diameter test holes may be drilled depending on the other drill hole results. All holes will be immediately back-filled.
  12. A land survey of the ridge area will be made to locate structures.

PERMANENT RESEARCH FACILITIES

Permanent research facilities include the following:

  1. Main Langmuir Building, Langmuir Annex, and A-Frame Dormitory
  2. Socorro Electric Co-Op power line to the main buildings, West Knoll, Balloon Hangar, and the Remote Observatory
  3. Water feed from Sawmill Canyon to the Main Langmuir Building
  4. Two 150-kW diesel generators in quonset bunkers
  5. Storage yard, including trailers
  6. Supernova telescope facilities
  7. Instrument trailer at Microphone Hill
  8. Power and signal lines from the main buildings to West Knoll, Balloon Hangar, Remote Observatory, and the Kivas
  9. Instrument trailer at West Knoll
  10. Rocket storage container, 7 by 2 by 2 feet. This box is bullet proof and weighs about 3000 lbs. It is located near West Knoll.
  11. Rocket Launching Pad near West Knoll (4 by 4 foot concrete pad with three bolt studs to anchor launcher)
  12. Balloon Hangar and associated trailers
  13. Tracking radiosonde receiver near the Balloon Hangar
  14. New Mexico Tech Remote Observatory (formerly Joint Observatory for Cometary Research)
  15. Rocket Launching and Instrument Platform north of Remote Observatory
  16. Instrument Tower north of Remote Observatory
  17. Diesel Generator for Kivas in a small metal building. This generator and its small building will be moved to a flat area above the other generators near the main buildings.
  18. Kiva I and Kiva II---underground metal rooms for the study of electromagnetic radiation from lightning and for triggering lightning
  19. Areas designated for the long-term study of insect, rodent, and plant populations and for the study of biomass production
  20. Miscellaneous instruments (rain gauges, electric field meters, anemometers, etc.). In addition to the instruments already in place, we will install an array of radio receivers and communication links to them for mapping the paths of lightning inside thunderclouds---the Lightning Mapping Array (LMA). The receivers will be located at West Knoll, Microphone Hill, Balloon Hangar, near South Baldy Peak, near Timber Peak, Blue Cut, and a site 3 km NNW of South Baldy Peak.
  21. Radar trailer to be located north of the Remote Observatory
  22. Other facilities not in the National Forest

NEW FACILITIES

Planning for the Magdalena Ridge Observatory, a major optical astronomy observatory, will continue.

A back-up gate may be installed about 200 meters before the end of the road to the main laboratory buildings to provide security for those buildings during the construction of the Magdalena Ridge Observatory when the Main Gate is likely to be open more often.

In addition, we are planning to build a second story onto part of the existing Main Building for atmospheric research. Construction will begin after plans, approvals, and funding are obtained.

ANTICIPATED TEMPORARY STRUCTURES

  1. Lightning rods near South Baldy Peak and at other locations around Langmuir Laboratory.
  2. Two guyed poles will be installed near the Remote Observatory to study turbulence. The poles will be 30 and 45 feet high. A small building (7 by 7 by 8 feet) will remain near the southeast corner of the Observatory to house instruments to record turbulence.
  3. Small stakes will be put in the ground to show where MRO telescopes will be.
  4. The portable dome and hut will be moved between the Remote Observatory and the MRO array center. They will be used to house the 16-inch astronomical seeing telescope.
  5. Four seismic stations that consist of a buried seismograph and above-ground support box will be in place through April 2004. When the tests are completed New Mexico Tech will remove all the instrumentation, fill in the holes and return the ground to a level of reclamation that is acceptable to the District Ranger.

SITE PLANS

The maps containing four sheets titled ``Topographic Orthophoto of Langmuir Laboratory,'' dated 6/87, and related specifications prepared by Langmuir Laboratory, are attached to and hereby made a part of the Operation and Maintenance Plan.

MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE AND STANDARDS

Maintenance will be scheduled when it is required and it will comply with the standards of New Mexico Tech and the USFS when applicable.

Langmuir Laboratory staff will remove segments of trees that have fallen across the trail to the water pump in sawmill canyon.

Road Maintenance

Major maintenance is necessary because trees have overgrown into the roadway, and damage has been caused by natural weather events and vehicular traffic, including the following:

  1. Washout of fines in the roadbed has caused deep erosion channels and has exposed rough cut rock faces (razor-backs);
  2. Compaction and squeeze-out of the down-slope side and exposure of the cut rock faces on the up-slope side create dangerous negative cross-slopes and sheet-flow of storm water across much of the road bed;
  3. Traffic has caused wash-boarding and larger humps and dips;
  4. Storm-fed water courses that intersect the road have caused sedimentary deposits, gullies, and wash-outs;
  5. Snow removal has caused damage by planing of the road bed.
Two construction methods were analyzed for the following desired criteria:

Method A (conventional method) would require a convoy of six to ten machines that would repair the road in approximately three to four months:

Method B is considered preferable because it would have less impact on the Mexican Spotted Owl, a shorter construction period, a better finished product, and a lower cost.

The Cat D-9 bulldozer would be used to re-grade side-hill slough, fill depressions, and grade softer materials. The Vermeer 1255 terrain leveler would mill rock outcroppings, crush roadbed materials, restore and correct cross slopes, fill wash-outs and gullies, etc. The self-propelled compactor would fine-grade and compact the roadbed. A separate contract would be issued to trim overhanging trees and remove trees that are hazards, such as dead trees that could fall across the roadway or trees that have grown into the traveled way.

In order to minimize the impact on the Mexican Spotted Owl and on the existing Langmuir Laboratory operations, this work is best done in the fall of the year. All work would be confined to repairing the existing road in its existing alignment.

Water System Maintenance

The existing Langmuir water supply is approximately 35 years old and is in need of rehabilitation.

Langmuir Laboratory staff or contractors will remove segments of trees that have fallen across the trail to the water pump in sawmill canyon.

Oil that leaked from the pump and motor onto the ground will be removed in the manner described in a letter from the Magdalena District Ranger to the Chairman of Langmuir Laboratory on May 20, 2003 (USFS file code 2720).

Both the pump's electrical supply and the water line to the ridge need to be replaced. The pump platform will be rebuilt, preferably in a location that is less subject to damage from downslope motion of rocks, soil, and fallen trees. A small pump house will enclose the pump. Electrical work will meet the standards of the National Electrical Code (NEC) when applicable. When the NEC is not applicable, the construction will follow the design of a certified electrical engineer.

SAFETY PROCEDURES

Langmuir Laboratory will adhere to Safety Procedures established by New Mexico Tech. The Procedures include the following:

Rocket Firings

  1. Storing, transporting and launching of rockets will conform to regulations of the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
  2. Restricted Area R5113 and the Tech and Withington Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspaces (ATCAAs) will be operated in accordance with a Letter of Agreement between New Mexico Tech and the Federal Aviation Administration, Albuquerque Center.
  3. Before anticipated rocket firings, New Mexico Tech will consult with the District Ranger, or his representative, to determine fire danger rating. If fire danger is high or extreme, New Mexico Tech will discuss risk of fire with the District Ranger and his staff before deciding to launch missiles. The decision to launch rockets lies with New Mexico Tech, which is responsible for prevention and suppression of fires resulting from its activities, in accordance with special use permit clause 28.

Additional safety procedures are established when 2.75-inch rockets will be launched (not planned for 2003):

  1. The road to West Knoll will be blocked to vehicle traffic whenever rockets are loaded in preparation for thunderstorm investigations or test firings.
  2. The rocket landing area is the same one that we have used for many years in the past; during 1994 we used only that part of it south of the latitude of the Main Laboratory Building.
  3. A description of the area, and how and when it will be used will be published by New Mexico Tech in newspapers of local distribution (notice attached).
  4. Warning signs (wording and map attached) will be posted at the following locations if 2.75 inch diameter folding fin aircraft rockets will be flown (not planned for 2003):
  5. Before each anticipated firing, New Mexico Tech will be reasonably secure in the fact that people are not within the impact area. Determination will also be made through the District Ranger that fire crews or other Forest personnel are not within the impact area.
  6. All grazing and special use permittees affected by the impact areas will be notified in writing by new Mexico Tech of the coming summer program. Copies of the notification letters will be furnished to the District Ranger. The Ranger will furnish a list of permittees involved.
  7. Rocket landing areas will be observed for a full 48-hour period after each launch to determine if fires may have been started by rockets.
  8. Property liability insurance will be carried by New Mexico Tech to adequately cover the hazards of the operation.

Fire Danger Closures

When the Cibola Forest is closed to entry, such as during periods of extreme fire danger, the Laboratory will arrange with the District Ranger for access to the area. Laboratory personnel will be informed of the forest restrictions and the procedures to be followed. Typical arrangements will include the following:

  1. Langmuir Laboratory will limit activities in the forest to those that are essential.
  2. Laboratory personnel in the forest will be limited to those people who are essential to projects. A list of names of those people will be provided to the District Ranger. The list may be updated from time to time.
  3. The Langmuir Laboratory Office will monitor which Laboratory personnel are in the forest at all times. Personnel will notify the Office before entering the forest, and upon leaving, so that there is a record of who is in the forest at all times. Whenever possible, entry will be limited to weekdays. On weekends or during non-office hours, notice of entry and exit will be left as a message on the Laboratory Office telephone (575-835-5423) or with the Laboratory Chairman (W. P. Winn, 575-835-1174).
  4. Some years there may be Laboratory personnel who need to be in residence in the Main Laboratory Building. Special arrangements will be coordinated with the District Ranger if residency is requested, and necessary communication and evacuation plans will be established.
  5. Magdalena Ridge Observatory projects and personnel are not included in these procedures, and they will make their own arrangements with the Forest Service for entry when the forest is closed.

PUBLIC ACCESS AND VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS

When New Mexico Tech employees are in residence at the Laboratory, the public will be allowed access to the first floor of the Main Laboratory Building, which houses the kitchen and dining areas, bathrooms, visitor center, and main data collecting area. The public may also be guided into other areas by a Volunteer Host or by employees of New Mexico Tech.

When funding is available, the Forest Service will provide signs for the Langmuir Research Site boundary at major road and trail routes.

Off-road vehicle use is prohibited within the Langmuir Research Site, except on roads.

Special Order #03-67 closes the Principal Research Area as shown on map dated October 22, 1990, JRL, to ultra-light aircraft and hang-gliders except by permit of the Forest Supervisor.

EROSION CONTROL

Road damage from erosion will be repaired as needed.

OFF-SEASON CLOSURE PROCEDURES

The main gate will be closed whenever there are too few employees to keep the main buildings under surveillance. We anticipate that the main gate will be open only on an irregular basis in July and August 2003.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Information will be available at the Main Laboratory Building.

Last updated 09 July 2003 by kieft@nmt.edu.