Bluewater Lake is drying up
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
BLUEWATER LAKE — Elmer Apodaca threaded a corn kernel onto the
tiny trout hook attached to the line on his fishing pole, picked the
fishing outfit up and cast a long arc of line about 50 feet away.
Apodaca, of Milan, put the pole down on a pile of rocks nestled along
the muddy bank. He looked from side to side and saw nothing but mud
and a little water. Apodaca thought it was far too much mud and too
little water for this trout lake between Gallup and Grants.
A short while later, the end of his pole danced with a fish. For him
and his cousins, Phillip Apodaca and Tommy Jaramillo, both of Grants,
the fishing that recent windy day on the banks of Bluewater Lake was
fair.
But the lake is drying up, and that translates into terrible fishing
conditions.
There isn't enough water coming down from the watershed above Bluewater
Lake to fill it. In fact, the lake is at the lowest level it's been
in years.
Ask Randy Coats of Albuquerque. While casting a baited hook into the
water, Coats said the lake is lower than he has ever seen it.
He stood in a sea of mud the water's edge. "I used to be up there
fishing, but now I'm down here," Coats said, pointing to a grassy
knoll about 150 feet away. Below the grassline was a mudline, where
the water used to rub the bank.
Chris Chadwick, a public information officer with the northwest district
of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, said the lake ordinarily
holds an average of 1,500 surface acres of water with a maximum pool
size of 3,021 surface acres of water.
In terms of depth, the lake has drastically dropped to around 22 feet,
and at 20 feet, there is just 320 surface acres of water left. "It's
because of a lack of moisture," Chadwick said.
Impounded in 1927 to be an irrigation lake, part of Bluewater Lake
is in McKinley County and part in Cibola County. The lake is rimmed
on the south by Cibola National Forest.
Now primarily a recreation and irrigation lake, it belongs to the
state of New Mexico.
Lake water is replenished from the watershed runoff above it. In addition,
tiny Bluewater Creek, barely 3 feet wide in spots, trickles into the
lake.
Above the 320 surface acres of water (20 feet of water depth) level
is irrigation water, but that water supply is in jeopardy now because
about all that is left is the water that belongs to the Game and Fish
Department (from 320 surface acres of water down to the silt at the
bottom of the lake).
"Last year, we didn't have much of a snow melt,
because there wasn't much snow in the Zuni Mountains," Chadwick
said. "We had plenty of decent rain in the early summer, which
brought the lake level back up, but since then, we haven't had any
rains or snows to speak of.
"The lake is important for the people down below who irrigate,"
Chadwick said.
Water runoff from the watershed feeds Ramah Lake on
the other side of the mountains. It, too, is at low levels, but not
as bad as Bluewater Lake.
No one can predict nature. "The situation could
turn on a dime," Chadwick said. "We don't know if this is
a short-term thing or a long-term thing, and even the experts don't
agree on if it is a short-term or long-term situation."
Regardless of the outcome, Chadwick said, there appears to be a silver
lining in the Bluewater Lake cloud.
The Game and Fish Department, in an effort to reduce the huge numbers
of rough fish, such as suckers, in the lake, will net them next week
so they can be discarded.
New Mexico Game and Fish Department officials use the lake as a put-and-take
fishery. In other words, certain numbers of fish are planted in the
lake and then are caught through hook-and-line fishing.
Primarily the fish planted in the lake are trout. But suckers dumped
into the lake from bait buckets or that come down Bluewater Creek
have become so numerous that there is too little food supply for the
trout. "For example, if you put a nine-inch trout in this year,
it will still be a nine-inch trout next year," Chadwick said.
Eliminating or vastly reducing the rough fish will provide more food
for the trout to eat and thus grow. "In the past, Bluewater was
known as a lake that produces big," Chadwick said. "Now
it is not."
A low water level will allow the Game and Fish Department better opportunities
to net rough fish, because there isn't enough water for them to escape.
"We might as well take advantage of the low water levels while
we've got them," Chadwick said.
In the meantime, though, fishermen such as Coats do not like it. "I've
been coming here for 15 years, and it has never been this low,"
he said. "Usually I bring my boat, but it's so low now that I
didn't even bother with it."
While the low water levels may help the Game and Fish Department net
rough fish, there still must be some rain and significant amounts
of it to restore the lake to normal levels.
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New reservation ambulances are state-of-the-art
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo tribal police remember a time when handling
emergencies on the reservation meant putting people injured in accidents
in the back of their patrol cars and speeding to the nearest hospital.
But patients on the way to the hospital today ride in the most modern
ambulances available, receiving emergency medical care from highly
trained and certified people who work with ultramodern equipment.
That vehicle could be worth more than $100,000 several times the cost
of an average pickup truck on the reservation.
The tribe recently bought about $1.3 million worth of new ambulances.
While most of the new rigs already are in service, the tribe's Department
of Emergency Medical Services expects to have the rest of the 22 on
the road within a week, according to Gary Willie, the department's
western operations officer.
The new vehicles replace 1992 models with more than 100,000 miles
each on their odometers. Of the department's fleet of 24 ambulances
operated from 14 full-time or part-time stations scattered across
the reservation only two are "old" ambulances. But these
two are only a year old.
One type of new ambulance costs about $50,000 there are 12 of them
now on the reservation while the other type, which is larger, costs
about $75,000.
Each unit carries equipment valued at around $30,000, which includes
the siren, radios, red and blue lights, plus all sorts of trauma equipment.
For example, a new piece of trauma equipment now used by the emergency
medical technicians and paramedics is an automatic defibrillator.
"It's used to shock a patient when their heart goes into cardiac
arrest," explained Dennis Charley, supervisor of the Chinle station
at the Indian Health Service hospital. "It costs like 10 to 16
grand."
"We're mainly in the emergency rooms, when we're not out on calls,
assisting the doctors and nurses," said Lemuel Benallie, supervisor
of the Shiprock station. Being with the doctors and nurses helps EMTs
and paramedics keep their life-saving skills sharp.
Since the department operates 24 hours a day, it takes up to 12 people
to staff each of the nine full-time stations.
Of the department's 115 employees, only about 10 are administrative.
The rest are basic or intermediate EMTs or paramedics providing direct
services.
The department requires about $3.5 million a year to operate.
Emergency medical services have come a long way in the
last two decades.
Benallie said improvement in transporting injured people to clinics
and hospitals began because Navajo police officers were forced to
transport them in patrol vehicles.
Tribal police officers at the time complained about the practice,
saying their only training was a form of rudimentary first aid. Police
also said they didn't have the expertise to keep seriously injured
patients alive in many cases while they sped to the hospitals.
To resolve this problem, officials for the Navajo Health Authority
sought and won grants to create the reservation's first emergency
ambulance service. In 1979, the Division of Public Safety became the
department's parent agency.
Other improvements included training people to specialize in out-in-the-field
medical care, a necessity on a reservation where many accidents occur
100 or more miles from the nearest hospital.
Another problem faced by emergency personnel is the
time it takes emergency vehicles to get to the scene of an accident,
although this problem has been alleviated somewhat in recent years
with the widespread use on the reservation of cellular phones.
Police can now be notified within seconds of an accident as opposed
to the 30- to 45-minute delay in the past when passing motorists had
to find someone in a nearby community with a phone.
Today, the tribe has six paramedics plus one in training for Shiprock.
One each is stationed at Chinle, Tohatchi, Tuba City and Inscription
House. Fort Defiance has the other two.
The stress of being an EMT on the reservation is high.
The high number of alcohol-related accidents means such workers are
called upon frequently to make some quick life-or-death decisions
when they get to the scene.
Slinkey said some relieve the stress by "going
for a walk, exercising, talking to somebody."
Benallie added that EMTs mainly "go to someone
we're familiar with that deals with the same things we see out there."
Some of that stress comes from the work load. Of a total
of almost 9,300 calls in 1999, almost one-fifth (1,800) were made
by the Chinle station, with Fort Defiance going out on more than 1,500
calls and Tuba City more than 1,000.
The department estimates that in at least 5,000 cases EMTs and paramedics
provided direct medical services.
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Tribes: We need more money
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Clinton's proposal to increase spending
on American Indian health care, law enforcement and education by $1.2
billion is not enough to meet the dire needs of r scriptural study
of the shroud, and he published his research in a book, "Unlocking
the Secrets of the Shroud." He will have copies of his book available
for sale and signing.
The Rev. Robert H. Dinegar of Los Alamos, N.M., is both a retired
Episcopal priest and chemist for the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
A founding member of the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project, he
will discuss his chemical analysis of the shroud for that groundbreaking
project.
Robert Perry of Sedona, Ariz., is a teacher and writer.
He will discuss how researching the shroud has contributed to his
journey of personal faith and his ideas of how the Shroud of Turin
is like a "fifth gospel."
James E. Damon of Bernalillo, N.M., is a semiretired mechanical engineer
who has extensively studied Eastern and Western theologies.
Windisch, who has a background in late Roman and early Christian art,
history and archaeology, will also teach one session. She will discuss
the possible connection between the shroud and a first century catacomb
painting that is allegedly a portrait of Jesus.
Presentation for youth
In addition to the Saturday seminar, there will also be a special
presentation for area youth the evening before at 7 p.m. March 10
at the Family Center of Sacred Heart Cathedral. Lavoie and Perry will
be the speakers. The presentation is free and open to all area youth.
On the two Wednesdays prior to the seminar, films related to the shroud
will be shown in conjunction with the seminar. Both films will be
shown twice each day: noon and 6 p.m. On March 1, "The Great
Debate" will be shown, and on March 8, "In Pursuit of the
Shroud" will be presented.
The registration fee for "The Shroud of Turin Seminar" will
be $20 before March 8 and $25 thereafter. The fee includes breakfast,
snacks, lunch and handouts. Child care and transportation services
will be available for those who make requests in advance.
For more information about any of the seminar events or to register
for the seminar, contact Betsy Windisch at 505/863-4512 or 722-9257
or e-mail at vanhartesveldt@cnetco.com.
| Top |
Zia Pueblo trying to revive ancient art
of basketry
ZIA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — More than a century ago, pueblo people
throughout New Mexico wove yucca, willows and sumac to make baskets
for gathering wood, carrying water, storing seeds and carrying their
children.
But with the advent of steel, tin and plastic, basketry
has slowly diminished in the villages.
One New Mexico pueblo is taking the first steps to revitalize the
ancient art.
Eight people from Zia Pueblo in December visited the School of American
Research, a Santa Fe institute dedicated to advanced study in anthropology,
to re-create traditional techniques from the past...
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3 men arrested in killing
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A man and two brothers have been arrested
in the killing of a teen-ager who was shot last year when gunmen burst
into his Farmington home, authorities said.
Andres Dobbs, 20, Jesse Dickinson, 20, and Josh Dickinson, 22, were
being held Thursday without bond, Farmington police said.
The Dickinson brothers were arrested early Thursday morning at a residence
in Monument and Dobbs was arrested Wednesday night at his parents'
Bloomfield home, police said...
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Area vaccinations slowing some forms
of hepatitis
Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo area Indian Health Service officials may
be ready to declare a complete victory in their efforts to eradicate
hepatitis A on the Navajo Reservation.
In the first nine months of 1999, only one case of the disease was
reported by IHS doctors. Five years ago, the IHS doctors treated 241
cases, and each year since then, the number of cases has decreased
sharply.
Much of the credit for the decrease, said Dr. Doug Peter, chief medical
director for the Navajo area IHS, should go to the IHS's extensive
vaccination program...
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ThaMuseMeant coming to town
Band plays its own brand of 'cosmic Americana'
Staff report
GALLUP — Santa Fe's traveling quartet, Tha Muse Meant, will bring
its rockin' bluegrass jazz sound to El Rancho Hotel at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Describing its style as "Cosmic Americana," the four-member
band blends elements of jam rock, jazz and folk, as well as Irish,
bluegrass, country and swing to create an unusual music experience.
The band's danceable, diverse sound is said to appeal to a wide audience,
from grandparents to teen-agers...
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Shelly wants Thoreau office
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The Navajo Nation Council's Intergovernmental Relations
Committee rejected a proposal Tuesday to open a McKinley County Commissioners
office at the Thoreau Chapter.
County Commissioner Ben Shelly said he wanted to establish an office
at the Thoreau Chapter House so he could be more accessible to his
constituents there.
"This would be more convenient for people instead of having to
come all the way out to McKinley County," Shelly said...
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Locals get opportunity to debate 'Shroud'
Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Special to the Independent
GALLUP — When it comes to the Shroud of Turin, there are only
a few facts that everyone will agree upon. It's a length of linen
cloth, slightly more than 14 feet long and 3 1/2 feet wide. It's at
least 600 years old, and it portrays the image of a bearded man, the
apparent victim of a crucifixion. The rest is up for debate.
That debate has been raging over the years, particularly during the
last century, when technology made leaps and bounds allowing scientific
research never dreamed of in previous times.
Now, thanks to the efforts of a local Christian educator and the Gallup
Area Ecumenical Conference, local residents will have the rare opportunity
to be a part of the contemporary debate and learn more about the current
research into the mysterious shroud...
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Policy cuts utility-hookup time
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A new Navajo Nation policy has sharply cut the
steps and the time needed to hook up homes on the reservation to utilities.
The new policy allows the director of the tribe's Land Department
to approve agreements for connections to homes from the main right
of way.
Previously the agreement had to go through the cumbersome standard
tribal legislative review process...
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Deaths
Lee Tsosie Benally
ROCK POINT, Ariz. — Services for Lee Tsosie Benally, 47, will
be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran
Church. Pastor Howard Gatewood will officate. Burial will follow at
the Rock Point Community Cemetery.
Benally died Feb. 23 in Chinle, Ariz. He was born Jan. 28, 1953 in
Rock Point, Ariz. into the Tangle People Clan for the Edgewater People
Clan.
Benally attended Chinle High School until the 10th grade. He was employed
with the Thriftway company. His talents ranged from carpentry, plumbing,
auto mechanics and electrician. He enjoyed traveling.
Survivors include his wife, Julia T. Benally of Sweetwater, Ariz.;
sons, Max Benally, Duane Benally, Derrick Benally, all of Sweetwater,
Ariz., D. Benally of Bista Land, N.M.; daughters, Serena Benally,
Laverne Benally, Sedina Benally, all of Sweetwater, Ariz.; father,
Lee Benally Sr. of Rock Point, Ariz.; brothers, Tully Nez, Ray Redhouse,
Timothy Benally, all of Rock Point, Ariz.; sisters, Della R. Lee and
Juanita Bainbridge, both of Rock Point, Ariz.; three grandchildren.
Benally was preceded in death by his mother, Anita K. Benally.
Pallbearers will be family members and friends.
The family will receive relatives and friends at the Rock Point Chapter
House.
Tse Bonito Mortuary of Tse Bonito is in charge of the
arrangements.
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