vol. 6 - issue. 1 ~ lincoln county, new mexico ~ december ... · ecoservants newsletter vol. 6 -...

EcoServantsNewsletter

Vol. 6 - Issue. 1 ~ Lincoln County, New Mexico ~ December 2016

New Year, New Crew, New Attitude!EcoRanger introductions

Cedar Creek

WMSAR : A Search ByStarlightVillage of Ruidoso& EcoServants

E-Waste @ GreenTreeCommunity OutreachSmokey Bear HistoricalMuseum Capitan, NMHam Radio Training

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10Left to right back: Falon Sparks, Jose Blea, Nathan Chavez, Joey Garcia, Josie Parsons, Crystal Everett. Left to right front: Jessica Ward, Iris Burniece, Rebecca Boyd

My name is Falon Sparks and I am a Lincoln County native, minus a few years I spent in the Pacific Northwest for college. My family has a thick history in the area and throughout New Mexico, dating all the way back to covered wagons and dugouts. I have ventured many places, yet always find myself coming back to these mountains; Coming back to where my heart is. I have a huge space in my heart for the outdoors and spend most all my free time there. Now that I am blessed to be in the EcoRanger program, I find myself looking for other motivating things to do with my free time as we fulfill my wilderness, sunshine, fresh air, and getting dirty passions all week! My favorite thing to do outside is collect rocks and precious gems. How lucky am I to have both passion and work beautifully blend? I joined this program because of the

experience and opportunities it provides, and greatly because I knew it would serve my spirit and wellbeing. This program is absolutely something to be praised for what it provides to the local community. From college scholarships to community involvement and change, EcoServants sets a new standard of local awareness. We EcoRangers are only here for a short time, but it will change and promote our lives, and those we touch, forever! Hi my name is Jose Blea. I was raised in northern New Mexico. I have lived in Ruidoso for almost ten years and have never seen the community like the way I do now. I got to meet the Governor of New Mexico out at Fort Stanton for the first time. My best experience on the job is being outdoors, not some cramped up room without air. Ecoservants is giving me a whole new learning experience and opening doors to something new.

MEET THE CREWIt’s never too lateto tell a friend,

relative, neighbor,or a relative’s

neighbor friendabout summerEcoServants

crew positions.New Mexico

Residents only Ages 17 to 25.

Above minimumwage and a college

Scholorship! The EcoRangers team this year also includes Joseph Garcia. Preferring

My name is Josie Parsons. I have been a native New Mexican for over 20 years. Growing up in Ruidoso, I have had the pleasure of being involved in the community in many different aspects. I find much joy in giving back to this beautiful town. This will be my second go-around with Eco Servants, the first being the summer program after I graduated college in 2014. I fell in love with the work. When I say fell in love, I really mean that I found my calling in life. I have always been the giving type. It brings me happiness to know I am making a contribution to my community in a positive way. That being said, being an Eco Servant for the second time, AND it being a full year commitment, I am over-joyed in the fact that I once again will be helping my community in a positive way as well as gaining much experience for my future to come. After this full year commitment I hope to go back to college and obtain my second degree in Wildlife Conservation Ecology, or more simply, a Forestry degree. My name is Crystal, I have been a local to Ruidoso for many years. This is my first year having the privilege of working with the EcoServants as an EcoRanger and I am absolutely loving it! It is very rewarding to help serve my home town by rebuilding and restoring the community. Prior to joining this

crew, I worked outdoors, so adjusting to the environment came easy and the skills I have learned so far are only the beginning of an academic and valuable experience. Working closely with such an outgoing and adventurous crew in various work settings is advantageous. I am looking forward to the rest of my EcoServants experience and accept any challenge that comes along the way! My Name is Jessica Ward and I am 27 years young. I was born in Ruidoso, NM and raised in the small desert town of Carrizozo, NM. I graduated from Carrizozo High in 2008 and went on to obtain my Associates of Science in Natural Resources from Eastern New Mexico University. My first service opportunity with EcoServants began in 2008 as a crew leader. Its 2016 now, and I have completed three summer service terms, been employed as a field supervisor for the newly established crew in Cloudcroft, NM, and now I am an EcoRanger. This organization has helped me grow personally and professionally. I am so happy to once again be a part of this great organization that I love. I am Iris Burniece, and this is my 2nd year with EcoServants in the EcoRanger program. I hail from Minnesota, so my decision to stay in New Mexico for another year would have been tough if it wasn’t for the incredible merit of this AmeriCorps program. EcoServants provided me with so many new skills and experiences last year, and with the newness of it all, I know I only took in a fraction of what I possibly could. This year, I intend to build on the skills I learned last year, advance my knowledge and mastery of the hands-on skill set offered by this program. Having already obtained a degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 2013, this program has offered me unique insight into different fields of work I could potentially enter while helping me pay off existing student loans with the AmeriCorps scholarship. Additionally, after being given the opportunity to get trail master

EcoServants Newsletter Vol. 6 - Issue. 1

to be called Joey, he is a Ruidoso born and raised local. Only having left the area after graduation from Ruidoso High School to serve in the American armed services. Upon getting out of The United States Air Force, he returned to continue his national service as and AmeriCorps member via EcoServants in the summer of 2013 with the Youth Conservation Corps. Appreciating the amount of community involvement and service, he was quick to jump at the opportunity to rejoin the ranks as an EcoRanger. The EcoServants program provides Joey the ability to give back to his community, continue with his national service, gain valuable life/professional experience, and above all the ability for him to play outside while Keeping Ruidoso Beautiful.

certification last year, I couldn’t pass up another year of EcoServants to exercise my new perspective on trail building. There is an added motivating factor that New Mexico’s weather is amazing in comparison to Minnesota. New Mexico is paradise for a rockhound and Minnesota does not have mountains. I am eargerly looking forward to my 2nd year with EcoServants and a whole new crew of EcoRangers, with the exception of Jose Blea—whom I had the privilege of working with last year and I am looking forward to a 2nd year of serenading him even more. Born and raised in Ruidoso New Mexico, Rebecca Boyd is a local gal through and through. After graduating from Ruidoso in 2010, Rebecca attended New Mexico State University for two semesters with a dream of attending Nursing school. However, due to financial struggles, moved back to Ruidoso, and joined the work force full time. While working full time, Rebecca enrolled at ENMU-Ruidoso with a new outlook. Now looking to pursue a degree in Forestry, her determination landed her a YCC summer position in 2014, and continues to be her motivation today. Miss Boyd’s favors out of work activities include hiking, fishing and skiing. However, she admits to loving anything outside.


(WMSAR)A Search

ByStarlight

By Falon Sparks Fortunately, the EcoRanger program serves our community in many different ways and one of them is volunteering with the White Mountain Search and Rescue Team (AKA-WMSAR). WMSAR is a non-profit organization of trained volunteers that supports the New Mexico State Police, responding to emergency search and rescue for persons lost, trapped, or injured within Lincoln County. The organization has the ability to provide their services, if requested, statewide. Involvement includes: emergency search and rescue, emergency disaster relief, and community service in the local and surrounding areas. Members of the community are always encouraged to volunteer with WMSAR and membership is easily obtained by attending three monthly meetings that take place on the third Monday of each month. One does not have to be considered a member to volunteer for a mission, disaster relief, or community volunteerism. However, one must attend a meeting, meet the other members, and sign up to be put on the call list for emergency missions. As for community volunteerism, one is always welcome to assist!

On the night of September 21, 2016, I had the exciting opportunity of responding to a call for a search and rescue mission with South Fork Canyon, located behind Bonito Lake, that would take us well into the morning of September 22, 2016. The call was for three elderly lost hikers in the previously fire stricken and destroyed South Fork Canyon. The hikers had gotten down into the demolished canyon and were unable to reach the trailhead before dark, due to the trail being unidentifiable. A few different search and rescue teams from the Southwest region were also requested for this mission, including WMSAR, a team from Las Cruses and a team from Alamogordo. WMSAR,

along with the Alamogordo team ,were dispatched to the South Fork trailhead in order to advance the lost hikers from the bottom of the canyon. The Las Cruses team was dispatched to Crest Trail, where the hikers had started, in order to approach them from top of the canyon. WMSAR and the Alamogordo team began the trek, ground pounding into the canyon by only the light of our headlamps and a few photographic memories of what this canyon and trail “used” to be. Mind you, this canyon is completely different after the fire and flooding that followed the fire. Also, it looks, feels, and even smells completely different in the dark. (I personally have been all over this specific canyon countless times.) It was like

experiencing this place for the first time all over again. The forest feels extra sacred in the dark and in the late night/early morning hours. It was quite a magical journey seeing so much life and (surprisingly) so much light in the darkness of this amazing canyon. About a mile into the hike, one of the two bottom teams was asked to stage in position while the other team proceeded to try and find a trail. I was asked to continue forward with the team moving forward, as they requested my knowledge of the trail and canyon. We found very quickly that our beloved trail was not attainable and we would need to access our own


path through the roughage. Between fallen trees, landslides, foliage overgrowth, and the running stream, there was rarely an easy or straight path throughout the hike. I was personally loving very sketchy moment of the unknown beneath my feet and what was lying ahead in the darkness. Hoping the lost hikers were behind every turn we made so that we may find, rescue, and celebrate success of all. After hours of hiking miles in, and with the sun rising through the trees over the ridge, the lost hikers were reached and unharmed and in amazingly great spirits. It was a relief that not one person involved in the mission and not one hiker sustained any injuries or needed to be carried out! All were able to hike the entire way back to base camp and the lost hikers were reunited with their patiently waiting family members. All in all, it was and is, both a privilege

and absolute honor to be involved with such an entity or public service and to provide services for those in need of such resources. We are all only human here, and no matter how prepared one may be, anything can happen when venturing into the wilderness. Not to mention that disaster strikes without warning everyday. It is heartwarming to know there are people out there dedication their precious days and nights to serve communities silently and so selflessly in so many ways. I look forward to the next nine months with the EcoRangers and WMSAR, working to promote the awareness of this amazing non-profit and all they provide for the people.

WMSAR always has an open door for new members and are always looking for new ways to serve our community and surrounding areas. They provide training and have different areas of need such as planning, radio communications, logistic support, ground pounding, fund raising, and program activities. This selfless organization gets it funding from foundation grants, and charitably generous donations from business and individuals alike. You can access more about the organization and how you can be more involved at their website:www.whitemountainsar.org


The Village of Ruidoso is just one of many partners that EcoServants collaborates with on a variety of projects. During November, EcoServants worked with the Village of Ruidoso on beautifying medians with landscaping, erosion control, and staining the wood around the community’s beloved Kids Connection. The medians located at the intersection of Sudderth and highway 70 has long been a barren space. To reinvent this space, the Village of Ruidoso choose a landscape design that is eco-friendly and cost effective. Landscaping is not for the faint of heart. We hauled, raked and organized rock into patterns that mimic nature. This landscaping project rejuvenated this area and made it memorable for those visiting the Village of Ruidoso. EcoRangers also helped with erosion control at the Riverwalk trail. The Riverwalk trail is a grant funded project through the Village of Ruidoso. We assisted by clearing rocks and debris on the hill next the sidewalk. The Village of Ruidoso plans to install erosion control blankets and plant native grasses. EcoRangers were also involved in preserving the wooden playground known as Kids Connection. After two days of brush strokes and stain, EcoRangers gained new arms muscles on this project. EcoServants is known for mostly trail work, but we are involved with a variety of projects. Working with the village gives us exposure to the community we love so much. From Landscaping to working a paint brush, EcoServants are here to serve and to get things done.

&

By Jessica Ward


Building Berms, Burying Boulders & Sorting out the Sign Situation

There are many elements of the Cedar Creek trail system that EcoServants have played a huge role in recently. Specifically, trail signs now designate what trail you’re on, where you’re going and how long it will take to get there; a notorious wash has now been made navigable, and big dirt ramps have appeared on the side of the trail—which, we refer to as berms. Overall, in the past three years there has been quite a drastic transformation to the Cedar Creek trail system and there is still more to come as part of 5-year plan with the USDA Forest Service Smokey Bear Ranger District. Designing a sign plan for a trail system proved to be much more difficult than I originally expected. As a 2nd year volunteer, I was able to participate in the planning process last year, as well as the installation with this year’s crew. Trail mileage between intersections was taken three times, in order to improve accuracy. Another part of the process was us eventually learning our lesson about taking pictures of how we intended to position the signs. Once this year’s ranger crew came on, our signs were made and had to be put in. This year’s EcoRangers are now all incredibly familiar with post-hole diggers and the public is much more confident about where they are headed on the trail.

There was this fairly well known wash (a narrow, deep valley formed by water erosion) that existed on our newest trail, Upper Cedar Creek, where you either had to tromp through a puddle or, if on a bike, dismount, or pull a very tricky turn. We needed to create a passable turn through this wash, but not a bridge—I repeat, not a bridge. Armed with a full 8-person crew and our trusty rock bar, we moved some of the biggest boulders I’ve ever seen moved by hand. There’s definitely an art to creating a rock armoring, which is very much like Tetris; however, unlike Tetris, I can actually excel at rock armoring. Our crew’s blood, sweat and tears are buried in the ground with those boulders; however, most of those tears are at our individual residences; where we coped with our back spasms after the workday was over. We did wash the rock armoring off when it was complete, just to provide you all

with peace of mind. Lastly, berm building is a very new addition to EcoServants trail features. Berms are banked structures on the side of a trail that allow a mountain biker more speed, maneuverability on winding downhill trails, and most importantly—more fun. As a member of last year’s crew, I remember our very first one. We were working with members of Ruidoso’s International Mountain Biking Association [IMBA] prior to the 12 Hours in the Wild West mountain biking event. Needless to say, the berm that the IMBA members built was beautiful, and ours eventually was passable. Working with rock and soil to create a stable structure is tougher than it sounds, and we are certainly still perfecting our craft, but slowly

the last leg of the Upper Cedar Creek trail will be a bountifully berm’ed joy ride that even amateur mountain bikers can enjoy and advance their skills on. Granted, we have a substantial amount of rock and dirt harvesting to do before they will be complete. Soon, IMBA members, soon.

By Iris Burniece


E-waste2

E-treasure One of the many ways EcoServants respond to a call of action in the community cooperation with the Green Tree Solid Waste Authority is note-worthy. EcoServants has been involved with Green Tree Solid Waste Author-ity for 13 years. In those 13 years, EcoServants has helped collect 1.25 billion pounds of electronic waste. The electronic waste program, organized by the public relations coordinator, Dr. Jim Miller, includes the region of Lincoln county and Mescalero Apache reservation. The annual E-waste drive that occurs in the first week of November is advertised region wide, accepting E-waste from local residents as well as 4+ school districts and growing. If you find yourself trying to get rid of monitors, computer towers, power cords, wireless devices, phones, office technology, TV’s, or entertainment equipment you are invited to come properly dispose of said gear free of charge every No-vember. The E-waste initiative is part of the Keep America Beautiful campaign keeping as much toxic materials out of our landfills. Due to the increasing rate of technological enhancement, more and more electronic waste is produced each year. With this program, we are able to help reduce the toxic byproducts of this increase, as well as divert necessary waste to lined landfills as to keep them away from our precious resources.

By Joey Garcia


The rare, majestic

spotted in townBy Rebecca BoydHaving done one summer in 2014 with EcoServants, I have come to both detest and cherish the easy days. The easy days,

where I write “community engagement” on my timesheet, in the place that usually reads Village of Ruidoso, Fort Stanton, or Bureau of Land Management. The easy days, in which I don’t have to regulate my breathing or watch my water and electro light intake. “Remember the five D’s of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge.” These rules could be heard echoing through the White Mountain Gym on September 25th. Despite my fear of balls flying at my face and breaking my glasses, I was here again. My first time battling in the EcoServants dodgeball tournament was back in April with my Walgreens team; now, I was on the hosting team of EcoGeekos (at a one time $50 per team) the Ruidoso community has continued to support this friendly fundraising competition, and we continue to be thankful. On October 1st, the EcoRangers were able to strut their stuff down Sudderth for the annual Aspenfest parade. Viewers yelled and whistled when they saw the EcoServants banner in front: followed by a quickly decorated van(the Choppa), covered in balloons and streamers, driven by our own Stephen Carter. I felt the community’s gratitude as shouts of “We love EcoServants” and “Yay trail makers.” erupted from the crowd. Only to be amplified by the trail maps and candy they received. Another chance the community had a chance to see the ever changing faces of EcoServants, was the carreer fair held at ENMU-Ruidoso on October 3rd. Having just hired our last of eight full time Rangers, we were looking to recruit summer 2017 Youth Conservation Corps members. It was rewarding in a way, getting to brag about everything I was involved in my YCC summer, as well as my year so far as a full time EcoRanger. However, being a true EcoRanger, I would much rather be out in the forest actually working. Community engagement events are a necessity for EcoServants. Providing the opportunity to spread the good word of the services we provide, as well as a way to reach out and recruit new unsuspecting victims.


Smokey Bear: A National Icon, More Famous than Santa

Way back in the early days of 1944, the U.S Forest Service came up with the slogan “Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!” Promoting camp-fire safety, they came up with the mascot of Smokey the Bear; a brown bear that would pour out camp-fires from careless campers. Low and behold in 1950, in Capitan, New Mexico, local fire fighters would discover the true Smokey the Bear. A severely burnt bear cub that would become the national symbol for fighting forest fires for decades to come. As of today, The Capitan Smokey Bear Historical Park, in Capitan, holds the final resting place of the bear. Visitors from all over the world come to pay respect to the famous bear, as well as learn about fire danger and how to properly conserve the forest. EcoRangers has had the pleasure of working with the park to restore some of its features. A major feature we restored early this fall was a river reroute that runs through the park. How does one reroute a river you may ask? Well it’s simple; drain the river, and let trial and error begin. We got to work alongside the park rangers, one of them being Brady Park. The problem the park was having before we arrived was that the river was dirty and did not have a steady stream flow. The goal was to clean out the river and to

get the water to run faster and have a smoother flow into the pond. This is where the trial and error came into action. First, we collected and moved large river rocks (massive boulders) into place down-stream at least five times. Second, we cleaned out the muck. Slimy, nasty, black, and unknown muck; but what fun is it always having ‘clean’ jobs? Brady explained it as a simple “experiment” to see what rocks would work best where. I am here to say there was nothing simple about it. EcoRangers were there for one week and by the end we had completed a full round of P90X with the amount of rocks we had reconstructed. After our work, Brady turned the river on (through a water pump) and we got to see if our reconstruction did any good. Ta-da! Right away we could tell the river flow was much faster and smoother into the pond, not to mention much prettier than it was before. The narrowing of the stream bed was a success and the park cannot wait to work with us again. This project has made me realize that not everything will be right the first time around. If at first you don’t succeed, try it a million different wrong ways and one of them is bound to be the right solution.

By Josie Parsons

Go Ham!By Crystal Everett

Ham Radio, also known as Amateur Radio has become a popular hobby and is a service that brings people, electronics, and communication together. Ham Radios can be used to talk across town, around the world, or even into space all without internet or cell phones.With the proper equipment, you can talk to people very far away; its like a walkie talkie that goes extremely far. Its social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need. To operate Ham Radio, you are required to first pass an exam and receive a license. For the EcoRangers, we were entertained by a local Ham Radio Technician Doug. He instructed us on everything he knows about Ham Radio through a six hour course; which was extremely informative and too much to handle at times. At the end of the course, I took the Ham Radio Technician test, passed, and I am now licensed with my very own call sign name KG5QCL. Ham Radio uses International Q Codes as an abbreviated way to exchange a great deal of information with a simple code. The Q code consists of three-letter groups, with each group having a specific meaning and each group beginning with the letter Q. For example, QRL means, “Are you busy?” and QTR means, “What is the exact time?” Once you have received these codes you can answer back with short simple answers such as, “I am busy. Please do not interfere.” or, “The exact time is 11.” A QSO stands for general communication or contact and there are many ways to make a QSO on Ham Radio. To start a contact, call “CQ.” A CQ is a general call to get a random contact. It was very interesting learning how you can communicate full sentences and ask multiple questions with only tree-letter group codes. Not only does a Ham communicate in codes, but also in Morse Code and the phonetic alphabet. Now that my Ham Radio vocabulary has grown and I learned the way of Ham communication I am licensed to QSO (contact) other Ham Radio Technicians. A typical CQ (general call) starts like this:“CQ, CQ, Calling CQ. This is KG5QCL, Kilo-Golf-Five-Quebec-Charlie-Lima is this frequency busy

(QRL)?” You will CQ two or three times until you get a response, and then communicate back and forth to inform, publicize or transfer information.I thank Doug for his time spent educating the EcoRangers and for the abundance of Ham Radio intelligence. This information will come in very handy for a search and rescue emergency or any misadventure that may happen while on the job.Thank you all for reading and for all you Ham Radio Technicians out there, this is Crystal KG5QCL.


vol. 6 - issue. 1 ~ lincoln county, new mexico ~ december ... · ecoservants newsletter vol. 6 -...

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