As the 49th New Mexico State Legislative (2009)

Isleta Pueblo News

Volume 4 Issue 4

Governor’s Report

As the 49th New Mexico State Legislative

Session convened on March 21, 2009, there

was good news that came forth for the New

Mexico tribes, as there were several bills

passed that will benefit the tribes. Two bills

in particular, which are of great interest to

the tribes, were Senate Bill 196 and House

Bill 37.

Senate Bill 196, the State-Tribal

Collaboration Act, which was sponsored

by Senator John Pinto, promotes and

strengthens the relationship between the

State and the twenty-two sovereign tribes of

New Mexico. The Act enhances government

-to-government

communication

and

collaboration between the state and tribal

governments. The Act requires cabinet level

agencies to develop policies that promote

communication and cooperation between

the state and tribal governments to ensure

that each of the thirty-four executive

agencies permanently designate a tribal

liaison. It also provides for an annual state

- tribal summit, training for state agency

managers and employees who have on-going

communication with tribes, and submission

of an annual report that accounts for each

agency's activities pursuant to the Act. It

also provides for dialog for tribal and state

leaders to forge a partnership, and to address

issues important to all New Mexicans,

including education, health,environmental

protection, infrastructure and economic

development. Senate Bill 196 was endorsed

by the interim Indian Affairs Committee

for the State of New Mexico, and was fully

endorsed by the New Mexico tribes. The Act

was signed by Governor Bill Richardson

on March 19, 2009, at a ceremony held

at the Indian Pueblo Culture Center in

Albuquerque. All the tribal leaders from

each of the twenty - two tribes attended the

signing ceremony.

House Bill 37 relates to real property,

amending the New Mexico Subdivision

Act, and provides for tribal notification in

specified cases that affect Indian tribes.

With increasing development in New

Mexico, tribes are beginning to realize the

negative impact on the environment from

drilling for water and encroachment on

Indian lands. The Act requires for tribes

to be informed by developers and county

governments on any new developments

that may have an affect on tribal lands.

On March 26, Councilman Seferino Lente,

Tribal Legal Council David Mielke and

I traveled to Washington, D.C., where

I testified before the Committee on

Appropriations. Tribal leaders testifying

before the Committee are hopeful that the

tribes will receive increased funding for

education, Indian Health Services and law

enforcement. Isleta is hopeful that funds

will be appropriated to replace Pueblo

water lines, complete the Tribal Service

April 2009

Complex and for natural resource projects

that include forest thinning in the Manzano

Mountains, restoration of the water-logged

areas along the Rio Grande, removal of

unexploded ordinances and range land

recovery.

We met with Senator Jeff Bingaman's and

Tom Udall's staff and we requested funding

for the above projects, for flood control on

the north boundary of State Road 47 and

basalt building block project.

We also had meetings with Congressmen

Martin Heinrich and Teague, and

with Congressman Ben Lujan's staff.

Congressman Teague informed me that

Isleta will be receiving monies from the

Department of Energy, but he did not

elaborate in what amount, or for what

project. We are hopeful that these monies

will be designated for housing projects.

Congressman Teague traveled to Isleta

on Sunday, March 29, where Councilman

Seferino Lente and I gave him a tour of

pending projects, the diversion dam and

some of the homes that the Isleta Housing

Authority is building from cinder block.

The Tribal Administration attended the

opening ceremonies of the All-Indian Game

Day held on March 11-12, 2009 at the

Isleta Recreation Center. I want to extend

a big "Thank You" to the elders and staff

for their participation and for inviting us.

Keep up the great work!!

Tribal Education Department Board of Education

Pueblo of Isleta

Isleta New Mexico 87022

Phone: 505-924-3185 Fax: 505-869-7690

Rodney Jones, Chair

Terry Wilson, Member

Frances Cherino, Member

Charlene Lucero, Member

Vacant, Member

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 30, 2009

TRIBAL BOARD OF EDUCATION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Community:

Pursuant to §1(D) of the Pueblo of Isleta Board of Education policy

and procedures, the Tribal Board of Education is announcing a

vacancy for a position on the Board. Interested community members

shall submit a letter of recommendation and resume to the Board.

The Board will submit its recommendation(s) to the Tribal Council

for final approval of appointment. Documents maybe addressed to

the following:

Mr. Rodney Jones, Chair

Tribal Board of Education

PO Box 1270

Isleta, NM 87022

No electronic or facsimile will be accepted. For any additional

information concerning the vacancy please contact Mr. Rodney

Jones or the Executive Director, Isleta Education.

/s/ Rodney Jones, Chair

A Call for Old Photographs

The Pueblo is collecting old photographs of Isleta people,

places and events to be preserved at the new Isleta Cultural

Center Archives. As part of our archive, these images will

help in the education of our young people and benefit all

Isletans for many generations to come. Some photos,

with your permission, may also be included in an

exhibit on Isleta History that is now being designed.

If you have old photos you are willing to share, bring them

to the Archive at the old Elementary School-Building #551

(Cultural Affairs) Phone #766-6657

April 3, 2009 10am and 4pm

Your images will be scanned and returned to you

immediately. You will be given a copy of the scans on CD

that you can use to preserve your pictures and from which you

can make additional prints.

Page 2

Isleta Pueblo News

Hello from Comanche Ranch

Spring is here and the baby calves are hitting the ground. We will

most likely brand in June this year. Things are dry out on the

Comanche Ranch. Other than that, all is well. It is the time of year

that we all ride and make sure that all cows are calving alright

and not having any problems.

This year we did some testing on some bulls for a disease called

Trichomoniasis. This is a STD that cattle can get. The short version

is called Trick for short. The reason I'm writing this in this letter

is to inform the cattlemen and women of the Pueblo of Isleta that

this is a very dangerous STD. It is a form of VD.

(How the bulls can catch it) If a cow is bred by a bull that is

infected, the cow will carry this STD until the cow calves out and

most likely the cow will abort her calf. If another bull mounts the

same cow, that bull would be infected, as well ,and before you

know what's happening the whole herd is infected. The cows will

lose their calves. The cow will recover; it takes a couple of cycles

for the cow to pass this STD.

The bull will never be usable again. If the state is aware of the

problem on your ranch they will quarantine your ranch and you

April 2009

will not be able to sell any cattle unless it's for slaughter only. This

STD will not hurt the meat. It will hurt just the breeding of your

herd.

This is showing up more and more in the State of New Mexico. The

best way to prevent this is when you buy a bull, make sure it is a

virgin bull. This will reinsure that the bull you purchased is clean.

You can get the bull tested to be sure you are on a safe note. If any

of you have any questions on this STD, you could contact me at

505-917-4217 I have some information on this and any of you are

welcome to it. All you have to do is get hold of me, and I will get

you some copies and leave them at the Governor’s office.

After we are done branding this spring, I will inform you all on the

calf crop and what percentage the ranch gets for 2009. I will try to

get something in the July news letter.

On behalf of the Comanche Ranch Manager and staff we would

like to wish you all a happy and safe summer.

Comanche Ranch Manager. Martin Abeita.

Attention Ranchers and Farmers

Register NOW for the New Mexico Indian

Livestock Days!!

Topics will range from the Farm Bill update;

Heifer Selection; Horse Nutrition; Marketing

Livestock; Erosion Control and many others.

This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, May

12 and Wednesday, May 13 at the Route 66 Hotel

and Casino. For registration information, you can

contact the McKinley County Extension Office at

1-866-863-3432. Cost of the event is $50 for both

days, lunch and breaks or $30 Tuesday only or

Wednesday only. Deadline for registering is May

1, 2009. For special room rate call 1-866-3527866 and ask for the NM Livestock Days group

rate of $66.

For further information and sign up forms, please

contact John Romero at 977-2366.

The families of Joe D. Jaramillo wish to thank you for all your love

and support at the time of our sorrow. May our dear Lord take

care of you and your families and May God Bless you all.

To my dearest family and friends.

Here are some things that I would like to say.

But first of all to let you know, that I arrived ok today.

I'm writing this from heaven, here I dwell with God above,

there are no tears or sadness, there's just eternal love.

Please do not be unhappy, just because I'm out of sight.

Remember that I'm with you,

every morning noon, and night.

That day I had to leave you, when my life on earth was

through. God picked me up and hugged me,

and said "Narwiju, I welcome you."

Joe D. Jaramillo

Born:August 13, 1913

Died January 28, 2009

April 2009

RECREATION

With March coming to an end, spring break

along with March Madness (Basketball)

will be but a memory. With April now here,

we start to focus our attention to the start

of Little League Baseball and softball for all

of our interested youth. For the 2nd year in

a row, Vernon Abeita will once again be at

the helm as our League Director. He did a

fantastic job last year and we hope he stays

for many years to come. Initially he reports

that fewer parents have come out to assist

as coaches, but he does expect for that to

Isleta Pueblo News

change now that the weather is warming

up, along with official beginning of spring.

The official opening of the league will be

on Saturday, April 4, 2009 with the parade

of teams. With the addition of 3 new fields

that are now grassed and clay infields,

Vernon expects a great improvement with

the play and teams wanting to play here at

our Pueblo of Isleta.

Spring Break

During this year’s spring break (March

23-27), a number of special activities were

Page 3

offered for our children to enjoy and parents

to have some peace of mind that the children

were safe and being kept busy. The whole

idea was to have a safe haven for our children

because many parents and guardians didn’t

have the luxury of being off with them and

yet they were with many of their friends in

a safe and wholesome environment. Those

who attended were treated to several field

trips to the movies, arts/crafts, swimming

and the Fun Connection.

Basketball

By the time everyone receives this newsletter, our March

Madness for our Southern Pueblo Agency Youth Basketball

League will be but a distant memory. Our 3rd and 4th

grade girls coached by Christine Jojola finished in 1st place

in their final tournament of the year hosted by our Pueblo

of Isleta. They had a barnburner winning the championship

by 3 points over the Jemez Riverside, a team they had not

beaten all year.

Our Boys 3rd and 4th graders finished their season on the

weekend of the March 28th, with an overtime loss to Jemez

Riverside in the championship game. All in all, five of our

teams had some outstanding games throughout the season

as they learned and honed down their skills. All coaches

report that they did well in learning their basic skills that

will take them a long way down the road, especially if they

choose to continue playing basketball in Mid and High

School.

CONGRATULATIONS, AND GREAT JOB.

Pictured are our 3rd and 4th grade girls displaying their

championship trophy.

Park Management

As mentioned earlier, we have the addition of 3 new fields thanks to our Park Management Staff. One of the fields is for our

youngest players who start off by playing T-Ball. Many of the coaches and parents are already proclaiming this field as the

"best" our youth will play in all season long. The other two fields (which are also grassed) are directly across the New Rec.

Center on the old Elementary School grounds. This property was better known as the gravel pit because of all the rock that was

endless. Assistant Park Superintendent Robert Apodaca said it was better to bury the rock than to try to remove it. So they

added several thousand tons of dirt to the fields. At the onset,

many onlookers thought it would be an impossible task to

build on, but Mr. Apodaca said not only would it be done in a

timely fashion but the ultimate goal was to build these fields

to be the best in the State and the Southwest region, as well.

Although both fields will be playable during the start of the

season, it will take several months for the rest of the park

to grow out. For those of you who do come out to watch our

children, we ask that you please stay off the newly seeded

areas. Although the fields will be used for the season, the

official grand opening celebration will be on Memorial Day

weekend. We will keep everyone posted. Pictured right and

below are two pictures of the two new Little League fields.

The 3rd picture is the addition of the new jogging trail to the

old one, which is directly across the street.

Page 4

Isleta Pueblo News

RECREATION (Continued)

Isleta Education Information

Adult Basketball

With the ending of our Youth Basketball Season, it is now

time for the beginning of our Adult Basketball League.

Adult Coordinator, Carl Anderson reports that teams

from the entire City Metro area have heard about our

outstanding league that they were hoping to get into

the action here at our Pueblo of Isleta. This however,

we had to limit the number of teams because of the

much anticipated renovation of our Church. The church

renovation will affect the weekend delivery of service to our

participants when services are moved into our gymnasium

for Saturday evening and Sunday morning services. Our

Adult Basketball League runs on Sundays beginning at

10 am until about 2 pm. Pictured below are two different

games that were being played on Sunday morning, March

29th, the beginning of the League action.

The Department wanted to share

this information with those parents

who might have 1st, 2nd and 3rd

graders that could benefit from this

announcement.

In an attempt to help 1st-3rd grade

students offset summer reading loss/

setback and to show up next year

ready to read, we have created a new

FREE 6-week summer reading event

called Letter P.A.L.S. Summerfest

2009. You can learn more about

Letter P.A.L.S. Summerfest 2009 at

www.letterpals.orq. Teachers can

start signing up their classrooms now.

Letter P.A.L.S. Summerfest 2009 will

start on June 22.

This year's Letter P.A.L.S. Summerfest

reading event will run from June 22 to

August 2 and will consist of a set of

24 online Pet Shop Pen Pals weekly

letters, which are delivered one at

a time, every Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, and Thursday at the

Letterpals web site. Each daily letter is

personalized with the child's name, is 3

pages in length, professionally written,

beautifully illustrated, and reviewed by

reading specialists for use in a shared/

guided reading environment. To see

what a sample letter looks like, click

on the computer on the home page.

Department of Education

Computer Lab

April, May and June

Computer Training

Monday/Wednesday Tuesday/Thursday

8:00am-9:00am

4:00pm-5:00pm

Intermediate Excel

Basic PowerPoint

Tuesday Nights

5:00pm-6:00pm

Basic PC

Please contact the DOE, Computer Lab

(505)924-3185, ext. 440,

if you have any questions.

April 2009

There is also an additional special

feature page, called "Paws for

Reading." It follows the third page of the

letter and includes specific questions

and answers for each letter. It is

intended to bring the most meaning to

each letter. We have also highlighted

8 key words in red within each letter

that will be used in a daily crossword

puzzle and word search. We feel the 8

key words help round out the reading

experience by providing some basic

vocabulary and spelling practice.

Any student who completes all of the

letters, crossword puzzles, and word

searches will receive a prize.

To date, schools in 42 states have

participated in our school year Letter

P.A.L.S. program to great reviews. It

was based on their feedback that we

are now offering a summer event to

help them deliver students to the next

grade at the reading level they worked

so hard to develop. In fact, Letter

P.A.L.S. 2010 will include programs

for grades K-6. Please email me back

if you have any questions.

Letter P.A.L.S. Summerfest 2009 Reading and Fun Wrapped Up in

One!

Page 5

Isleta Pueblo News

April 2009

ISLETA POLICE DEPARTMENT PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE

BURGLARY PREVENTION

The Isleta Tribal Police Department has

responded to approximately 15 residential

burglaries since the first of the year. Each

year in the U.S, there are more than five

million home burglaries. With the recession

and a high unemployment rate, commercial

and residential burglaries are on the

increase. Nine out of ten of these crimes are

preventable.

IPD Records Management Division reported

the primary time for the burglaries have

been between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Burglars know when family members leave

and when parents and children start to

arrive back to their residence.

Mondays through Thursdays have been the

most active days, but the burglaries have

happened every day of the week. Entry for

the majority of the burglaries has been by

kicking in the front or back entrance of

the residences and forcing the door open.

Burglars are in and out in a matter of

minutes.

The losses during these burglaries consist

of cash and electronic devices such as DVD

players, game systems, computers, cellular

telephones and other items. Items which are

easy to pawn or sell on the streets. The Isleta

Police Department encourages residents

to pay attention to your surroundings and

call the Isleta Police Department Dispatch

at (505) 869-3030 to report any suspicious

activity in your neighborhood.

Many burglaries are solved because

someone took the time to call the police

when something "just didn't look right”.

The risk of being burglarized can be greatly

reduced by taking simple steps to make

your home more difficult to enter and less

enticing to would-be burglars.

The burglary basics:

• Make your home look occupied, and

make it difficult to break in.

• Lock all outside doors and windows

before you leave the house or go to bed.

Even if it is for a short time, lock your

doors.

• Leave lights on when you go out. If you

are going to be away for a length of time,

connect some lamps to automatic timers

to turn them on in the evening and off

during the day.

• Keep your garage door closed and

locked.

• Don't allow daily deliveries of mail,

newspapers or flyers build up while

you are away. Arrange with the Isleta

Post Office to hold your mail, or arrange

for a friend or neighbor to take them

regularly.

• If you have a lawn, arrange for your

lawn to be mowed if you are going away

for an extended time.

• Check your locks on doors and windows

and replace them with secure devices as

necessary.

• Pushbutton locks on doorknobs

are easy for burglars to open. Install

deadbolt locks on all your outside doors.

• Sliding glass doors are vulnerable.

Special locks are available for better

security.

• Other windows may need better locks.

Check with a locksmith or hardware

store for alternatives.

Don't tempt a thief:

• Lawn mowers, barbecues and bicycles

are best stored out of sight.

• Always lock your garden sheds and

garages.

• Use curtains on garage and basement

windows.

• Never leave notes on your door such as

"Gone shopping."

Locks...get the best:

• No lock, regardless of its quality,

can be truly effective. Key-in dead bolt

locks provide minimum security. Ask a

locksmith for advice on your situation.

• Change locks immediately if your keys

are lost or stolen.

• When moving into a new home, have

all locks changed.

Targeting the Outside:

• Have adequate exterior lighting. A

motion-sensitive light is recommended

for backyards.

• Trim trees and shrubs so that they

cannot be used as hiding places for

intruders.

• Make sure your door hinges are on the

inside.

Windows:

• Most windows can be pinned for

security.

• Drill a 3/16" hole on a slight downward

slant through the inside window frame

and halfway into the outside frame place a nail in the hole to secure the

window.

Alarms:

• An alarm system is excellent for

home security. It provides peace of

mind to homeowners, especially while

on vacation. There is a wide variety of

alarm systems on the market.

• Make several inquiries to different

companies for the best security system

available to you.

look for hidden keys.

• Keep a detailed inventory of your

valuable possessions, including a

description of the items, date of purchase

and original value, and serial numbers,

and keep a copy in a safe place away

from home -- this is a good precaution

in case of fires or other disasters.

Make a photographic or video record of

valuable objects, heirlooms and antiques.

Your insurance company can provide

assistance in making and keeping your

inventory.

• Trim your shrubbery around your

home to reduce cover for burglars.

Be a good neighbor. If you notice

anything suspicious in your

neighborhood, call 911 immediately.

• Mark your valuables with your driver's

license number with an engraver you can

borrow from your precinct. Marked items

are harder for a burglar to dispose of and

easier for police to recover.

• Form a Neighborhood Watch Group.

We can help you work with your

neighbors to improve security and reduce

risk of burglary.

• Consider installing a burglar alarm

system.

The MOST important thing YOU can do

is CALL THE POLICE to report a CRIME

or any SUSPICIOUS activity. You have

to be the eyes of your neighborhood. And

remember you can always remain a pair of

anonymous eyes!

Remember the three L's of Crime Prevention:

LIGHTS, LOCKS & the LAW!

Light up your residence, lock your doors at

all times, and call the Law when you see

something suspicious.

ISLETA POLICE DEPARTMENT

DISPATCH — EMERGENCY 911 OR

(505) 869-3030

Vernon N. Alvarez, Captain of Police

Emergency Management

& Homeland Security.

Pueblo of Isleta

Tribal Police Department

P.O. Box 699

Isleta, New Mexico 87022

If Your Home Is Broken Into:

If you come home to find an unexplained

open/broken window or door:

• Do not enter - the perpetrator may still

be inside.

• Use a neighbor's phone to call police.

• Do not touch anything or clean up until

the police have inspected for evidence.

• Write down the license plate numbers

of any suspicious vehicles.

• Note the descriptions of any suspicious

persons.

Other precautions you should take:

• Never leave keys under doormats,

flowerpots, mailboxes or other "secret"

hiding places -burglars know where to

Published By:

Valencia Express

Isleta Pueblo News

Editor:

Ulysses Abeita

Asst. Editor:

Beverly Piro

Page 6

Isleta Pueblo News

INTERNET SAFETY MESSAGE FOR PARENTS

Isleta Police Department Public Safety Message

For teens, MySpace is a popular online hangout because the site makes it easy for them

to express themselves and keep in touch with their friends. As a parent, please consider

the following guidelines to help your children make safe decisions about using online

communities.

• Talk to your kids about why they

use MySpace, how they communicate

with others and how they represent

themselves on MySpace.

• Kids shouldn't lie about how old

they are. MySpace members must be

14 years of age or older. We take extra

precautions to protect our younger members

and we are not able to do so if they do not

identify themselves as such. MySpace will

delete users whom we find to be younger

than 14, or those misrepresenting their

age.

• MySpace is a public space. Members

shouldn't post anything they wouldn't

want the world to know (e.g., phone

number, address, IM screen name, or

specific whereabouts). Tell your children

they should avoid posting anything that

would make it easy for a stranger to find

them, such as their local hangouts.

• Remind them not to post anything

that could embarrass them later

or expose them to danger. Although

MySpace is public, teens sometimes think

that adults can't see what they post. Tell

them that they shouldn't post photos or

info they wouldn't want adults to see.

• People aren't always who they say

they are. Ask your children to be

careful about adding strangers to their

friends list. It's fun to connect with new

MySpace friends from all over the world,

but members should be cautious when

communicating with people they don't

know. They should talk to you if they want

to meet an online friend in person, and

if you think it's safe, any meeting should

take place in public and with friends or a

trusted adult present.

• Harassment, hate speech and

inappropriate

content

should

be reported. If your kids encounter

inappropriate behavior, let them know

that they can let you know, or they should

report it to MySpace or the authorities.

Vernon N. Alvarez, Captain of Police

Emergency Management & Homeland

Security.

Pubelo of Isleta Tribal

Police Department

P.O. Box 699

Isleta, New Mexico 87022

April 2009

The Isleta Police Department

Records Section has moved from

the Main Building to the "Old"

elementary school barracks. We are

now located in Barrack #569.

Changes have been made for the

following services:

Record Section Service Fees:

Accident report - $10.00

Police report - $10.00

Copy of citation - $1.00

*Request for a set of reports - $25.00

*Request for video transferred to DVD

- $10.00

*Request for photos transferred to CD/

DVD - $10.00

*Request for Statistics - $25.00

Extra copies - $1.00

At this time, we are working on

getting a direct phone line. To request

police records, please call 869-6511,

extension 345 (Edwina Jojola) or 351

(Therese Jiron). Calling ahead of time

will ensure that your documents will be

ready when you get here.

*A letter of request must be submitted

to the Chief of Police for approval.

A summer program offering

at the Learning Resource Center

One Super Duper

Math Camp!

“Native Hearts, Native Minds Preparing for Life”

Who:

What:

Where:

When:

4th & 5th Grades

Summer Math Camp

Learning Resource Center (Language classroom)

Class in Session: July 6 - July 24, 2009

Sign-Ups: May 1-May 29. Application available at

the Department of Education

MUST HAVE MINIMUM OF 15 TO OFFER CLASS

Pueblo of Isleta Department of Education

PO Box 1270 Isleta, NM 87022

Phone: 505-924-3185 Fax: 505-869-7690

E-mail: poi08100@isletapueblo.com

April 2009

Isleta Pueblo Public Library

The staff here at the Library wants to give

everyone a big hello. We hope that everyone

enjoyed the month of March because it sure

did seem to fly by. March was filled with

many activities not for just the children,

but the adults as well. With April peeking

around the corner, the Library will keep

up with many new activities to keep our

patrons busy.

The first trip of March went to our super

readers that participated in our reading

incentive program. They worked hard to

complete their homework and read extra

to gain points for the free trip to IT'z. They

really had a good time and can't wait for the

next one. If you have any ideas of where you

would like the next trip to be, please feel

free to let any of the staff members know.

Isleta Pueblo News

homemeade, traditional bread, cookies

and pies by using an horno, know just how

delicious they are. For one Saturday in

March, Mary Jane offered her baking skills

to teach those not only our sacred ways

to make bread, but how to bake the bread

using a horno. The library teamed up with

the Language Department to present this

opportunity to the community. This event

was so successful that we had requests for

another gathering, but this time making

cookies and pies. This date hasn't been set

up yet, so keep an eye out for a flyer with

more information.

Alex Edaakie and Jasmine James

just won two free bikes!

Joseph and Veronica Lucero are showing off

their new baking skills.

Samuel Abeita, Tehya Anderson, and Jessica

Bridge trading in their tickets for prizes at IT'Z.

The trip to A River Apart tour, at the

Museum of Indian Art and Culture, turned

out to be a great experience for everyone

that attended. We made two trips to the

tour in Santa Fe, with the tribal members

and then again with elders. The tour had

amazing artifacts and a collection of pottery

from the early years of Cochiti and Santo

Domingo Pueblos. We also went to the

Indian Arts Research Center and were

allowed into a vault with beautiful artwork

from pre-contact era to the present, that

everyone must go see. Those who attended

enjoyed themselves and want to return

again because there were so many things

to see. We would like to thank Rick Giron

and the Recreational Center for providing

the van for the trip.

Page 7

Jerry’s Market was very gracious to donate

all of the supplies used for the baking

and also, Isodore Jaramillo for donating

the wood. Paul Lujan from the Language

Department put in much effort and was

very helpful. We are thankful for everyone's

help and contributions.

of the spelling bee to determine our lucky

inners. Since we had two bikes, each one

customized for a boy and girl, and one skate

board, we had three winners. The two lucky

bike winners were, Alex Edaakie, Jasmine

James, and Domacio Zuni, winning the

skateboard. We wouldn't have been able

to give away these great prizes if it wasn't

for Gary Martin and the Department of

Education, so we want to give a big thank

you for donating the bikes and skateboard.

In March we also held our Teen Tech Week.

During this week we had a representative

from Apple come into the library to better

inform those of us from the community about

the new technology. We knew that many of

our children want the latest new devices,

IPods, IPhones, and computers being just a

few and we wanted to give you a chance to

learn more about these products. We had

a good turnout and many students came in

because, even though they already have one

of these items, our representative helped

them with quick answers to some problems

they were having and showed them how

to use their devices to its full potential.

Rob Syslo was our representative, and

everyone who came wants to show him our

appreciation and gratitude for informing

and helping us with our questions.

Domacio Zuni, the lucky winner

of the skateboard.

Veronica Lucero, Margaret Abeita, Diane Wade,

and Emma Chinana enjoying their time at the

River Apart Tour.

As many of you know, our very own library

aide, Mary Jane Edaakie is a baker.

For those of you who have tasted her

Our much anticipated bike and skate board

contest was a big hit. It consisted of three

rounds of head to head challenges between

our patrons. The first round was a trivia

game, then Tiwa Jeopardy, and finally a

spelling bee. The trivia game consisted of

various questions covering math, history,

and English. The Tiwa Jeopardy was our

favorite round. We played the original

Jeopardy but used our language as the

answers and questions. Like all games,

it came down to the very last round

Rob Syslo from Apple, during

Teen Tech Week.

The Library is currently understaffed so

during the week of the Balloon Museum

trip we weren’t able to take the children

and we wanted to give our apologies. Don’t

let that make you think that we are going to

be slowing down because in April we have

many exciting opportunities in store for

you.

(Continued on next page)

Page 8

Library (Continued)

We all know that Easter is just around the

corner and the Easter Bunny wants to make

a quick stop by the Library to see all the

boys and girls. He will be taking pictures

with the students on April 7th from 2pm6pm. Just bring in your smiling faces and

have a good time. The pictures are free and

will be able to get picked up a couple of days

after. The Library will also be closed that

Friday in accordance of Good Friday. We

will resume our normal business hours the

next week.

April means spring, and spring means spring

cleaning! Now is the time to start cleaning

out your closets, garage, and houses and

bringing your unwanted items to the library

parking lot. We are having a Flea Market

and everyone is more than welcome to come

and sell their miscellaneous items. There is

a $12.00 booth fee, but the library will also

be selling food. Hotdogs, hamburgers, fry

bread, to name just a few, plus the library

will have an open house. This will happen

Saturday, April 18th from 8am to 12pm.

Please reserve your spot immediately

Isleta Pueblo News

because space is limited. So stop on by or

call in to let any one of our staff members

know. What better time would it be to start

planting flowers? On April 22nd, Earth

Day, anyone is welcome to come in and help

us plant our very own flowers. Earth Day

is a wonderful time to start contributing

to make mother earth a beautiful place, so

come in anytime from 3pm-6pm. The library

will also be closed Friday, April 24th, so we

may attend a library conference.

All of April is Poetry Month. We will have a

special job for the kids called Poem in your

Pocket. Each child will either write their own

poem or choose from a selection of poems to

read to someone. For each time the poem is

read to a different person the listener will

write their signature acknowledging that

the poem was read to them by the student.

The student with the most signatures will

win a prize.

In a news update, the Library will possibly

have an employment opportunity for

someone to be a library aide. This is a full

time position and we will keep you posted

April 2009

with more information as it comes.

Here is a quick overview of the important

dates to remember: April 7th Easter Bunny

Pictures, April 10th Library Closed, April

18th Flea Market, April 22nd Earth Day at

the Library, and April 24th Library Closed.

If there are any changes we will be sure to

let you know. We hope that you all have a

safe and happy Easter.

If you have any questions about the

information mentioned, please let us know.

Our contact information is below

Isleta Pueblo Public Library

Contact Information:

Phone Number: (505) 869-8119

Fax Number: (505) 869-7690

E-mail Address: poi_library@hotmail.com

Web Address:

www.myspace.com/isleta_pueblo_library

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Thursday 8am- 8:00pm

Friday: 8am- 4:30pm

Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Health Beat

National Infant Immunization Week

April 25-May 2, 2009

Health Educator: Stephanie Barela, 869-4479

National Infant Immunization week is April 25-May

2nd, 2009. Are your children immunized? Children's

first vaccines protect them from 8 serious diseases

that are caused by viruses and bacteria. In the

past these diseases have injured and killed many

people, both children and adults, however, since

vaccines were found, less and less people have

died from these diseases, but there are still people

that get sick from these illnesses and that is why it is

so important to get vaccinated. Without vaccination

these diseases will become more common and will

eventually become a big health risk once again,

like they were before vaccines came about.

"Vaccines work by preparing a child's body to fight

illness" (KidsHealth). The body will learn how to

combat these illnesses so that if and when the

child comes into contact with these germs, the

body will fight it off and not get sick. Some people

may be concerned that there is a link between

some vaccines and different illnesses such as

autism, SIDS, Multiple Sclerosis or other problems;

however, there is no reason to believe this. There

have been several studies done and there have yet

to be any connection found between immunizations

and these conditions (KidsHealth).

SAVE THE DATE

Isleta Health Center's

Annual Community

Health Fair

July 11, 2009

at the Isleta Rec Center

9am-Noon

Isleta Pueblo News

April 2009

Page 9

Isleta Education

"Native Hearts, Native Minds Preparing for Life"

From the Director’s desk,

O-si-yo (hello),

I thought I should stop coloring Easter

eggs (a partial stimulus package for the big

Bunny guy) for a moment and share some

summer academic information with you.

First of all I wanted to share an excellent

opportunity for our students taking place

on the Haskell Indian Nations University

campus.

BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION

YOUTH LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

At Haskell Indian Nations University

June 15 through 19, 2009

Program Overview:

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)

is sponsoring the Youth Leadership

Challenge 2009. The program will provide

a rigorous schedule of instruction, events,

challenges, recreation and social activities

that are designed to create awareness and

improve the knowledge base of young tribal

members in the unique Nation to Nation

relationship that Indian Tribes have with

the United States Government. Participants

will receive instruction from tribal leaders

and other experts in the field based upon a

curriculum that will provide knowledge and

information on the historical, political, legal

and social development of tribal governments

as the instrument to carry out this nation to

nation relationship. Activities that enhance

knowledge and promote problem solving

skills will be integrated into the program.

Competition between groups and evening

social activities will provide motivation

and foster communication and sharing

among participants and facilitators. Follow

up challenges, projects, and activities

will be continued throughout the year for

participants completing the challenge.

Eligibility Requirements:

The program is open to American Indian/

Alaska Native students who will be

entering their sophomore, junior or senior

year during the fall of 2009. Students

from all BIE operated and funded schools

are welcome to apply. Schools, community

and tribal organizations are encouraged to

sponsor students to attend the challenge.

Food and lodging will be provided. Travel to

and from Haskell will be the responsibility

of the participant or the participant’s

school or sponsoring organization. Students

should plan to arrive on campus anytime

after noon on Sunday, June 14, and depart

for home Saturday, June 20. A total of 150

to 200 applicants will be approved to attend

the challenge. Students that demonstrate

leadership skills and those that need a

little motivation are encouraged to apply.

Students will need to complete the following

check list, to apply.

Youth Leadership Challenge

Program application

Recommendation forms completed by a

teacher and school counselor.

A 250 to 300 word essay (Written or Typed)

identifying the four major areas (economic

development, education, social programs,

cultural activities, etc.) that the student’s

tribe is involved in that have a positive

influence on their lives. The essay should

also identify the top four challenges that

the student feels his/her tribe faces and

recommend solutions to those challenges.

Verification of Enrollment in grades 9

through 11. (for example, the student’s

Report Card or a letter from the school

administrator)

Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood

(CDIB) or letter from tribal official verifying

eligibility for tribal membership.

A one page essay that demonstrates the

student’s interest in Leadership and Tribal

Government

A parent’s or guardian’s signature on the

application

A recent photograph and shirt size

A list of any medical conditions and

medications that may present challenges to

participation in some activities

The application and supporting materials

must be received by May 1, 2009. Applications

must be complete to be considered.

Applicants that are selected will be notified

no later than May 15, 2009. Please submit

applications to: Stephanie Birdwell, Deputy

Director, Policy and Post Secondary, Bureau

of Indian Education, 1849 C Street, NW;

MS-3609 MIB Washington D.C. 20240. If

you have any questions about the Youth

Leadership Challenge, please contact Ms.

Birdwell at: 202-208-4397 or via email at:

sbirdwell@bia.edu.

Math Camp

(trust me, this is gonna be fun!)

Closer to home, the Department is planning

for a multi week math camp in the pueblo.

We are working with Title VII staff to

identify a grade range that might benefit.

The class will be taught by a certified math

teacher who is under strict instructions to

make it a fun class as a learning opportunity.

Tentatively we are looking at a morning

block of instruction, Monday thru Friday.

We need a minimum of 15 warm bodies in

grades 4 & 5 to sign up. More information

later or call the Department at 924-3185.

Tribal board of Education

An activity the Board has been tasked is

the recognition of a need to provide families

with supplemental funding to assist their

children in their educational needs. One

way to accomplish this task is thru the

Isleta Educational Assistance Fund. An

application is required to assist qualifying

tribal members. The following categories are

used in evaluating educational requests:

• A: Students K-12: Tutoring, Study Skills,

Test Preparation

• B: Students K-12: Children with

Disabilities needing educational materials

and supplies

• C: Students K-12: Private institution

costs

• D: Students

activities

K-12:

Extra-curricular

• E: Educational programs or trips outside

of regular classroom

• F: Adult Education: Special interest,

career development classes

• G: Recognized Groups: Kateri Circle,

Senior/Elderly Program, other

Q&A’s

When does the Board review requests?

Applications shall be reviewed the 3rd week

of January, March, June and September.

Are there any eligibility requirements other

than an application? Yes, requirements are

available when you pick up your application

at the Department.

Is there any follow-up documentation I need

to give to the Board when I am approved?

Yes, information is available with your

application.

Is there any residence requirements? Yes,

all enrolled tribal members making an

application need to reside within a sixty

(60) mile radius of the Pueblo.

A next to the last thought, if you need

school credits, don’t forget to enroll with

the Los Lunas 2020 program. The program

will be available at the Department, classes

beginning June 1st. Enroll with the high

school. Due to budget constraints the

Department will not be providing summer

transportation to and from the 2020

program.

Also, bring your senior and family to the

annual Awards Banquet to recognize our

graduates. “ Big time” to take place on May

8th, at the Rec Center.

And lastly, something I know,

When the Trail of Tears started in 1838,

the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving

and crying so much, they were unable to

help their children survive the journey. The

elders prayed for a sign that would lift the

mother’s spirits to give them strength. The

next day, a beautiful rose began to grow

where each of the mother’s tears fell. The

rose is white for their tears, a gold center

represents the gold taken from Cherokee

lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the

seven Cherokee clans. The wild Cherokee

Rose grows along the route of the Trail of

Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.

Garry R. Martin,

Executive Direct

Isleta Pueblo News

Page10

April 2009

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

Michael Candeleria

Ma Gu Wam,

First of all let me introduce myself, I am

Michael Candelaria/your new Director of

Public Works. Next is our newly formed

Public Works Department. You are

already used to working with most of the

departments but PWD is made up of the

following departments:

Roads • Maintenance • Plumbers and

Septic Pumper Drivers • Solid Waste • and

the newest Water/ Waste Water.

The first thing I tackled was to work on that

awful odor coming from the sewer lagoons by

the Recreation Center. The septic pumper

trucks now take their waste to one of the

two waste treatment facilities located on

the reservation. This will be a huge help in

controlling the smell. It does however take

time for the bacteria levels to even out and

the odors should get better by midsummer.

Which brings us to some very important

septic tank information; Septic tanks are

designed to hold solids and pass liquids to

the drain field. Over a period of time, solids

will accumulate in the septic tank and will

need to be pumped so as not to flow into the

water side of your tank.

Things to Remember:

• A septic tank should always be full with

water. That is what helps the bacteria do

its work and that is what keeps the liquid

flowing to the drain field.

• To keep your septic tank healthy you

should only have it pumped once a year

• If you have a pressure type septic system

(it will have an electric panel) it should be

pumped once every 3 years.

• DO NOT drive over your drain field or

your septic tank. The weight of vehicles

can crush pipes and compact your drain

field area making it difficult to get good

drainage.

• Keep trees and plants away from your

drain field and tank. Remember roots can

travel a long way to get to water. Trees love

drain fields which can plug up your pipes.

• When irrigating your fields remember

that if you irrigate within 30 feet of your

drain field, you could saturate the ground

making your system back up.

• Fix all plumbing leaks! A dripping faucet

or leaky toilet can cause your system to

saturate the drain field.

• Last but not least. Do not do all your

laundry in one day. Try to wash clothes

several times a week.

These small items can make a difference

between a septic tank that works and one

that fails.

The Water Waste Water department will

Roads Department Announcement

Community Members,

Isleta has many diverse road conditions throughout the Pueblo.

Our roads vary from single lane dirt roads to paved roads. The

goal of the Road Department is to maintain and improve roads

and focus on making the roads in Isleta as safe as possible.

Control the flow of water

Water in any of its forms- snow, ice, sleet, or rain- is the number

one enemy when maintaining a dirt road.

The first step to drain water away from the road is to slope

the road bed slightly from side to side. Some people “crown”

a road, that is, they make the center of the road bed higher

than the sides letting the water drain from the middle of the

road to either side. We have found making a crown and cutting

drainage ditches on both sides hard to do, especially because of

the single lane narrow roads. The roadside ditch is done only

if the lands contour warrants it. Cutting drainage ditches can

also reduce the driving width of the road. We also have to be

cautious of underground utilities such as shallow phone lines.

For these reasons, we reshape the road surface to slope to one

side for drainage purposes. The road is lined by a drainage ditch

to collect water after storms to force the water to run off the side

instead of following the road bed.

All citizens should be aware that after rain, dirt roads become

slippery and rutted. All motorists should drive on dirt roads

with extra caution and especially so after rains.

Motorists should exercise extreme caution when driving

in the area of a grading operation. Be patient, stay behind

the grader and do not cross over the dirt window that may be

present. Operators will move out of the way only when it is safe

to do so.

Isleta’s road maintenance crew works hard to grade dirt roads

when needed and add materials as necessary. The grading

schedule for each road is determined by traffic volume and road

condition. If you have any questions or concerns you may contact

the Public Works Department at 766-6658.

be replacing hydrants in the upcoming

months. The big yellow hydrants are for fire

protection and the smaller red ones are for

flushing the drinking water system.

If you need to place a work order with us

please call the Public Works office and

speak to Nadine Abeita. She is the new

Administrative Assistant and will help

you. Our phone # is 766¬6658. You can also

come by our office which is located at the

old Elementary School; we are in building

#627.

Feel free to call us with any questions you

may have. We look forward to serving our

community and having the privilege to

speak with each of you.

All Community Members

Maintenance plumbers for the public works

department will be serving the elderly, 60 years

and older, the handicap and all tribal offices. All

request for septic tank pumping and plumbing work

orders need to be submitted to the Public Works

Department from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday thru

Friday. Please note that due to Budget Constraints

we will not be pumping septic tanks after hours or

on weekends.

If you have any questions, please contact our office

at 766-6658.

Water/ Waste Water Department

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the personnel

within this department

Name

Position

Water

Certifications

Waste Water

Eugene Gaudern

Tim Amodeo

Floyd Jojola

Joseph Abeita

Richard Lente

Lyndon Thomason

Operator

Operator

Operator

Operator

Operator

Operator

Wastewater IV

Wastewater IV

Wastewater

Wastewater I

Wastewater I

Dean DeLara

Daniel Lujan

Andrew Jojola

Raymond Abeita

Cruz Abeita

Operator

Plumber

Plumber

Septic Pumper

Septic Pumper

Water IV

Water III

Water

Water I

Water I

Water I/

Water Sampler I

Water Sampler I

Water II

All of the certified operators have staggered days off to accommodate

seven day coverage of the water and wastewater operations and

systems to insure public safety.

You may have noticed that a flushing program was started the first of

the year in the Eastside water system (Chical). Due to the size of the

system it is going to take another quarter of the year to complete. After

this is complete the flushing will continue every month throughout

the other three water systems, including the Westside, Los Charcos

and the Subdivision. Along with these duties, we also address water

leaks, line spots and water shut offs. This is accompanied with the

assistance of the plumbers.

As you all know the weather is getting warmer and a lot more watering

is being done. In order to help conserve water and cause less strain

on the wells, which are starting to age, it is recommended to either

do your watering in the early morning or later in the evening to help

reduce water consumption due to evaporation.

If there are any comments or suggestions, we would appreciate

hearing them through the Public Works Department.

Isleta Pueblo News

April 2009

Page 11

Greetings from the Isleta Transfer Station

New daylight savings time is now in effect and we are open 8:00

am to 6:00 pm, 7 days a week. The only days the Transfer Station

will be closed and trash pick up will be cancelled is on holidays and

during traditional/religious activities. Before you pull out your trash

cans for pickup or before you load your truck with trash to haul off

to the transfer station on a holiday, or traditional/religious activity

day, call the Public Works Department at 766-6658 or Frank (Larry)

Benavides at the transfer station at 264-6787.

The following are helpful hints in helping us serve you and our

community better.

1. First is safety for our drivers. Please do not put the following

in your trash cans: Any sharp objects which may injure the

employee. Examples are syringes with needles and lancets for

checking blood sugars. These items can be properly disposed of

by keeping them in a safe container with a lid and taken to the

Isleta Health Center for proper disposal. Please call the clinic for

more information at 869-3200. Please note that the drivers have

to clean their trash trucks daily and they constantly find these

types of DANGEROUS objects.

2. If our truck could say “Ouch”, they would. Please remember, DO

NOT PUT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

IN YOUR TRASH CAN. They can damage the moving parts on

our (your) trash truck, which means, broken trash truck, no trash

pick up!

1. The following are some examples of items which may damage

parts in our (your) vehicles: Metal, car parts, bicycles, TVs,

vacuum cleaners, and small appliances, etc.

3. To help us do our job more efficiently, please do the following

during trash pick up day.

1. Please take your trash can out early.

2. When setting your trash can out for pick up, please face

the arrows shown on top of your trash can pointing toward

the road.

3. Please, if you have more than one trash can, space your

trash cans apart at a minimum of two (2) feet for easy pick

up.

4. Is there a safety issue in picking up trash cans? Absolutely!

1. Over filled trashcans may become a life threatening

situation for our drivers and the people driving our

highways. When an overfilled trash can is being dumped,

sometimes the bags have a tendency to fly over the truck and

into oncoming traffic. 9 times out of 10, the trash bag always

ends up in the middle of the highway. When this happens,

the driver has to get off his truck and play dodgeball (car)

with oncoming vehicles. He literally puts his life on the line

to eliminate a dangerous situation.

2. If your trash cans are always over filled, or if you think

you just need an extra trash can you have two options for

getting that extra trash can as follows:

i. If there are seven people or more living in one house hold,

you are entitled to receive an extra trash can, FREE! Call

Frank (Larry) Benavidez at 264-6787.

ii. If you need to buy an extra trash can, call the Treasury

Department at 869-1808. They are $45.00.

3. Please always use trash bags to put trash in before taking

it out to your trash can. If not, it creates the following

problems:

i. Loose trash gets jammed up inside the moving parts of our

vehicles, and creates a problem for the driver because he has

to clean his vehicle daily.

ii. Loose trash also creates a littering problem for our

community. When it is being dumped it flies out of the trash

can and on to our roads and highways.

Please help keep our drivers safe and help us keep the trash trucks

in good working condition, and also remember what we do in our

daily lives has an effect on our neighbors and community.

Thank you for

Your help and support.

The Transfer Station

The above photo is to introduce you to your trash truck

drivers, Richard Lente and Sigmund Sutherland.

These guys are the ones who drive long hours, 5 days a

week picking up our trash, and I believe we owe them a

thank you.

Thank you Guys!!

SAVE THE DATE

Isleta Health Center's

Annual Community

Health Fair

July 11, 2009

at the Isleta Rec Center

9am-Noon

Isleta Pueblo News

Page 12

April 2009

Department of Natural Resources

The Department of Natural Resources was officially created by Tribal Council on August 12, 2008. Since then we have been

working on becoming a more efficient and cost effective organization. The Department consists of 39 positions in 6 staff sections.

ORGANIZATION CHART

Director

Tech

Admin

Asst

Range

Conservation

Officer

Range

Conservation

Officer

Range

Conservation

Lieutenant

Livestock

Assistant

Range

Conservation

Officer

Range

Conservation

Officer

Animal

Control

O&M

Foreman

Hydrology

Manager

Environ-mental

Compliance

Manager

O&M

Crew

Water

Technician

Planning

Coordinator

Our Mission Statement:

“ To serve the people, protect natural resources and maintain

cultural values, within the authority and jurisdiction of the Pueblo

of Isleta.”

Our Vision Statement:

We as the Natural Resources Department of the Pueblo of Isleta

have been charged with the enormous responsibility of protecting

and maintaining our Pueblo’s Natural Resources. Because these

resources have been gifted to us through the struggles of our elders

it is paramount that we strive to preserve these resources for the

future generations to come. We will accomplish this task by:

• Holding, as one of our core values, the utmost respect for our

cultural heritage to maintain a balance between cultural use

and best land management practices when planning projects.

• Earning the trust and respect of the people of the Pueblo of

Isleta whose future well-being and prosperity depends on our

ability to make sound environmental decisions concerning

development and use of its resources.

• Consistently collaborating with our Cultural and elected

leaders in order to insure that the most informed decisions can

be made concerning projects that will have a lasting impact on

the Pueblo and its resources.

Director and Technical Administrative Assistant

Director: Abel Camarena (869-5748)

Tech. Administrative Assistant: Roberta Jojola (869-2710)

The Director provides overall direction, develops the budget,

establishes performance expectations, and maintains effective

working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

The Technical Administrative Assistant works closely with the

Director to ensure the Department is operationally efficient and

cost-effective in delivering goods and services to the people of the

Pueblo of Isleta.

Range Conservation and Animal Control

Program Manager: Randy Lujan (724-9284)

Law enforcement is an integral part of the overall management and

protection of the forests, rivers and grasslands of the Pueblo. The

Range Conservation and Animal Control section is responsible for

upholding federal, state and tribal laws, regulations and ordinances

for the protection of natural resources, tribal members, and cultural

properties within the Isleta Reservation and Comanche Ranch.

Livestock grazing administration is another area of responsibility

that is handled by this section.

Water

Quality

Specialist

Environment

Tech

Environ-mental

Response

Manager

Forestry /

Fire

Coordinator

Alpha

Fire /

Fuels

Crew

Heavy

Equipment

Manager

Hazmat /

UXO

Tech

Heavy

Equipment

Operator

Bravo

Fire/

Fuels

Crew

Operations and Maintenance

Supervisor: Herman Lente (869-2710)

Operations and Maintenance is responsible for achieving the

following goals in support of the Natural Resources Department:

• Mitigate threats to public health, culturally sensitive areas

and limit damage to the Pueblo’s natural environments.

• Maintenance of tribal boundary fences in support of Range

Management, in addition to specific security requirements of

restricted areas.

• Maintenance of windmills, pump wells, and stock tanks as

needed throughout the year.

• Completion of assigned work orders issued through the

Governor's office.

Hydrology

Program Manager: John Sorrell (869-9623)

The Hydrology section strives to protect and develop the water

resources of the Pueblo of Isleta and to prepare for the adjudication

of water rights in the Middle Rio Grande Basin. This is accomplished

utilizing the following processes:

• Interaction with Tribal Administration and Council to

identify programmatic water supply needs for all tribal

resources, including water quality assessments.

• Participation in conservancy district management

and operations activities to ensure compliance with the

Conservancy Act of 1928.

• Systematic review of all permit applications for water

related purposes by the Middle Valley users to the State

Engineers Office (SEO).

• The design and implementation of new water well drilling

projects.

• The development of a Pueblo of Isleta Water Code.

Environmental Compliance

Environmental Planning Coordinator:

Ramona Montoya (724-9240)

The Environmental Compliance section is responsible for

addressing all of the environmental concerns of the Pueblo of

Isleta, including:

• Planning - To provide responsible, timely, and adequate

environmental support in the development of projects throughout

the Pueblo of Isleta.

• Air Quality – Monitor potential impacts to the Pueblo’s air

quality from neighboring municipalities, military installations,

research facilities and major transportation systems.

April 2009

Isleta Pueblo News

• Water Quality – Routine measurement and testing of the

Pueblo’s surface and sub-surface water quality.

• Land and Soil – Preserve the Pueblo’s soil resources to maintain

cultural and economic viability.

Environmental Response

Program Manager: Steve Abeita (724-9279)

The Environmental Response section is responsible for mitigating

environmental emergencies and impacts, in addition, to the

protection and restoration of forested lands. Major responsibilities

include:

• Responding to any and all environmental emergencies that

occur on tribal lands. • Providing support to Isleta police and

fire departments as incidences warrant.

• Responding to all wild land fires on tribal lands, working

cooperatively with BIA fire suppression crews and outside

agencies to reduce fire severity and damage.

• Work cooperatively with the Department of Defense to cleanup

unexploded WWII and post-era military ordnance on Pueblo

lands.

• Develop and implement a Hazardous Materials program.

• Develop and implement a Fire/Fuels management program

in collaboration with Federal and State agencies to develop,

protect and sustain healthy Pueblo forested areas.

These pictures are furnished by the

Natural Resources Department.

Page 13

Heavy Equipment Operations

Supervisor: Phillip Jiron (869-4106)

The Heavy Equipment Operations section provides assistance

to the accomplishment of work projects in the other Department

Sections by:

• Maintaining a competently trained staff that is able to respond

and support multi-disciplinary projects in varied terrain.

• Providing heavy equipment support by:

>Creating fuel breaks (fire lines) during wild-land fires.

>Creating water containment barriers to help control

potential flood water damage during major rainfall

events.

>Assisting in the mitigation of any damage due to

significant weather events.

The Heavy Equipment Operations section is also utilized in

residential cleanup, hauling and debris removal services throughout

the Pueblo.

The Department of Natural Resources will provide more information

on programs and services in future editions of the Isleta Pueblo

News.

/s/ Abel Camarena

Director

Page 14

Isleta Pueblo News

April 2009

April 2009

Isleta Pueblo News

Los Lunas/Valencia High Schools

Title VII Indian Education

TUTORING SERVICES...

Please take advantage of all the tutoring services that are offered

to students at Isleta Pueblo and the Los Lunas School District.

Within the past week we have held several Parent/Teacher/

Student conferences and out of these meetings the parents are

taking advantage of the tutoring services offered where students

realize that the educational help they have received has brought

their grades up to passing all their classes. Isleta Pueblo phone

number is 764-5764 and for Spanish tutoring the number is 9754269, held on Tuesday and Thursday, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm,

next to the Isleta Library. For Los Lunas High School, students

need to pick up a form in the main office, and tutoring is offered

right after school Monday through Thursday, with transportation

provided.

PARENTS/STUDENTS

Please be aware that a lot of summer educational deadlines are

fast approaching Some have passed as we send this notice out.

The LLHS/Isleta E2020 Program is offered to all students who will

attend Los Lunas,Valencia High Schools in the fall of 2009. Any

student who does not meet this qualification must be approved by

the administration.

Location: Isleta and LLHS

Dates: June 1st through July 16th COST: $50 CASH, CASHIER

Days: Monday through Thursday

CHECK OR MONEY

Times: Session 1...7:30.11:30

ORDER ONLY

Session 2...12:00-4:00

(Payable to Los Lunas Schools)

There is no charge for students

on free and reduced lunch

Registration: @ LLHS 7:15am to 3pm until May 8th

ALL STUDENTS MUST FOLLOW ALL SCHOOL PERSONNEL

AND SCHOOL RULES AS CONTAINED IN THE LLHS STUDENT

HANDBOOK.

Page 15

TESTING FOR ALL JUNIORS...NM STANDARDS BASED

ASSESSMENT..April 7th/8th/9th, 2009... No school for 10th or

12th graders for these three days.

Freshmen will attend a GEAR-UP FIELD TRIP..(they have

previously been split into two groups for this trip) Freshmen

parents received a letter outlining this trip.

Seniors...Do you have an interest in math, science &

engineering? UNM Freshmen Summer Bridge Program will offer

this program.

Website..unm.edu/~fsbp or carlon@unm.edu...277-0346, Carlon or

Maurice Thompson, 277-5846, email moncisco@unm.edu

LLHS Native American Studies Class..Teacher, Mrs. Darlene

Munoz. Guest Speakers.. April 2nd ...Andrew Thomas

April 16th...Gil Vigil

April 17th...C.S. Sodhi

April 21st....Jimmy Abeita

April 28th.,.Hayes Lewis

April 10th & 13th..No school..Spring Break

April 15th..Senior/Parent Pow-wow Planning Meeting..6:00 pm

LLHS Cafeteria

April 22.. LLHS/VALENCIA H.S. NATIVE AMERICAN CLUBS ..

8th Annual Senior/Parent/Grandparents/Staff Pow-wow..5:00 pm

to 9:00 pm @Isleta Pueblo Recreation Center.

We continue to invite parents to be involved as much as possible

in your child’s education..together we can make a difference!

If you have any concerns, feel free to call Mr. Analla, Title VII

Indian Education at 865-4646 ext 272,

or email banalla@llschools.net

Attention High School Seniors!

You will be receiving an educational survey. The Department of

Education has mailed out letters and a survey for your completion.

Please complete and return it in the enclosed self-addressed

envelope. If you are a high school senior and didn’t receive a letter

from the Department of Education, please contact the Department

at (505)-924-3185.

Pueblo of Isleta Public Library Summer Reading Program

Hello, Fellow Community Members

Summer is around the bend and that means that our Annual

Summer Reading Programs are not too far away. This summer

we the Library will not be participating in the National Summer

Reading Program theme, instead we have decided to make our

own theme focusing on our Indigenous Community. The Summer

Reading Program will still be broken into two programs: the Toddlers

and the Youth. Both programs will share the same curriculum,

philosophy, and activities; however, the Toddler’s activities will be

scaled down to their capabilities. The overall Summer Reading

Program will be open to ALL Tribal Community Members;

Blood Quantum will not be a factor.

The Toddler Program will serve the ages of 3 thru 7 and will be

from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M., Monday thru Wednesday with the exception

of one Thursday at the end of the Program. The Youth Program

will serve the ages of 7 thru 18 and will be from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M.,

Monday thru Thursday with the exception of two Fridays at end

of the months of June and July. Both programs will start on

June 1, 2009 and will end on July 23 & 24 of 2009. During the

week of the 4th of July, both programs will be off so they may relax

with their families.

As stated at the top, the Library’s Summer Program will be a

Reading Program and all youth participants of the program will

be expected to read for a minimum of 20 minutes in the beginning

of each day and will have to complete a short three to four

question survey about what they had read. Surveys will serve

as their tickets to Field Trips and out of the Library Activities.

Weekly activities for both programs will be based on the Pueblo

of Isleta Culture. The Toddler’s Program will make Clay Bowls

for Food Offering or Drinking Water, Making Leather Pouches

for their Arrowheads or Corn Meal, Paintings, Clay, Animals,

Indian Drums, toy Indian Rattles; and on one week the boys will

make Kilts while the girls make Shawls. The Youth Program will

make the same Clay Bowls, Medicine Bags (Leather Pouches),

and Paintings as the Toddlers, but will also be making Authentic

Traditional Regalia. The boys will assemble their own Turtle and

Bells (February Dance) and will make their own Rattle; while the

girls construct their own Necklaces, Scarf, and Shawls. Both boys

and girls will also learn how to build Hurnas so they could repair a

/some Hurnas for community members. For more details about

the Library’s Summer Reading Program, Please attend the

Pueblo’s Summer Program Fair that will be offered to the

community in the month of May.

PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS,

TRADITIONAL LEADERS, and ADMINISTRATION

Since the primary focus of the Summer Reading Program is

Community, we are asking the Parents, Grandparents, Community

Members, Traditional Leaders, Tribal Council, and Administration

to get involved with our program. This Summer Reading Program

was also created for you, the Community Member, because your

Pueblo knowledge needs to be passed on to the younger generation

to insure our place in tomorrow’s world. This is the opportunity

that many of you wished would happen. The question now is, are

you willing to partake in this momentous moment?

Here is a list of where we could use your Indigenous Knowledge

and Expertise:

Story Teller for the Toddler (once a week), Historian for the Youth

(once a week), help with making Clay Bowls, Kilts, Shawls, Indian

Drums, Medicine Bags, Clay Animals, Turtle (February Dance),

Bells, Necklace, Scarf, and Rattles.

If you are interested in enlightening and motivating our youth

into becoming more involved with the Pueblo of Isleta Culture,

please call the Library and we will set up a meeting to discuss how

we could collaborate for the common good of our Youth and our

Community. The number to the Library is (505) 869-8119 and ask

to speak to Nathaniel Lujan. You are all invited to attend our

booth at the Summer Program Fair that will be held at the

New Recreational Center in the month of May. We will be

more than happy to answer your questions there, as well.

Page 16

Isleta Pueblo News

April 2009

Greeting from the Language and Cultural Preservation Program:

Paul Lujan

I want to start off by offering a great big thank you to everyone who

was able to attend the “Tiwa Language Summit.” The summit was

held January 29 and 30 at the Isleta Hotel. We had participants

from Taos Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo, Santa Anna Pueblo, Sandia

Pueblo, and here at Isleta. The conference touched on some very

important issues regarding Language revitalization efforts.

Day one activities began with the Executive Director of Education,

Mr. Garry Martin, who gave a short introduction and welcome

to those in attendance. 2nd Lt. Governor Frank Lujan gave

the invocation and welcome to the Pueblo of Isleta. There were

presentations from Mr. Sam Montoya of Sandia Pueblo who gave

a presentation on the Sandia Pueblo Language Program. We

also had a presentation from Dr. Christine Sims of UNM who

gave a presentation on Tribal Value of Language preservation

“Envisioning the future of tribal language: Implications for Longterm Planning”.

The afternoon sessions began with two breakout sessions. Those

in attendance were divided into two groups with one group

participating in a Mission Statement breakout session facilitated

by Dr. Sims. The group’s mission was to develop a mission

statement that will define the overall purpose of sustaining our

Tiwa Language.

The second group participated in the Goals and Objectives

breakout session facilitated by Denise Zuni, Attorney, Sh’-eh Weef

Law office. The mission of the second group was to develop goals

and objectives that will put forth realistic and reachable outcomes,

identify any challenges and proposed remedies.

Day one activities were wrapped up with a brief summary of

the day’s activities and the closing invocation by Ta-Ta Michael

Jojola.

III. Language as a unifying factor in our community.

•Including different groups in the community to

discuss language plan or initiatives

•Importance of creating a positive language

learning environment

•Language as a unifying factor in our community

•Find ways to support lifelong language learning

among all generations in the community

•Look for approaches to language teaching that

will support the interest of different age groups

in the community

•Engage the support of language initiatives among

all levels of leadership in the community

Group two gave their presentations on the development of Goals and

Objectives. The following Goals and Objective were presented.

Goal: My child will speak conversational Tiwa to elders and

in the home.

Objective 1: Will orally state at least 6 greetings in a proper

manner within two weeks

Activities:

a)Teach the child to respect their elders by greeting their

elders.

b)Teach child to orally greet family members through roleplaying. Greeting will be based on gender, relocation, time

relationship and position in community.

c)Take a trip to the village and ask the child to greet whomever

they see by hearing and repeating the greeting

d)Record the greeting with picture flashcards of people greeting

each other, and have the child state the proper greeting.

e)Take the child to traditional, community and social activities

where Tiwa will be heard. Ask child to listen and observe, then

the child will draw the event and discuss proper greetings.

Objective 2: The child will orally identify at least 15 foods from the

kitchen within 30 days.

Activities:

a)During food preparation and at mealtimes, names of the food will

be identified by the adult, then have the child repeat it. (while out

grocery shopping identify a variety of foods to the child)

Goal: I am a parent and want to teach my child to speak

Tiwa.

Day two began with the morning invocation delivered by 1st Lt.

Governor Max Zuni who also stressed the importance of language

revitalization. The breakout session groups presented the outcomes

of each session.

Group one developed the following mission statement:

The mission of the Tiwa Communities is to unify our communities

with lifelong language learning among all generations with

approaches to language teaching that will support the interests

of all ages in the communities for language initiatives among all

levels of leadership in the community.”

Also, some points were brought up about Language Preservation

I. For what purpose?

•Social/cultural Preservation

•To preserve traditions, beliefs, and traditional

ways.

•To honor who we are

II. Consider approaches to language teaching

beyond a classroom.

•Education the larger community about how to

support language learning

•The challenges of supporting whole families in

language learning

•Changing language habits

•Support language and identity in the community

Objective 1: Learn 10 phrases during a 5 day period to have and

gain correct pronunciation and learn meaning of each

phrase.

Activities:

a)Tape phrases in Tiwa and review with the child for

proper pronunciation and meaning. This activity

should be repetitive, 30 to 45 times an evening.

b)Use story books related to the phrases.

Read in English and repeat in Tiwa, every

night, 5 days a week, evaluate at the end of each week

to determine comprehension.

c)Parent should address their children by their Indian

names and teach them number in Tiwa on a daily

routine.

(Continued on next page)

April 2009

Isleta Pueblo News

Page 17

Language Preservation (Continued)

d) Identify objects, colors, and body parts through

songs or repetition daily.

e) Develop simple sentences describing their

surroundings.

Goal: Honor who we are.

Objective: Know their Indian name and the meaning of their

name. Most importantly encourage the child to participate in

tradition activities.

Goal: Children to speak Tiwa in order to express their

needs and feelings.

Objective 1: Our children need Tiwa speaking teachers

to teach our Tiwa students in the

classroom on a daily basis.

Objective 2: The children will know how to greet

properly, know their colors, number

1-20, and understand kinships, names,

and directions by the end of the school year.

Activities:

a) Take the children on outing to utilize their

environment as a learning tool.

b) Tell stories, teach songs.

c) Get community, parents and elders involved.

NEW FACES AT THE CLINIC

Health Educator: Stephanie Barela, 869-4479

Kimberly

Champion

Conklan-MS

LMHC,

LPC is the new Mental

Health Therapist and

Grief Therapist at the

Isleta Health Center.

Kimberly was born and

raised in Oklahoma

and has just recently

moved to Albuquerque.

Kimberly

graduated

with honors in the

Masters Program at

Cameron

University,

Lawton, Oklahoma.

She has worked in the

medical field as a nurse

and the mental health

field as a Grief Therapist. Kimberly was the Director of the

Bereavement Department and the Director of the Grief Resource

Center for Hospice of Southwest Oklahoma. She is a member

of the American Counseling Association and a member of the

Association for Death Education and Counseling. Kimberly has

organized Community Groups for Caregivers and Survivors of

Suicide.

Kimberly is happily married to John and has an 18 year old

daughter, Gabrielle, who is attending La Cueva High School.

Kim and John love nature, bicycle riding and traveling.

WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Corner

The Pueblo of Isleta Breastfeeding Task Force will be producing

the 2010 Breastfeeding Calendar. We are currently looking for

photos of mothers breastfeeding to be included in this calendar.

Photos may be of mothers:

Again, thank you to everyone who contributed to this event.

Isleta Casino and Resort, Governor, Lt. Governors, Tribal

Council, Language Instructors, Department of Education, Isleta

Elderly and Community, and our invited guests: Sam Montoya,

Dr. Christine Sims, Taos Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo, Santa Ana

Pueblo, and Sandia Pueblo, Inee Y. Slaughter of Indigenous

Language Institute, and Project Venture Jennifer Padilla. The

Isleta Language and Cultural Preservation Program will plan

to move forward on these great ideas in the near future.

♥ Breastfeeding an infant

♥ Breastfeeding a toddler

♥ Breastfeeding in public

♥ Breastfeeding and fathers/families

♥ Breastfeeding in a notable situation (unique,

humorous)

The calendar is distributed throughout the state

of New Mexico. Photos need to be submitted with

an entry form that can be picked up at the WIC office.

You can also call us and we can send an entry form to you.

If you have photos you would like to submit to be chosen

for the calendar, please send them to our office:

WIC Program

P.O Box 670

Isleta, NM 87022

WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling: # 924-3180

We will keep you all informed.

“Hope to see you at the next Summit”

SAVE THE DATE

Isleta Health Center's

Annual Community

Health Fair

July 11, 2009

Page 18

Isleta Pueblo News

Exciting WIC News Update

Beginning in the Fall 2009, WIC will be giving

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables and Grains as part of

the New WIC food package. It's time to make

Healthier Choices!

If you're interested in taking advantage of

this exciting new change, give us a call or stop by. You can qualify if you

have children under the age of five, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Our

phone number is 924-3180.

Many of you are probably wondering who the new

face is at the front desk. We would like to take this

opportunity to welcome Darlene Flores back to our

program. Darlene has worked with WIC before and

she is eager to serve our community and meet new

faces. We hope that you will enjoy meeting her as

much as we enjoy having her in our office.

April 2009

1-877-725-2552

24 Hour Nurse Advice Line

Free

for all Isleta Health Center Patients

• Call any time of the day.

• Get quick and accurate medical

advice.

• Don't waste time going to the

Clinic for minor health problems,

call and find out what to do.

• Don’t call 911 for minor problems,

call this number and find out what

to do.

Isleta Pueblo News

April 2009

Page 19

8 Main Diseases That Are Prevented By Childhood Vaccines.

Please get your child vaccinated so that they do not get sick from these diseases:

1.DIPHTHERIA

• Can get it from contact with an

infected person

• Signs and Symptoms include a

thick covering in the back of the

throat that can make it hard to

breathe.

• Can lead to breathing problems,

heart failure and death.

2.PERTUSSIS (whooping cough)

• Can get it from contact with an

infected person

• Signs and Symptoms include

violent coughing spells that can last

for weeks that can make it hard for

an infant to eat, drink or breathe.

• Can lead to pneumonia, seizures

(jerking and staring spells), brain

damage and death

3.HIB (Haemophilus Influenzae type b)

• Can get if from contact with an

infected person

• There may be no signs or symptoms

in mild cases

• Can lead to Meningitis (infection

of brain and spinal cord coverings);

pneumonia; infections of blood, joints,

bones, and coverings of the heart;

brain damage, deafness and death

4.POLIO

7.HEPATITIS B

• Can get it from contact with blood

or body fluids of an infected person.

Babies can get it at birth if the

mother is infected, or through a cut

or wound. Adults can get it from

unprotected sex, sharing needles or

other exposure to blood

• Signs and Symptoms include

tiredness, diarrhea and vomiting,

jaundice (yellow skin or eyes) and

pain in muscles, joints or stomach.

• Can lead to liver damage, liver

cancer and death

• Can get it from close contact with

infected person

• Signs and Symptoms can include a

cold-like illness, or there may be no

signs or symptoms at all

• Can lead to paralysis or death

5.PNEUMOCOCCAL

• Can get it from contact with

infected person

• Signs and Symptoms include fever,

chills, cough and chest pain

• Can lead to meningitis, blood

infections, ear infections, pneumonia,

deafness, brain damage and death

8.ROTAVIRUS

6.TETANUS (lockjaw)

• Can get it from a cut or wound

• Signs and Symptoms include

painful tightening of the muscle,

usually all over the body

• Can lead to stiffness of the jaw,

so that the victim can't open their

mouth or swallow. Leads to death in

1 out of 5 cases.

• Can get it from contact with other

children who are infected

Signs and Symptoms include severe

diarrhea, vomiting and fever

• It can lead to dehydration,

hospitalization and death

CDC Vaccine information statement

9/2008

April Is National Child Abuse

Prevention Month

History of the Blue Ribbon Designation. The Child

Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was

passed in 1974 to increase public awareness of the need

to ensure the safety and welfare of children. CAPTA

has been amended over the years, but its original intent

remains. Today, the Children's Bureau, under the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, is the

Federal agency charged with supporting States, Tribes,

and communities in providing programs and services to

protect children and strengthen families.

In 1982, Congress, recognizing the alarming rates of

child abuse and neglect, set aside June 6-12 as the first

National Child Abuse Prevention Week. In 1983, April

was proclaimed the first National Child Abuse Prevention

Month. Since then, child abuse and neglect awareness

activities have been promoted yearly during April across

the country.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign began in 1989 with a Virginia

grandmother tying a blue ribbon to her car antenna as

a memorial to her grandson, who had died of abuse. By

this act, she alerted her community to the tragedy of

child abuse. The Campaign has since expanded across

the country, and many wear blue ribbons each April as

remembrances of abuse victims. Blue represents the

bruises that mark child abuse victims. More recently, the

focus has shifted towards a positive celebration of "blue

ribbon" individuals, organizations, and communities who

work to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Isleta Events. For many years, several Isleta agencies

have worked diligently with Isleta Social Services to

provide several awareness-raising events. This year,

the highlight of the events will be a parade at 9:30 am

on Friday, April 17th. It will begin and end at the (new)

Isleta Recreation Center and will be followed by a variety

of educational booth displays focusing on the theme of

child abuse awareness and prevention. All displays will be

inside the recreation center in the gym. The community is

invited to this event, which will also include a barbeque.

Weather permitting, the Wells Fargo hot air balloon will

offer rides from 6-9 am that morning.

In addition to the parade, the Isleta Elderly Center will

dedicate its April General Meeting, 9:00 am, April 30th,

to the topic "Parenting: Traditional and Contemporary."

This will include a panel discussion featuring elders.

It will be held at the Kiva Room at the Isleta Elderly

Center.

Please join the service providing agencies of the Pueblo of

Isleta in making the 2009 Child Abuse Prevention Month

a resounding success.

NOTE: Isleta Social Services is in the process of recruiting

for foster homes. We will have application packets

available if anyone is interested in becoming a licensed

foster home for children in need of placement in Isleta.

Isleta Pueblo News

Page 20

APRIL 2009

May 2009

Sunday

Monday

American

Stroke

Month

Mental Health

Month

3

4

10

11

Melanoma

Monday

Tueday

Wednesday

Thursday

Natonal High

Blood

Pressure

Education

Month

Friday

Saturday

1

2

5

6

7

8

9

12

13

14

15

16

22

23

29

30

Cornelia de

Lange

Syndrome

Awareness Day

National Alcohol and other Drug Related Birth Defects Week

17

National Women’s

Check-up Day

18

19

HIV Vaccine

Awareness

Week

24

25

26

20

21

27

29

Older Americans Mental Health Week

World NO

Tobacco Day

31

ISLETA PUEBLO NEWSLETTER

P.O. Box 1270

Isleta, New Mexico 87022

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

ISLETA, NM 87022

PERMIT NO. 2