Remnants of the last uranium boom are finally being swept away on the Navajo Nation. This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency, begins clean-up on five residential properties in the Four Corners.

The focus will be on radium-contaminated soil on five properties in the Coyote Canyon Chapter of the Navajo Nation, near Gallup. The EPA believes rain and flash floods likely washed contaminated soils from the former Northeast Church Rock uranium mine site into an arroyo and ultimately onto the residential properties. The area’s prevailing winds are also believed to have transported contaminated dust from the mine site.

Last November, EPA workers found elevated levels of radium in surface soils at homes and hogans and determined that soil removal at five of the residential yards was necessary to prevent radium exposure to residents. The EPA will excavate surface soil and replace with clean soil at each residence, and investigate inside the homes to ensure contaminated dust is not present within the structures. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. applauded the agency for helping in the nation’s longstanding quest to recover from uranium mining.

“I would like to thank the U.S. EPA for undertaking these actions to protect our people and our culture,” said Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. “We stood alone up against large uranium development corporations for the longest time, and the Navajo Nation EPA’s persistence in advocating for our safety, our culture and our sovereignty is finally paying off.”

The current effort marks the beginning of a comprehensive clean-up effort. The EPA and the Navajo Nation EPA will continue their assessment and necessary cleanup of the Northeast Churchrock uranium mine site to ensure safety of the local residents. “This is the first of several sites where Navajo Nation EPA and U.S. EPA will undertake aggressive clean up actions, and the majority is associated with historical uranium mining and milling activities,” said Stephen B. Etsitty, executive director for the Navajo Nation EPA.

The 125-acre Northeast Church Rock Mine site operated from approximately 1967 to 1982, and includes two underground uranium shafts, waste piles, several surface ponds, buried waste and sand fill areas. “The U.S. EPA and the Navajo Nation EPA are working together to ensure that personal and cultural needs of the affected residents are properly addressed,” concluded Keith Takata, the EPA’s Superfund Director for the Pacific Southwest region. 

DHS aerospace earns top honor

Local students literally have their heads in the stars. The Durango High School Aerospace Design Team was one of eight teams worldwide to earn a place at the International Space Settlement Design Competition, which takes place in July at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Only three of the eight teams selected were from the United States – Edgewater High School from Orlando, Richard Montgomery High School from Rockville, Maryland, and DHS. Two teams will travel from India, two from Romania and one from Australia to participate in the competition.

The team submitted a 40-page, fully illustrated proposal for a space colony they would build for 10,000 inhabitants in the Asteroid Belt in the year 2067. DHS’ proposal included several design novelties, including use of a quantum entanglement system that would allow instantaneous communication between Earth and the colony. The DHS proposed the new technology based on current research at CalTech.

The past two years, the DHS aerospace team’s proposal placed first in the written preliminary round. The DHS team also beat its main rival, Whitney High School, from Cerritos, Calif., which has been recognized as one of the top public high schools for advanced placement physics and calculus. The Whitney team was not selected for the finals this year.

“The fact that Durango made it this year, and Whitney didn’t, is a huge testimony to the brilliant, futuristic designs of our students, the long hours they put into this specific proposal, and the strength of the DADT tradition at our school,” said Damian Nash, DADT coach.

The 12-member DHS team includes Laurie Hakes, Josh Logan, Tim Schneider, Travis Bruce, Kyle Goncalves, Graham Dudley, Jasper Bolton, Jackson Beall, Cooper Stapleton, Stephen Sebestyn, Chris Young and Anna Ortega.

Stretch of La Plata River revitalized

The La Plata River is thriving and healthier thanks to a cooperative effort.

Mercer Investments LLC recently contacted Aqua Hab, an aquatic systems improvement company, to assist with its Indian Shadow Environmental and Ecological Program. The program is designed to preserve and enhance the history and heritage of the Indian Shadow Ranch property, located in Hesperus. The first project, which was recently completed, involved the reclamation of a 1-mile stretch of the La Plata River. Indian Shadow will eventually be “an environmentally sensitive, shared ranch community and mountain hideaway designed for those who believe in land stewardship.”

The La Plata restoration began with months of collaboration and planning to improve habitat diversity, create depth and, in places, form a singular channel. The work is expected to significantly improve the river’s ability to consolidate low flow, as well as, connect with the floodplain. Corey Sue Hutchinson, a hydrologist, aquatic restoration specialist and President of Aqua Hab, Inc. explained the poor condition of the La Plata, saying, “The River was overly braided, meaning there was excessive gravel deposits, creating wide shallow conditions and poor fish habitat. The project sets the stage for improved function of the La Plata River as well as increasing the fish habitat to at least 20 times its previous capacity.”

According to Tom Mercer, owner of Mercer Investments LLC, the Indian Shadow Environmental and Ecological Program was founded on his belief in developing land in a way that enhances the environment and improves lives. “With better fish and riparian habitat comes better wildlife habitat, which in turn carries over to other areas of the region, bringing quality benefits to everyone,” he said.

Local education gets $1 million boost

The City of Durango recently gave a $1 million leg up to local education. The Durango Early Learning Center and the Durango Regional Learning Center will be the beneficiaries of two Community Development Block Grants sponsored by the City.

Durango Early Learning Center will apply its $450,000 grant toward purchasing the building, located on East Third Avenue, which the preschool has leased for the past 26 years. The property is under contract for $650,000, and various foundations in Colorado have also agreed to contribute to the campaign now that the block grant has been awarded.

The $525,000 awarded to the Durango Regional Learning Center will assist the organization in remodeling the child-care center and Southwest Conservation Corps space at the recently purchased former federal building. Together with the building’s current tenants, Pueblo Community College and San Juan Basin Technical College, the center will offer an opportunity for adults to pursue varying levels of education – from high school equivalency to master’s level.

Sponsorship by the City of Durango made it possible for Durango’s community service organizations to access the Community Development Block Grant, which consists of federal monies.

– compiled by Will Sands