Santa Clara welcomes Americorps and Youth Conservation Corps members to Fort Bayard 041318

Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

At the Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark Theater on Friday, April 13, 2018, the village of Santa Clara welcomed another group of Americorps and Youth Conservation Corps members, who will spend time mothballing more of the deteriorating historic buildings at Fort Bayard.

Santa Clara Trustee Harry "Rocky" Hildebrand welcomed the Americorps members, who hail from all over the country. Mayor Richard Bauch also welcomed them.

"It is so important for us to host this group of young people who are doing important tasks," Bauch said. "The village is privileged to host them for Fort Bayard and the village. The work they will be doing in the village is a step forward to achieving our goals. Hopefully, while they are here, they can learn about the area and its history."

Alexis Johnson, New Mexico General Services Department attorney, also welcomed the group.

"I speak for the governor (Susana Martinez) and the General Services Department," Johnson said. "The General Services Department holds the fort in trust for the state of New Mexico. We are lucky to have people in Grant County and specifically in Santa Clara, as well as in Silver City, Hurley and Bayard to keep an eye on Fort Bayard. We need all of you. The state of New Mexico owes a debt of gratitude to all of you. You will make this place alive. You are breathing life into this fort. Your passion for this fort has impassioned us. It will be a great three months."

Wendy Kent welcomed the YCC members. Bauch said the YCC has already been working for four weeks, building the Mercado in Santa Clara.

Kent said the Youth Conservation Corps was established in New Mexico in 1992. "Since then, we have employed more than 12,000 people. It's exciting to see Santa Clara continuing this legacy."

She said Fort Bayard is extremely important for the state of New Mexico. "I hope the YCC can be part of keeping Fort Bayard alive. We have to continue to restore the fort."

Sheila Hudman, Santa Clara clerk, thanked the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society for providing refreshments for the groups and the participants.

Clara White, of Potosi, Wisc., is the N Triple C (National Civilian Community Corps) Earth 9 group leader.

"We came in on Sunday," White said. "We had orientation on Monday and Tuesday. They showed us around the fort. Dave Chandler showed us around Silver City. Wednesday was our first day to work. We cleaned out three buildings. We will board up the windows, but we haven't gotten the supplies yet for boarding them up. We will also be working at The Volunteer Center with the gardens. We will be helping Kristen Lundgren (TVC co-director) put in a wheelchair accessible area for gardeners. We weeded on Thursday. We will be helping with the Tour of the Gila bicycle race at the corners, Wednesday through Saturday. We will also go down to Deming to the Cesar Chavez Charter School the end of April and first week in May.

"This community is phenomenal," White continued. "Everyone is so welcoming and friendly. I feel like we are a part of Santa Clara. We are housed in the old Armory. We feel very lucky. It is a privilege for us to learn about the fort and to serve a passionate community."

She said this was the third round for the members of the group. "This is an all new team. I served before in Tucson and finished there, two weeks ago. This is our final round, and we are fortunate to end with a great sponsor. We get to compose our own team. We get along well and lift each other's spirits. They are not afraid to be themselves. It's the kindest group I've worked with. We are looking forward to working at Fort Bayard and leaving a positive impact on the community."

The team members include Calvin Clark from Tennesee; Emory Armstrong of West Virginia; Baylee Maloney of Oregon; Crow Mefford of El Paso, Texas; co-leader Ben Reynolds of Lansing, Michigan; co-leader Caitlin Dempsey of Poughkeepsie, New York; Kenya Parker of Jacksonville, Florida; Richie Gold of Garden City, Michigan, and leader White.

The Youth Conservation Corps members are from Grant County. They include YCC coordinator Ian Chapman, crew leader Ben Abeyta, Takoda Cano, Kevin Ortega, Tim Graves and Zyke Ramirez, who was not present that day. They, too, will be working at Fort Bayard and will continue in Santa Clara to finish the Mercado.