VISTA and SATNAC Summary

Sustainable Adventure Tourism in Native American Communities

The Americorps VISTAS at the Satnac Center have been working since September 2002 to establish partnership connections linking students, teachers, business, civic and tribal leaders in all of the participating communities including: Gallup, Church Rock, Zuni and Navajo Nation. An Advisory Council working toward the original goals outlined under our Vision statement guides our focus and activities. The Vista Vision statement reads: A comprehensive adventure, ecological and cultural tourism development program (includes planning, organization, outreach, marketing, promotion, education, financial planning, and business startups) in which low-income individuals in the region will be assisted in entrepreneurial activities in coordination with Adventure Gallup and Beyond.(AGB)

Our primary goals:

I.                   Establish a regional adventure, ecological and cultural tourism development program for low-income entrepreneurs.

II.                Provide financial planning and management training for low-income entrepreneurs.

III.             Provide business ownership and financial literacy education

IV.            Increase opportunity for K-16 and continuing education in sustainable community development and the free enterprise system.

V.               Link regional partners through a common, coordinated community service development system.

Specific projects and accomplishments:

Satnac center-Began tourism informational catalog about Gallup & Beyond area; collecting brochures and info on tourism related businesses.

Cataloged Community Resource Mobilization teaching modules.

Cataloged Briefcase for Success-Tools and Resources for Financial Asset

Development Initiatives. 

Adapted “How to Plan An Event” guide based on New Zealand model

Developing hospitality notebook/reference based best practices, web 

research, and direct participation in various customer service

workshops.

Hospitality-Attended 3 vastly different Customer Service/hospitality presentations: HospiTotally by John Garcia, Zuni Customer Service by Barbara Wesley, UNM Train the Trainer by Autumn Bell. Also   

reviewed 2 FISH videos. Summarized benefits vs. shortfalls of all

Researched other culturally sensitive, alternative methods of training.  Maintaining Hospitality conversation among partners. Several partners

have expressed support for Hospitality training. Would like to provide area youth with summer job opportunities through Work Force Development as Hospitality Ambassadors in the downtown area and nature guides at Red Rock State Park.

Railfan- Train watching is an area of tourism  interest that Gallup has totally overlooked but yet represents a huge population of tourists. Researched other successful communities that have based the majority of their tourism traffic around train watching or “railfan” guests. Met with Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe Regional Safety Officer David Agee who offered verbal support/expertise to the project. Informal community inquires show sufficient interest to merit further exploration.  Additional meetings needed to garner community-wide support for construction or renovation of train watching platform.

Partnerships-.

Established monthly breakfast meetings between partner tourism agencies: Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Red Rock State Park, Church Rock Tourism Action Committee, InterTribal Ceremonial to facilitate and encourage cooperation and communication for the support of tourism. Made individual calls/face meetings to these partner agencies on weekly basis to maintain relationships and to cultivate opportunities for to work collaboratively on various projects and to identify, research, define, and embellish market niches for micro-enterprise development in relationship to the tourism industry. Explored bundled advertising costs for partners and encouraged partners to take advantage of shared costs or bulk promotions. Led to shared costs on billboards, banners and production of newspaper style guide. Wrote and received two Lodger’s Tax grants for partners total value $10,000 to be used for advertising & promotion..

El Rancho Book -Researched and currently writing New Mexiico Historical Records Grant  which will be used to produce book on Nationally Registered Historic hotel. The book will be marketed to tourists with profits used to restore the Historical Landmark. 

EGDE-Collaborating with local agencies (Human Services, Department of Vocational Rehab, Battered Families Navajo Nation TANF, Small Business Development Center and others) to recruit low- income students for various UNM EDGE training programs.

Community Pantry- Completed the agency inspections for the Pantry, submitted a McCune grant for $100,000 and working on another McCune grant for $100,000 (both to support the building of the new building). Creating surveys to distribute to Pantry patrons to assess their food preferences and their shopping habits/hunger situation. Researching the idea of a broad Community Food Assessment that could possibly be conducted through neighborhood meetings.

Community Gardens- Sponsored by the Community Pantry, a series of gardens have been planned with some already being worked. These are multi-faceted with the primary purposes being to alleviate hunger in Gallup and McKinley County and to promote food security. The two main projects that will be undertaken for this year will be the Juvenile Detention Center Garden, as an educational tool and to produce food for the Pantry, and the cold-frame project at the high school. The gardens are to be staffed by high school students, YCC members, youth employed under the Youth Workforce Development Act and youth under the Children, Youth and Families Division of the Department of Justice.  In its first year the JDC garden produced fantastic crops of onions and potatoes, which were distributed through a Farmer’s Market set up and organized by the Vistas during the community wide event Ancient Way Fall Festival, (another UNM-Service Learning-Vista project). In addition to the service learning value of the gardens, each participant gains personal gardening skills. This project has created partnerships between the Community Pantry (which provides service for low-income families), the High School, local government, the University and volunteers anxious to learn more about gardening. We also look forward to using the gardens as starter beds for beautification projects such as planting sunflowers at the Playground of Dreams or as wildflower seed gardens. There has been so much interest shown in xeriscaping or high desert gardening, we anticipate opportunities to offer seminars or classes on this subject, which should attract regional interest. We are also exploring demonstration gardens for purposes of showcasing both traditional Native American practices and “new” practices-such as no-till and lasagna gardening (this involves the use of the garden for workshops, classes, seminars, etc).

Builders without Borders-A straw-bale coalition has been established and is meeting regularly to encourage green building concepts and awareness programs for alternative and sustainable building /construction /method/ materials. We are planning a spring demonstration workshop.

Gallup Trails 2010- Advisory Board formed representing broad-based community support and multi-uses of trails by hikers, bikers, horseback riders. Based on a very successful model in Durango, Colorado: Trails 2000, this organization has been the workforce behind all aspects of trail development associated with Adventure Gallup & Beyond at Red Rock State Park, Mentmore/Gamerco area and HOPE, an Urban Trail linking neighborhoods throughout the city. Additionally, important partnerships have been developed with Trails 2000 and National Park Service Rivers and Trails. Currently writing grants that will help support further development of trails. Securing assistance to outline legal easements on Gamerco/Mentmore Trails.

Church Rock Chapter Tourism Action Committee- Under the leadership of the Navajo Nation Tourism Department, Church Rock Chapter Representatives and a VISTA Local Coordinator, the goals of this community based team are to determine the impact and direction of tourism specifically in the Church Rock area which surrounds the Red Rock State Park; to develop a strong network of support and participation in the tourism assessment, planning and implementation process; and to develop and articulate a vision for the future of this community. CRCTAC has been networking with the following: CR Land Use Committee, Church Rock Chapter House, Adventure Gallup & Beyond, Trails 2010, Builders without Borders(straw-bale), SATNAC, and Breakfast Hospitality and Tourism Group. Coordinated community youth for trash pick up on Make A Difference Day. Working to articulate a MOA between CRCTAC, Gallup Trails 2010 and Red Rock State Park. Started a Laundry/Literacy program at Church Rock Academy in the hopes of bringing parental involvement into the school. Uniting youth & elders to plan for community based tourism; Writing a tourism feasibility plan for the Chapter

Church Rock Steering Committee- A committee which includes Vistas, chapter representatives and community members is developing 3 prong planning approach for Church Rock Chapter area: education, economic development, and trails. Seeking placement for “Bring it Home”  a Navajo tourism booth used at Winter Olympics. The CRSC is in the initial phases of developing Indian Youth Market in cooperation with Gallup Area Arts Council to provide summer entrepreneurial opportunities for youth.

Junior Achievement and Youth Involvement in Adventure Gallup and Beyond (AGB) Junior Achievement is a K-12 curriculum designed to teach students about business, economics, and the free enterprise system. This program focuses on entrepreneurship and success skills. It is important for AGB to espouse these efforts in recruiting volunteer/mentors to teach the classes as well as request funding from local businesses. This year we will reach over 1000 students in Gallup and McKinley County and hope to increase this number next year.  The support from AGB for this program will encourage youth to start up small businesses. We propose that the AGB executive director/owner become a member of the Gallup Board of Directors for Junior Achievement as well as sustain the program by providing volunteers to teach the classes.  Tying together seamlessly with the JA program is the Small Business Development Center’s Summer Youth Entrepreneurship Program, which provides students with $200 scholarships to start up a summer business. Youth are also offered a market forum through a collaboration developed by VISTAS between Gallup Area Arts Council and Church Rock Steering Committee. Would like to see more opportunities for students to be a part of AGB projects and activities, possibly including youth trips to go rock climbing and mountain biking on weekends.