If you do not already know, on Thursday, February

14, 2013, people across the world participated in

One Billion Rising, an activist movement to bring

global attention to the epidemic of violence against

women and girls. One Billion Rising began as a

call-to-action based on the staggering statistic that

one in three women, or one billion in the world,

will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. The

worldwide movement emphasizes that this vio-

lence must end, and on Valentine’s Day, it became

the biggest mass global action to end violence

against women and girls in history.

Executive Director of EcoServants, Stephen

Carter, read about the movement one day, and

after running into Coleen Widell, Executive Direc-

tor of H.E.A.L., they discussed the possibility of

hosting an event in Ruidoso. As you may or may

not know, domestic violence is an issue that hits

close to home for our community, and after a core

group of volunteers came together and committed

themselves to the cause, the support grew with

much momentum and people from all walks of

life came together to make the event a success.

And that is what this movement is all about, com-

ing to realize that this culture of violence is not

particular to any culture, age, class, or region, that

instances of violence are not isolated and that we

all must take part in ending it.

Seeing how many people came out to show

their support was validating, and the effort put in

by volunteers was inspiring. Considering the rela-

tively short month of preparation before the event,

everything was well organized and came together

cohesively. H.E.A.L. Board of Directors members,

Josie Powell and Julie Gilliland, as well as Coleen

Widell, Stephen Carter, and the H.E.A.L. staff got

the word out with a combination of flyers, radio

spots and newspaper articles. With the help of

several volunteer dance instructors, participants

were able to learn the dance steps at different loca-

tions around town. Anne Wilson held daily classes

at ENMU in the days prior to the event, and Ste-

phen Carter even got us EcoServants and several

other community members to flash mob the Vil-

lage Council meeting the Tuesday before to gain

more awareness after a practice at Ruidoso Public

Library. What’s even better is that Gloria Sayers,

Village Councilor, attended the practice session

ONE BILLION RISING—RUIDOSO

Spring 2013

Volume 2, Issue 2

One Billion Rising Ruidoso, NM

1

B.L.M. Recognition

2

Saint Baldrick’s Foundation

3

N.C.C.C Visit 4

Hiring for Y.C.C. 4

Thank You 6

Inside this issue:

EcoServants, estab-

lished in 2004 to

support cave preser-

vation, has been in-

volved in many pro-

jects serving the

Lincoln County com-

munity. These pro-

jects include men-

toring Ruidoso’s

youth, providing

summer work, build-

ing and maintaining

trails with Lincoln

County, supporting

community clean-

ups, aiding disaster

relief efforts, recy-

cling education,

community gardens

and helping other

local nonprofits.

EcoServants Update

and after expressing doubt about whether it was

appropriate for her to join, I was happy to see her

jump up and do just that. When Thursday came

around, EcoServants picked up the stage generous-

ly being borrowed from Spencer Theater and set it

up at Wingfield Park. DJ Pete showed up soon after

and had music playing to get the event started.

The next hour consisted of people arriving

and being donned with purple ribbons, several vol-

unteer dance instructors giving last minute lessons,

photographers and reporters asking questions, and

occasionally tourists meanderingly interested and

dragging along their friends and family. One group

of which I heard say to their friend, “What did you

bring us to? This is cool!”

Throughout, Coleen Widell spoke to the

crowd over the P.A., “Here is what I want us to

think about while we dance to ‘Respect’. I want us

to remember that we are gathering here today to

stand against violence towards women and girls

and men and boys. We’re against violence in this

community, period.” With a good sized turnout, it

was motivating to see Coleen Widell speak so pas-

sionately and empowering to see the crowd join

with such enthusiasm. During the dance was the

height of attendance and some of us later estimated

the total of attendees somewhere close to 200, sur-

passing what other New Mexico cities of larger

populace had attending, further showing our com-

munity’s dedication to end violence. As the event

winded down, many hugs were given, and people

left with a feeling of hope, knowing that by coming

together as a community, real change can be made.

Coleen Widell while giving closing remarks said

this, “‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I

cannot change.’ You know, I don’t like that. I real-

ly don’t like that, because it makes me feel power-

less. So today as we stand here saying, ‘No More

Violence in Lincoln County,’ how about if we say

it like this, ‘We are no longer accepting what we

cannot change. Instead, we are changing what we

do not accept.’”

To lean how you can help end

domestic violence in Lincoln

County, visit

www.helpendabuseforlife.org

EcoServants spent part of Ameri-

Corps Week in Albuquerque for an

American Red Cross training on

Shelter Fundamentals.

The exercise in Shelter

Fundamentals was held by the

American Red Cross in New Mexi-

co in conjunction with the Ameri-

Corps National Preparedness and

Response Corps. The evaluators

were all Red Cross volunteers from

Albuquerque and Farmington. Oth-

er participants in the training repre-

sented RWTC teams from Sandia

National Labs and NM Gas Compa-

ny from Albuquerque. There are a

few things to consider when operat-

ing a shelter, and for things to run

Shelter Fundamentals

B.L.M. Recognition

Page 2 EcoServants Update Volume 2, I ssue 2

B.L.M. Volunteer Recognition award

presented to Executive Director,

Stephen Carter, for outstanding

achievements as a volunteer. Part

of the award included a multi-tool

(for multi-faceted volunteers!), and

a NPS an annual park pass (??)

smoothly responsibilities are broken

into three core categories: registra-

tion, dormitory, and material support.

All parts of the shelter work together

cohesively, and volunteers frequently

change what area they work in on a

shift-to-shift basis, meaning all mem-

bers must be well versed in every

aspect of shelter operations. Covering

procedures is important, and knowing

what goes into opening a shelter will

make us better prepared to assist in

any disasters to come.

After Little Bear Fire in June

2012, EcoServants Executive Direc-

tor, Stephen Carter, was a spontane-

ous volunteer at the Red Cross shelter

and began looking for ways to assist

in the natural disasters that Lincoln County

faces on a fairly regular basis. At the Nation-

al AmeriCorps Conference in Chicago, he

was able to link up with the Albuquerque

Red Cross and begin the process of becom-

ing the first New Mexico AmeriCorps pro-

gram that is an American Red Cross – Ready

When the Time Comes team. EcoServants

has also joined to respond nationally with the

Red Cross through the Disaster Services

Human Resource Connection.

We are very excited to be a part of

American Red Cross – RWTC, as it will

allow us to be of assistance to Lincoln Coun-

ty during wildfire, flooding, and freezing

disasters such as we have had since 2008.

To learn more about American

Red Cross, visit

www.redcross.org

On January 30, 2013, EcoServants drove down to the Roswell Field Office

of the Bureau of Land Management to receive recognition for outstanding

volunteerism. During 2012, EcoServants completed a total of 12,200 hours

of service for the B.L.M with the combined efforts of EcoRangers/

AmeriCorps 2011-2012 crew, NCCC Southwest Region from March to

May, NMYCC from June to August, and the full-time effort of Executive

Director Stephen Carter and Program Director Paula Hendrickson year

round.

Memorable projects for the B.L.M during 2012 included: restor-

ing and painting Eddy building in Fort Stanton, attending Trail-Master

training course, working on trails Capitan Overlook, Zamora, and others

that were part of the 12 Hours In the Wild West bike race.

Saint Baldrick’s

Page 3 EcoServants Update Volume 2, I ssue 2

St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity with a

mission to find cures for childhood cancers and to give survi-

vors long and healthy lives. As the largest funder of child-

hood cancer research grants except the U.S. government, a

grant review system insures funding to only the best research.

And by funding cooperative research through the Children’s

Oncology Group, they give children nationwide access to the

very latest in research and clinical trials.

All types of childhood cancer combined receive only

four percent of U.S. federal funding for cancer research and

as where about 60% of all funding for drug development in

adult cancers comes from pharmaceutical companies, almost

none is allocated for childhood cancer drugs because they are

not profitable. With this in mind, Tim Kenny issued a chal-

lenge to his colleagues John Bender and Enda McDonnell in

1999: how will you give back in return for your own good

fortune? In 2000, an annual St. Patrick’s Day party, held at

Jim Brady’s pub in Manhattan, becomes the first St. Bal-

drick’s event. The goal of shaving seventeen heads and rais-

ing $17,000 turned in 19 bald heads and $104,000 donated to

fund the research of the Children’s Oncology Group. With

thirty-seven head-shaving events in the spring of 2002, more

than $1 million is raised. Firefighters, police

officers, and military troops were always a big

part of St. Baldrick’s, and by 2003, thousands

add head-shaving events as part of their pub-

lic service with events across the U.S. The St.

Baldrick’s Foundation was created in 2004, to

maximize the effort. Priorities are spending as

little as possible to raise each dollar and mak-

ing sure every donation goes to the best re-

search. In the foundation’s first year $5.3 mil-

lion was raised to go to cooperative research

of the Children’s Oncology Group. Growth

continues and in 2007, $12.9 million is raised

by over 18,000 shavees at 402 events. Last

year in 2012, volunteers raised more than $30 million, and with

record-setting fundraising efforts the foundation reached a

milestone - $100 million in childhood cancer research grants

since 2005.

On March 17, 2013, the Ruidoso Fire Department

joined in the efforts by hosting a St. Baldrick's event, and

whether you decided to shave your head, volunteer or donate,

you were a part of the effort. A total of 54 people shaved their

heads and the fundraising goal was surpassed with $2,355

raised. Volunteer Event Organizer, Michael Friberg, is respon-

sible for bringing this great event to our community. And by

doing so, not only does he honor children everywhere, but also

his own family who know well the struggle of battling child-

hood cancer.

And the story is far from over. With each passing

milestone, human lives are being dramatically improved

through the support of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The con-

tinued momentum of this effort relies on volunteers.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Hinojos/Ruidoso News

Discover how you can help in the efforts to

conquer childhood cancer, and learn more

about the Saint Baldrick’s Foundation, at

www.stbaldricks.org

The National Conservation Community

Corps (NCCC), or AmeriCorps NCCC, is

an AmeriCorps program that engages 18-

24 year olds in team-based national and

community service in the United States.

NCCC teams complete four different six

to eight week long projects during their

ten month term of service. Members are

required to complete a minimum of 1,700

service hours, though members average

about 1,850 hours, to receive a scholar-

ship of 5,500 upon completion. The mis-

sion of the NCCC program is “to strength-

en communities and develop leaders

through team-based national and commu-

nity service.”

The NCCC program was loosely

based on the depression-era Civilian Con-

servation Corps (CCC), although unlike

the original CCC, the NCCC was not cre-

ated to be a public work relief program,

but rather was designed to help communi-

ties meet self-identified needs through

service projects and develop leadership

skills in its participants. While some of the

primary motivations cited at the inception

of AmeriCorps NCCC has changed and

evolved, the basic focus has still remained:

environment, education, public safety,

disaster relief, and disaster services. Pro-

jects fall into one or more of five areas:

disaster response, infrastructure improve-

ment, environmental stewardship and con-

servation, energy conservation, and urban

or rural development. Teams frequently

work with non-profit organizations, tutor

students in public schools, and build trails.

On April 1, 2013, ten crewmem-

bers from the Southwest Region Campus

in Denver, Colorado will join us in Lin-

coln County. NCCC crews have been a

recurring theme every spring since 2008

for EcoServants during their “shuffle”

period, in which they get to choose which

community they travel to. The NCCC

Southwest Region works in eight states

N.C.C.C Visits Lincoln County

Now Hiring For Youth Conservation Corps

Page 4 EcoServants Update Volume 2, I ssue 2

Attention youth ages 17-25! Need a full-time summer job?

Need money for school?

Need skills?

Get all three with EcoServants and Youth Conservation Corps!

Pay starts at $8.00 an hour and you’ll receive a college

scholarship up to $1,175. College Credits also available.

Must work nine 40-hour work weeks and be a full time New

Mexico Resident

Applications available online at www.ecoservants.org

or come by the office at

1204 Mechem Dr. Suite #3

Call Stephen Carter at (575) 808-1204 for more information

Applications Due 5/17/2013

Work begins 6/4/2013

EcoServants and National

Conservation Civilian Corps

(NCCC) build trail in Fort

Stanton.

(CO, NM, AZ, TX, OK, KS, AR,

MO), and it means a lot for them to

choose to donate their time and ser-

vice to Lincoln County, NM. Their

crew will be here working for six to

eight weeks, and during this time

they are also encouraged to reach out

to other local nonprofits for a variety

of service projects. In the past NCCC

crews have helped build trail in Fort

Stanton, worked at Hondo Commu-

nity Garden, improved parks in

Ruidoso during 2012 AmeriCorps

Week, attended Earth Day 2012, and

put in a solid day at Smokey Bear

Ranger Station Community Garden

helping with season preparation.

Projects this year that they will be a

part of are: restoring trails in White

Mountain Wilderness, participation

in Mayor Recognition Days, volun-

teering for 12 Hours In The Wild

West bike race, and of course trail-

building in Fort Stanton.

Update on EcoStudents, RMS After-School

Page 5 EcoServants Update Volume 2, I ssue 2

Salinas Valley Pueblos (from Dept. of Interior)

In the stones of the Salinas Valley

pueblo ruins are faint echoes of the

communities that lived there 300

years ago. Before they left the area in

the 1670’s, Pueblo Indians forged a

stable agricultural society whose

members lived in apartment-like com-

plexes and participated, through rule

and ritual, in the cycles of nature. Two

ancient southwestern cultural tradi-

tions, the Ancestral Puebloans (often

called Anasazi) and Mogollon, over-

lapped in the Salinas Valley to pro-

duce the later societies at Abo, Gran

Quivira, and Quarai. These groups

had roots as far back as 7,000 years

ago and were themselves preceded by

nomadic Indians who may have ar-

rived as early as 20,000 years ago.

As the southwestern cultures

evolved, better agricultural techniques

from Mexico and the migration of

Tompiro- and Tiwi-speaking peoples

from the Rio Grande spurred the

growth of settlements in the Salinas

Valley. By the 900’s substantial

Mogollon villages flourished here.

The dwellers practiced minimal

agricultural supplemented by hunt-

ing and gathering, made a simple

red or brown pottery, and lived in

pit houses, and later, above-ground

jacales of adobe-plastered poles.

By the late 1100’s the Anasazi

tradition from the Colorado Plat-

eau, introduced through the Cibola

(Zuni) district and Rio Grande

pueblos, began to assimilate the

Mogollon. The contiguous stone-

and-adobe home of the Anasazi

represented the earliest stage of the

pueblo society later encountered by

the Spanish. Over the next few

hundred years the Salinas Valley

became a major trade center and

one of the populous parts of the

Pueblo world, with perhaps 10,000

or more inhabitants in the 1600’s.

Located along major trade routes,

the villagers were both producers

and middle-men between the Rio

Grande villages and the plains

tribes to the east. They traded maize, pinon

nuts, beans, squash, salt, and cotton goods for

dried buffalo meat, hides, flints and shells.

By 1300 the Anasazi culture was

dominant, although the Salinas area always

lagged behind the Anasazi heartland to the

north in cultural developments. Brush-and-

mud jacales had evolved into large stone com-

plexes, some with hundreds of rooms, sur-

rounding kiva-studded plazas. Besides the

plants already mentioned, the inhabitants ate

wild plants, raised turkeys, and hunted rabbits,

deer, antelope, and bison. They wore breech

cloths, bison robes, antelope and deer hides,

and decorative blankets of cotton and yucca

fiber. Turquoise and shell jewelry, obtained by

trade brightened rituals. The Spaniards were

impressed by the Pueblos’ weaving, basket-

making, and fine black-on-white pottery, a

technique the Salinas people borrowed from

the Rio Grande people who drew what was

useful from more advanced groups. But strong

influences from the Zuni district, the Spanish

explorers, and deteriorating relations with the

Apaches to the east radically altered pueblo

life. In the 1670s the Salinas villages were

abandoned, and their peoples dispersed.

As you may already know, since Oc-

tober, EcoServants has begun an after

school program at the Ruidoso Mid-

dle School every Wednesday after-

noon. EcoServants mission for this

program is, “to strengthen communi-

ties by enhancing and enriching our

youth through learning activities set

towards common goals.”

Since we began this program,

it has taken more time and work to get

it to take off as well as we had hoped,

especially in terms of student partici-

pation. The EcoStudents program

starts at 2pm and goes until 3:15, this

is the time when teachers are in meet-

ings and all students involved in

sports are to report to the commons

area for study hall or to participate

with EcoServants. To attract a lot of

the students, I like to start off with an

icebreakers game to get everyone

comfortable with the group. This usu-

ally involves tag, partner relay,

etc., and normally will get up to

30 students interested when they

see us playing games.

Before we move on to

another game, and since we al-

ready have them in a group, we

like to share some type of educa-

tional information. As an exam-

ple, since wild-land fires are such

a risk in our area, we share with

them fire preparedness techniques

and encourage them to learn more

as well as share this information

with their families. As soon as

we do anything that seems a little

bit educational though, we tend to

lose a few of the students. Be-

cause of obstacles like this,

EcoServants came together to

figure out ways we can keep the

students interested as well as get

our messages across to them.

Thoughts on this were to try to come up with

teambuilding games that subtly teach them new

things, and to allow time for physical activity such

as games. As we all know, teaching children to

live an active lifestyle instead of sedentary is be-

coming increasingly important. We need to keep

in mind that they have been in class all day and

have lots of energy built up, so anything too simi-

lar to their previous classes makes them pretty

wary.

This is only the first year for the EcoStu-

dents program, and it remains a work in progress.

My personal goal for the future is for it to become

more of a hands-on class. This would help stu-

dents get volunteer hours, experience, as well as

opening up doors to more possibilities in their

own lives.

Primary Business Address

1204 Suite #3 Mechem Dr.

Ruidoso, NM 88345

Mailing Address

PO Box 1723

Ruidoso, NM 88355

We’re on the Web!

ecoservants.org

facebook.com/ecoservants.nonprofit

Dear Lincoln County Community:

Thank you so much for your support and involvement.

Our EcoRanger mission statement is to directly engage the com-

munity through service towards a more sustainable future.

Through our many projects we strive to focus on that mission

statement.

With the generous support of the people from the community,

we will be able to work toward a brighter future with programs

such as disaster relief efforts, fire restoration, GPS mapping and

of course recycling, gardening, and continuing to build trails.

For more information on how your donation can help to make a

difference in the lives of so many in our community, we invite

you to visit our website at www.ecoservants.org and follow us on

Facebook @ facebook.com/ecoservants.nonprofit and Twitter

@ twitter.com/ecoservants. You can also find information there

on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Please feel free

to contact us at ecoservants@gmail.com.

Thank you again, and we look forward to your continued

support.

Sincerely,

EcoRangers 2012-2013

Thank you to our supporters!

Phone: (575) 808-1204

E-mail: ecoservants@gmail.com

“Directly engaging the community through

service towards a more sustainable future.”