Leon Nuvayestewa Sr., a member of the Hopi Tribe Earth Day Planning Committee, shared with the Navajo County Board of Supervisors at the meeting on Nov. 13, how much he and the village people of First Mesa appreciated the contributions of the county for their Earth Day Cleanup, which cleared more than 10 tons of trash from the mesa.
Nuvayestewa said, “When I would walk in the morning, I would see a lot of trash around in the community of Tewa; all the trash that has been out there for ages. Having trash trucks come in is not very native. A long time ago we didn’t have that problem.”
As he shared his concerns with his family, Nuvayestewa, continued, “My wife, Evangeline, who is my backbone, and our daughter, Marissa, created a team that through discipline and responsibility we will preserve the sacredness of our Hopi and Tewa villages.”
The result was the 2018 First Mesa Inaugural Earth Day Clean-Up on April 22 with more than 230 volunteers, young and old, working to bag, sort and dispose of more than 10 tons of trash from the Mesa.
The project took six months to plan and a budget of $120,000 with donations from the tribal communities for trash bins, gloves, masks, as well as donations by Navajo County, Arizona Public Service, Hopi Telecommunications, Rezcycling, Ancestral Lands Hopi and the Hopi Tribe Department of Public Safety and Emergency Services (DPSES).
Due to steep edges of the Mesa, a cliff hanger crew was put together by Hopi Program Coordinator Marshall Masayevsa with the Southwest Conservation Corp. “Marshall coordinated the whole side of the cliff hanger crew because there were some huge safety issues,” said Nuvayestewa. “There were so many layers of trash; we cleaned up to four layers of trash, that is how bad it was for those number of years.”
The cliff hanger crew put together a zip line to carry the bagged trash to the base of the mesa, where it was loaded onto trucks and taken to another area for sorting and cleaning.
Roger Tungovia, director of DPSES, helped to coordinate the Rezcycling team, which was critical to the project because they were able to coordinate the separation of the trash, diverting as much as possible to recycling.
Jack Pongyesva with Rezcycling said, “It was amazing to see the community come together. We were able to divert about a half ton of solid wastes from the landfill. Not only did we help the earth but it was good for everyone. With all the steps, hard work and collaboration, it should be easy it upgrade and make it more efficient next year.”
While the amount of trash collected in one day was impressive, Nuvayestewa expects that it will take six years to fully clean the mesa. One of the big concerns found within the trash were the number of needles. “We found tons of needles,” said Nuvayestewa. “We flagged the needles until we can get someone to help us remove them safely.”
Beyond the cleanup, Nuvayestewa said the goal is to educate the people into the proper disposal of trash and needles and to begin to replant the native plants including the edibles that were part of the Hopi diet for generations.
“If we can come together to clean the earth, then the earth will be better. I am sure the earth is happy that it is clean,” concluded Nuvayestewa. “It’s a long term project, but I am committed and I know my family is committed. I appreciate what the county was able to contribute to our project this past year.”
Supervisor Jesse Thompson said, “You certainly have concerns for the air, land and water, and the future for the young kids. I know some Hopi are deeply involved in agriculture; thank you that you are able to do this and bring it together.”
Vice Chairwoman Dawnafe Whitesinger added, “Thank you for being such great stewards and provide an example to other communities. This was a community initiative; a story that can be shared.”
Chairman Steve Williams said, “I tip my hat to you. You showed great leadership and initiative.” Then added with a smile, “If I were going to be a part of the group, I would want be on the cliff hanger team.”
In other business, the board:
* Approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) and Navajo County Adult Probation Department (NCAPD) for cooperative law enforcement effort. This MOU enables Adult Probation to become a member of the Major Crimes Apprehension Team. NCSO agrees to fund NCAPD overtime expense from RICO in an amount not to exceed $5,000 in a calendar year. This MOU will terminate on June 30, 2019.
* Approved a Department of Public Safety (DPS) MOU for $60,000 for enforcement of Arizona Revised Statute 41-1724. The $60,000 has been designated for NCSO by the state and passed through DPS for enforcement of the ARS which outlines the use of funds for enforcement of immigration, human and drug smuggling, gangs and employer sanction laws.
* Approved an agreement with the Pinal County Superintendent of Schools office to define the responsibilities of the parties in the development of education programs in Juvenile Detention Services.
* Approved the appointment David Meyers to the Northeastern Arizona Local Workforce Development Board to fill a vacant Workforce Representation seat. The appointment will be in effect through June 30, 2021.
* Approved a tax exemption for Jesus R. Chavez for Assessor Parcel Number (APN) 403-74-004 as a request for redemption of waiver.
* Approval of 15 Back Tax Land Parcels sold over the counter in the amount of $5,486.
* Approved the two-year reappointment of Rusty DeSpain and Robinson Honani to serve on the Navajo County Extension Advisory Board.
* Approved the appointment of William Edward McCarver, Michael S. Lackey, Walter Jack Blackman and Daniel Kayde Riverington as Republican Precinct Committeemen for their respective precincts.
* Approved the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety contract for one police package vehicle in the amount of $45,500. The vehicle will enhance driving under the influence/impaired driving enforcement throughout Navajo County.
* Approved a lease agreement with Perfect Printz for a new printer in jail booking. The printer is a 60-month lease including the full monthly maintenance servicing. The annual lease of $4,635 will be paid from Jail Enhancement Funds.
* Approved the appointment of JR DeSpain to the Board of Adjustment representing District Three for a four-year term.
* Approved the Providers Choice Medical Billing contract for the Public Health Nursing Program (PHNP). Hall Resource, the company who has been providing medical billing services for the PHNP, ended their contract. Bids were submitted from other billing companies and Providers Choice was the selected company. The contract will be covered by grant funding.
* Approved MySidewalk Software Contract for dispensing information from the Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan to community and media partners as well as the public. This software platform will be using grant funding. The cost per year is $13,500 for three years of service at a total cost of $40,500.
* Approved the Health Space Software Contract for report tracking of the environmental health program as well as the animal control program. The prior software agreement with ABE ended and this is the new program the Public Health District selected. The program will be paid for with grant funds. The cost include a one-time set up fee for $3,000 with a per year license cost of $5,520 which covers four users.
* Approved the Emergency Preparedness Opioid amendment. Due to the national opioid crisis the Center for Disease Control has provided states with Opioid Misuse and Abuse Prevention monies. These funds have been passed through the Arizona Department of Health Services to the local public health departments to be used to establish linkages to care, enhanced opioid bio surveillance activities and increase awareness of opioid issues in our communities. The amendment is 100 percent grant funded for a total amount of $187,755.
* Approved a liquor license application for Robert Scott Waddle at the Hungry Buffalo, located at 4048 Porter Mountain Road in Lakeside.
* Approved the agreement on three petitions for review of real property valuations located at 4054 Aztec Road in Snowflake, qw80 Snow Creek Trail in Show Low and 1042 School House Lane in Show Low.
