PINE HILL, N.M. - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall was in rural Western New Mexico to celebrate the grand opening of the Oso Vista Ranch Project office expansion in Pine Hill and discuss the importance of federal support for community farm projects and new initiatives to expand telehealth and broadband access to the Ramah Navajo and Ramah areas.
At the event, Udall heard from Oso Vista Ranch Project officials, Native Foods and the El Morro Valley Cooperative on how federal development grants have empowered healthier communities in the Pine Hill area. Oso Vista recently received a $50,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Enterprise Grant to establish a small blue corn processing facility, a Ramah Navajo farmer's market and educational workshops for area growers. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Udall is a long-time supporter of the USDA Rural Development program.
Udall also toured a community farm with Randy Chatto of Native Foods to learn more about how the organization helps Ramah Navajo community members grow native vegetables and make native foods like blue corn. For photos of the visit, click here .
Second, Udall heard from community members about ways he could support their goals to expand broadband Internet access and utilize its capabilities for telehealth technologies. The Ramah Navajo community, which has little to no broadband Internet access, is currently applying for a USDA Community Connect grant to bring 100 Mbs of broadband access to the remote areas. Udall has been a leading advocate for expanding broadband in rural areas and has worked for many years to add more access to tribal communities.
"Today is about more than a new building, it's about celebrating the collaboration taking place here," Udall said. "Smart investments and partnerships like the ones we are seeing in Pine Hill are empowering Native American and rural communities, and I am so proud of the work you are all doing. By working together, we can build more healthy communities while growing our economy all over rural New Mexico."
During the day's program, Udall gathered with local elected officials, representatives from the Ramah Navajo School Board, Ramah Navajo Chapter House, Pine Hill Clinic and the public. Ms. Ramah Navajo Princess, Leilani Charley, offered a traditional song for guests and the Ramah Veterans Honor Guard presented the posting of colors.
"We are so grateful that Senator Udall made the trip to our rural community to help us celebrate the grand opening of our expanded offices," said Margaret Merrill, Executive Director of the Oso Vista Ranch Project. "He understands the needs of these frontier areas and sees our proposal to bring broadband Internet access to the Ramah Navajo area as a fundamental link for both education and business development. He is very concerned about the loss of providers at our community health clinic and believes that for an area as remote as ours, telemedicine is the answer. Senator Udall's presence at our celebration made the day very memorable for us all."
With enhanced broadband access, Oso Vista plans to provide distance learning classes for Ramah Navajo and Ramah area residents through real-time classroom connections at NMSU-Grants. This would allow the community to add certification and continuing education classes to build the capacity for more jobs in the area and lower the high unemployment rates. It would also allow the Pine Hill Clinic to operate at full capacity, keep essential healthcare service in the community and allow field health workers and EMTs to increase the level of care given to area residents, utilizing telehealth technology with doctors from UNM Hospital in Albuquerque, a national leader in telehealth.
"I have been a strong advocate for expanding both telehealth and broadband because of the potential it can have on communities like Ramah," Udall said. "I am very proud to see everyone coming together to help one another and I look forward to working with them to help expand these promising projects."
Pine Hill encompasses communities in the Zuni River Watershed, made up of Pine Hill, Mountain View, Village of Ramah, El Morro and the Pueblo of Zuni. It is about 55 miles southeast of Gallup.
