Mouse infested
Rangers want relief from working in a rat hole
Sgt. Aurelia Nez, a ranger for the Navajo Nation Resource Enforcement, looks around at the water damage in a storage room at the ranger station. The building is in a dilapidated state and Nez expressed the difficulties of getting it fixed by the Navajo Nation Facilities Maintenance. Nez noted, "It takes (NNFM) weeks just to replace a florescent bulb." [photo by Daniel Zollinger / Independent]

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The first week of March, a clerk at the office of the Navajo Nation Department of Resource Enforcement was sitting at her desk, typing away, when a mouse ran across her hands.

Every morning when the rangers and staff come into the office, there are mouse droppings on the tables, on the keyboards, and on the phone, according to one of the Window Rock employees. They have to wipe everything down before starting their day.

At night, they set the mousetraps — 10 to 15 of them. In the morning, they come in and empty them. During winter, each of the traps had mice in them. Now, there aren’t as many, perhaps because of warmer weather, or fear of a bigger mousetrap.

During a report this week to Navajo Nation Council, Chief Leonard Butler, director of Resource Enforcement, Raymond Smith Jr., manager for Eastern and Central districts, and Lt. John Dover, commander for Western District and administrative functions in Window Rock, implored Council to help them obtain safe, healthy office space.

“The building that we occupy here, back in the 1960s, was used as a lumber yard,” Butler said. “Some of us older residents remember the building just west of the Fitness Center. I believe it used to be called Navajo Lumber Company.”

The building is predominantly made of tin and looks like an old jail house with bars on the windows, he said. “I don’t believe any kind of professional construction building was part of putting this building together. We’ve had to call tribal maintenance a number of times to fix the plumbing, to fix the electrical, to fix the shingles and metal roof.”

During the time it was being used as a lumber facility, Butler believes that certain chemicals were either intentionally or accidentally poured out near the building.

“Within the foundation area these smells come out when the ground gets warm there under the building,” Butler said.

The chemical smell has, on occasion, caused employees to be come sick, according to Butler and Dover. As if that stench isn’t bad enough, “We’ve had a number of animals that have been hit on the roadway. They go over and reside and die under the building there. We’ve had rodent infestations. We’re not sure what’s underneath the facility itself.”

The building is not up to OSHA standards and is not handicapped accessible, Butler said. “It is a fire hazard. We don’t have any kind of fire alarms in the building itself.” Each individual room is heated by a portable floor heater.

The tin building has been broken into a number of times, but not as one would expect. “They don’t break through the windows, since they’re barred – they break right through the wall. We’ve had a number of burglaries where they’ve taken out a wall. They’ve taken a hatchet or a hammer to it and come through the wall.

“There’s water damage to the facility here in Window Rock, rodent holes, electrical wiring that is exposed. There have been a couple times where Risk Management and Environmental Safety have come down and looked at the building, but there has been no decision made as far as getting everybody out of there or closing down that facility,” he said.

And that’s just the Window Rock building. Resource Enforcement has been using mobile homes for offices at Rock Springs, Shiprock, Crownpoint and Chinle. Each of the offices are in “deplorable condition,” with a combination of rodent infestation, leaking roofs, crumbling floors, etc.

At the Chinle Impoundment Yard, there are three 55 gallon drums left behind by an unknown source.

“Those barrels there have been reported to EPA. We don’t know what it is exactly, and Navajo EPA has not come out to find out what it is,” Butler said.

Peabody Western Coal Co. has renovated part of its Black Mesa office and training building for Ranger use in the Kayenta/Black Mesa area. DRE moved in, in November 2007. The next goal is to provide a radio tower and Internet service so there is better communication with Window Rock headquarters.

“Work should be a comfortable place,” Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan said During Wednesday’s debate over allocating money for a new legislative complex.’

At this point, the Rangers would be happy if it was just rodent-free.

“Anything that we can do to try to get out of those buildings and try to get additional facilities, that’s basically what we’re attempting to do with the information that we’re providing to you today,” Butler told Council delegates.

“We would like to maintain a professional image with our facilities if we can, and place the safety of our employees at the top of the list so they have a safe area in which to work and a safe area in which they can enjoy their job.”

Ranger Smith, who has been with the department 24 years, said, “Even our facility down at the fairgrounds, we constantly come across flooding (inside) during the monsoon season, rodents run around in there, and mold has built up in the building. We just wanted to bring this to your attention.”

“I’ve been inside, all over that place. They do need help to create a better office facility,” Delegate Curran Hannon, who is vice chairman of Resources Committee, attested to the conditions. “I would like to make a directive that the Division of Natural Resources, Resource Committee, even B&F Committee work on the issue and provide a report back to the Council during Summer Session.”

Delegate Leonard Chee also voiced support. “The directive is a beginning for us to begin looking at this, and not just look at, but hopefully bring some resolution to this issue. The ranchers out there really utilize these services.

“Other tribal departments, they close their doors when there are sighting of mouse droppings. But the Rangers have mousetraps set up and every morning they take them out. I was there to witness this.”