5 minute read
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Continues to Improve Trails at El Morro National Park
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Continues to Improve Trails at El Morro National Monument
By Lisa Dittman Program Manager Visitor Services and Education El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments
“Watch your fingers.” “Here let me get this side.” “Everyone get ready.” It is an early autumn afternoon in New Mexico. Voices of Navajo and Zuni youth ring out over El Morro’s Headland Trail Honeymoon Cave section as they work together with NPS preservation staff on the rehabilitation of this historic trail. Since 2018, several youth groups employed by the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) have removed and replaced crumbling stone steps, washed-out stone trail borders, and about one mile of old asphalt. Heritage Preservation staff have conducted intense masonry mentorship and conservation training for all adult and youth ALCC and Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) crews for the entire Headlands trail project.
El Morro National Monument Historic Preservation and facility staff cut and split large stone slabs and smaller stone pieces. Trail crew members worked together with the smaller pieces to create trail curbing and erosion barriers. It is like putting a puzzle together. First-season trail crew member David Reeves says, “I really like shaping stone. I’m trying to perfect my work by turning it into art that everyone can see and enjoy.”
The 2-mile loop leads visitors past a natural spring pool, hundreds of Spanish and Anglo inscriptions, petroglyphs, and up to the top of the bluff where the Ancestral Puebloan site of Atsinna overlooks the Zuni Mountains, volcanic craters of El Malpais National Monument, and the El Morro valley.
Getting in touch with ancestral roots is one of the reasons crew members enjoy this work. Using hand tools and learning how to cut stone and lay rock is what helps connect veteran Crew Leader Kyle
Romancito to his history. “I’m pretty sure my ancestors are still here and they hear me. These roots and ties make my work more meaningful to me.”
Begun as a Civilian Works Administration project in the 1930’s, the trail was completed in 1940. In 1955, asphalt was applied to trail surfaces and has since eroded to unsafe conditions. Rehabilitation of the trail is necessary for resource and visitor safety. The work is hard and done by hand. Using wheelbarrows, crews load new surface material and stones, haul them up the steep trail, unload them, and go back for more. There is still approximately one mile of trail work to be accomplished over the next couple of years.
Funding for the project comes from Challenge Cost Share and The Fund for People in Parks. Work could not be completed without the help from the Conservation Legacy which includes the SCC and ALCC crews.
ALCC is rooted in the culture and heritage of local tribal communities. The power and impact of ALCC derives from community investment and support for each program tribally and locally, combined with the network of operational support from the nonprofit Conservation Legacy. The program strives to cultivate a new generation of local land stewards, partnering with tribal communities and land managers to accomplish impactful and lasting conservation service projects. Underlying the mission and crew lifestyle for every ALCC project is the integration of traditional culture, language, and values along with an emphasis on the health and well-being of its crew members.
?This Tax Season... Make a Change and Make More ¢hange.
?This Tax Season... See Why Your Friends Aren’t Doing Their Own Taxes.
jason@payrollbookstaxes.com
210 East Aztec • Gallup, NM 87301 • 505.722.3399
This Tax Season... ?Try Something New This Tax Season. Take a Break and Let Us Find You a Tax Break. The CCRC, Inc. is actively hiring for a full-time exempt position: Finance Manager. CCRC, Inc. is a rural health organization, opened in 1972 in the Navajo Nation. CCRC, Inc. facility is located 25 miles northeast of Gallup, New Mexico, Navajo Service Route 9. CCRC, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that operates 24/7 providing healthcare and support to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). CCRC, Inc. is a provider for Department of Health DD Waiver Services and Navajo Nation Division of Family Services. Interested applicants contact Angelee James, 505-735-2006 or email ajames@ccrcnm.org. Visit CCRC, Inc. website for more info.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. JOB OPPORTUNITY Position: FINANCE MANAGER JOB LOCATION: COYOTE CANYON, NM Ph: 505-735-2261 | www.ccrcnm.org ? DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Budget management for CCRC, Inc. non-profit organization; Manage the finance team members; Periodic financial reporting and monitoring; Provide useful financial insights to help make better decisions about formulating and executing strategy, and provide guidance and analysis to management team to improve results; Prepare financial statements, business activity reports and forecasts; Undertaking strategic analysis and assisting with strategic
planning; 7. Undertaking research into pricing, competitors and factors affecting performance; 8. Controlling income, cash flow and expenditure; 9. Developing and managing financial systems; 10. Automate financial functions in liaison with IT.
Requirements: Hold at least a B.S. Degree in Business or Account-
ing or at least 10 years of experience in bookkeeping; Be efficient in MIP Accounting software and must have knowledge of office equipment; Complete understanding of bookkeeping and accounting procedures; Supervisory experience required; Good communication skills (all levels), both written and verbal. Must pass Caregivers Criminal History Screening Clearance; must pass Employee Abuse Registry; HS Diploma or GED; and must have a Valid Driver License. Salary: Depending on Experience and Qualifications.
Full-time Employee Benefits: VSP Signature Plan Insurance, Guardian Dental Insurance, $50k Term-Life Insurance; and 100% match to your 401k Retirement Savings Plan.
jason@payrollbookstaxes.com jason@payrollbookstaxes.comCCRC, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and complies with the Navajo Preference in Employment Act. 210 East Aztec • Gallup, NM 87301 • 505.722.3399 210 East Aztec • Gallup, NM 87301 • 505.722.3399
