Official Website of the Mescalero Apache Tribe

Gov. Lujan Grisham to head to D.C. for White House meeting

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SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will fly Thursday to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of President Joe Biden to take part in a bipartisan meeting of governors and mayors at the White House scheduled for Friday.

The meeting is focused on the president’s COVID-19 relief package, the American Rescue Plan. The governor plans to advocate for the proposed $350 billion in essential state and local aid and for continued increases in vaccine supply to support New Mexico’s leading efforts in efficiently distributing shots.

The governor is scheduled to return to New Mexico late Friday.

This is the governor’s first trip outside of New Mexico since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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National virtual car seat check event

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Information provided by Mescalero Child Care Center Director, Dannalyn Blake

DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) Regional CPS (Child Passenger Safety) Network is sponsoring a national virtual car seat check event.

You would do anything to protect the little loves in your life.  Make sure their car seats are used and installed right when you meet virtually with a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) during a FREE National event on February 13th! Sign up here: bit.ly/39pbYOH<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-virtual-car-seat-safety-event-tickets-136021234173> for a virtual car seat assistance appointment.

The event is free, but caregiver registration is required. With many services still suspended due to COVID-19, or perhaps cancelled with the winter months, this is a great option for caregivers.  The virtual checks are conducted one-on-one between the caregiver and CPST.  Each appointment typically runs about 45-50 minutes and during that time, the CPST will review the seat selection, harnessing, how to adjust for growth, and then review the caregivers installation.

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Heroic Officer

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The Mescalero Apache Tribe is deeply sadden to know of the loss of NM State Police Officer, Darian Jarrott. We want to extend our prayers and condolences to the family, especially his children, of such a heroic officer that was taken too soon. We stand with all Law Enforcement Officers during this hard time. We also offer prayers of healing to any officer that was injured.

Thank you, Officer Jarrott and family, for your service.

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Attention Tribal Members

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The Tribe’s Assistance Program of $450 is no longer available.

Should more funds for this kind of Assistance Program be available, there will be another application to be submitted and the Tribe will announce it right away.  

But for now, the Tribe’s COVID-19 Economic Assistance Program is NO LONGER AVAILABLE and we are NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

Lastly, we appreciate everyone who submitted their application in a timely manner.

Thank you for your cooperation and stay safe!

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Update on the Siberian Elm Treatment

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Information provided by DRMP Director, Thora Padilla

The DRMP Thinning Crew has been working hard to remove the non-native Siberian elms from areas in Mescalero where we have source water that needs to be protected.  This is the reason we are removing the elms near the new community well at the Gravel Pit and around the various springs that feed the North Springs area.  As mentioned in our previous article, the elms grow very aggressively and spread primarily through underground sprouting.  The roots can get into the drinking water distribution lines and damage the pipelines.  

This is how it looked across from the Rodeo Grounds, and then as the elm was removed.

Once the elm trees are cut, DRMP staff follows up with a small squirt of an herbicide EPA-approved for use around water sources.  Prior to the start of the project, 4 of our Crew Members got Federal and State Applicator certification through USEPA to properly apply the herbicide using all appropriate safety protocols.  The herbicide will help to prevent re-sprouting of the elms treated, but it will not completely eliminate the elms.  This will require several phases of work to keep the re-sprouting of elms at bay.

In the coming days, we will be working our way back down the highway, removing the large elms along the right-of-way, and then going back over to the south side of the highway and around St. Joseph’s Mission.  There are numerous springs and seeps in this area, and we want to reduce the damage being done to these springs. It is hoped that we can also increase the amount of water going into the springs that feed the Tribal Fish Hatchery.

Since the work has started, we have applied for additional funding to treat another 50 acres along the river corridor going through Mescalero.  Our primary focus with these first phases of the elm removal will be to open up areas along the creek and around springs.  As we are seeing the changes in weather being brought on by climate change, we are proactively working to maintain and restore groundwater levels.  In future phases of the elm removal, we will work within the community to remove elms in the Agency area and within the residential areas of Mescalero.

Following is a photograph from approximately 1900, showing how this valley looked before all the development.  St. Joseph’s Mission was not yet built; see the red arrow.  As you can see, this was a wide-open valley with very few trees in the bottom areas.  But I bet that some of the small trees you see near the original Agency buildings are the original elm trees planted here over 100 years ago.  Some of those little trees are also the original apple trees that were planted in this area, that are still growing by the Head Start building.

As you are driving through Mescalero, please be sure to slow down and watch out for our Crew Members.  They are loading trailers with the brush and hauling it to the C-Side Transfer Station.  We are also stacking the elm rounds separately over there.

If you have any questions about the work being done, please call DRMP at (575) 464-4711.

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TRIBAL NEWS AND UPDATES