To view more official Mescalero Apache Tribe COVID-19 updates, click here.

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MESCALERO, NM.

May 14, 2020. Recently, the Mescalero Apache Tribe received $13.5 million to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The funding was provided to Mescalero through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), passed by Congress on April 22nd. The CARES Act set aside $8 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (“CRF”) for specifically for tribes. The U.S. Treasury Department released 60% of the CRF funding to tribes last week. The amount of funding received by each tribe was determined by population. “The Tribe is grateful for this money. We closed our casino to stop the spread of the coronavirus in our community and in neighboring communities. Now we have almost zero revenue coming in. We have to keep our community safe until this is over – the need for this money is huge,” stated Mescalero Apache Tribal President Gabe Aguilar.
Mescalero advocated for flexible rules for how the CRF funding could be used. But the Treasury Department issued strict guidelines governing the use of the funding. President Aguilar noted: “The Tribe has many needs and some of these needs result indirectly from COVID-19. These are legitimate needs, but this funding cannot be used.” He continued, “I know people will think that we can spend the money on anything we want – I want it to be clear that this money is restricted to COVID-19 needs”.

In line with these guidelines, yesterday, the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council, using its CRF funds, established an economic support program where each eligible Tribal member over the age of eighteen (18) can receive a $1,000 economic support payment. “This payment can be used to pay for food, electricity and other needs. Everyone is suffering the economic impacts of COVID-19. Please apply as soon as possible,” stated President Aguilar. Payments will be made by June 1, 2020.

The remaining 40% of the tribal funding in the CRF will be allocated depending on the outcome of a lawsuit filed by several tribes against the federal government. The lawsuit revolves around the issue of whether Alaskan Native Corporations are eligible to receive funding from the CRF or not. The Treasury Department has indicated that the remaining funding will be allocated according to factors like the number of individuals employed by and the annual revenue of each tribe. Mescalero opposes the possible distribution of monies from the CRF to ANCs and previously called for the resignation of the Department of Interior’s Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, Tara Sweeney, for her involvement in efforts to include ANCs.

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Fore more official Mescalero Apache Tribe COVID-19 updates, please click here.

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 Mescalero Apache High School students, Joseph Foy (Junior) and Michael Brusuelas, (Senior)were accepted into  the 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research for Native Americans (IOU-NA program) at the University of Arizona in Tucson Az.

What is IOU-NA?

The Integrated Optics for Undergraduate Native Americans (IOU-NA) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program is designed for Native American students interested in participating in hands-on research opportunities in top laboratories in optics and photonics, as well as in hydrology, astronomy, soil sciences, atmospheric sciences, and environmental sciences. Selected students are paired with a research project complementing their interests and goals.

IOU-NA students will also participate in Native American focused workshops facilitated by University of Arizona’s Native American-serving entities, gain hands-on experience in CIAN’s culturally relevant two-week Native American focused Optics Research Workshop (ORW), attend presentations given by Native American STEM graduate students and faculty, as well as participate in other activities designed to support Native American Undergraduate students. Pictures from our IOU-NA Event are included below.

Congratulations Mescalero students – what a great achievement!

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Mescalero, NM. Engineering for US All (E4USA), a national initiative to bring engineering courses to high school students, is expanding its reach for the 2020-2021 academic year. Last fall, E4USA launched a novel engineering curriculum in high schools across the United States. This multi-institutional effort was initiated by five universities: Arizona State University, University of Maryland, Morgan State University, Vanderbilt University, and Virginia Tech. Mescalero Apache High school has recently become the newest E4USA high school partner and plans to bring the design based introductory engineering course to its students this fall.

The E4USA program aims to expand access to engineering for high school students, encourages them to see themselves as engineers, and helps them recognize the role of engineering in their everyday lives.

“I’ve learned the problem solving process, which is applicable to any field,” says one E4USA student at Brentwood High School in Tennessee. “I’ve also learned about working in teams.”

Although the program’s pilot year is still in progress, E4USA students are already positively impacting their communities. Students in one Pennsylvania high school have partnered with a local elementary school to make education more accessible for students. “My students and I have benefited greatly from our experience,” says their E4USA teacher, Jim Muscarella.

The E4USA program also fills a current gap in engineering education training by recruiting high school teachers of all disciplines. No prior engineering experience is required to become an E4USA teacher. In addition to intensive online and in-person professional learning opportunities for participating teachers, E4USA uses a partnership model that pairs high school teachers with engineering professors at local universities to provide support for the instruction of the course. Mescalero has partnered with University of New Mexico (UNM) to support Mr. Nate Raynor who will be teaching the inaugural E4USA course at Mescalero for the 2020-2021 school year.

I can’t wait to bring this program to our students. It will be a great learning tool for them, even if they decide not to go into the Engineering field, said Mr. Nate Raynor, Mescalero Apache School Science lead.

The E4USA curriculum is available to schools free of charge. Participating pilot teachers receive a stipend as well as funds to purchase classroom materials.

This year, E4USA has reached over 400 students, including several seniors who plan to study engineering and have been accepted to colleges like Drexel, NYU, Penn State, University of Tennessee, Auburn University, Temple University and Lehigh University. As a new E4USA high school partner, Mescalero Apache High school will help E4USA reach over 2,000 students in the 2020-2021 academic year.

E4USA is supported by the National Science Foundation. To learn more about E4USA, please visit e4usa.umd.edu. If you or your child is a student at Mescalero Apache School and would like to enroll in the E4USA course, please contact Nate Raynor at (575) 464-4431

Email: nraynor@mescaleroas.org

About Mescalero Apache School

Mission

The mission of the Mescalero Apache School is to execute a comprehensive educational program by placing strong emphasis on academic curriculum as measured by state, national, and Bureau of Indian Education standards, and to infuse the Apache language, culture, and traditions of the Mescalero Apache tribe.

In addition, the Mescalero Apache School will foster an environment where students, parents, staff, and the community are partners in the educational process and support system that will ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary education and/or gainful employment upon graduation from the Mescalero Apache High School.

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MESCALERO, NM.

May 4, 2020.

Late last week, United States District Court Judge Ellen S. Huvelle issued an opinion upholding the National Indian Gaming Commission’s (“NIGC’s”) determination that the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma was not eligible to game in New Mexico. Fort Sill is a federally recognized Indian tribe located in Oklahoma that has land at Akela Flats, near Deming, New Mexico.

The Akela Flats land was donated to Fort Sill in the late 90s. Fort Sill tried to open a small casino on the land in 2008. The casino was shut down quickly by the NIGC. The NIGC determined that Fort Sill did not qualify under any of the exceptions to the general prohibition against tribes gaming on lands acquired after 1988 in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) was enacted by Congress. After many years of arguing that they should be able to game at Akela Flats, Fort Sill took the NIGC to court because the NIGC would not reverse its decision. District Court Judge Huvelle dismissed each argument made by Fort Sill. As a result, Fort Sill will not be gaming in New Mexico any time soon.

President Gabe Aguilar commented: “We have a shared history as Chiricahua Apache but they chose to stay in Oklahoma and lost their connection to New Mexico. IGRA was not intended to allow tribes like Fort Sill to game hundreds of miles away. Fort Sill promised Mescalero they would not game here.” President Aguilar continued: “It is hurtful because we respected their decision to stay in Oklahoma. We always tried to help them because they lost so much of their culture. They know that a casino at Akela Flats would hurt us and yet they do not seem to care. And – they have a casino in Oklahoma already – how fair would it be to let them game here?”
The Chiricahua Apache were taken as prisoners of war in 1886. In 1913, the Chiricahua were given a choice: stay in Oklahoma or return to their homelands. The vast majority returned to New Mexico to live on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and became a part of the Mescalero Apache Tribe. The Chiricahua that remained in Oklahoma became the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma.

President Aguilar stated: “Fort Sill will probably appeal. But the Tribe is pleased with the court’s decision. With everything else going on…with the major economic pressures facing us given the coronavirus pandemic, Mescalero is relieved for this bit of good news.”

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More official Mescalero Apache Tribe COVID-19 updates here.

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13 weeks of extended Unemployment benefits now available!

All CARES Act benefits are 100% federally funded. Read more here.

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