Many Navajos live in remote places far from utilities that most Americans take for granted. Some locals have been traveling to the huge Navajo reservation to bring electric lights to at least a few of those homes.
Bayfield residents Barb and John Wickman and Scot Trinklein have gone on two trips, most recently the weekend of Nov. 14.
Barb Wickman said an estimated 15,000 households on the reservation lack electricity. That means no lights, no well pump, no electric appliances, including a refrigerator, unless they can afford a propane fridge or a generator, she said.
The Navajo Lights Project is a hands-on service project of the four Rotary Clubs in La Plata County, Wickman said. She and Trinklein are members of the Pine River Centennial Rotary Club. The project was initiated by Daybreak Rotary Club member Joe Williams and his best friend Teddy Lopez, who is Navajo and who provided information on homes that needed the lights.
Now all three Durango clubs are involved, and this fall the Pine River members, plus some other groups and churches. Two women who work for tribal social services served as guides to get volunteers to the homes that need the lights, and they communicate with the residents to make sure the visits are okay with them, Wickman said.
"We all drive our own vehicles. We brought our own tools, battery packs and extra packs," she said.
The solar light kits are made by a company in Sweden for people's weekend cabins in the woods. They cost around $300 each. Each installation takes about two hours. There is a small solar panel, around 16 inches square, Wickman said. It charges batteries attached to three lights, rather than charging master batteries for a more conventional off-the-grid system. The kit can power the three lights and a cell phone charger. Otherwise, Navajos charge their phones in their trucks.
Wickman showed maps of the reservation which is in parts of New Mexico, Utah, and mainly Arizona, and is larger than 10 East Coast states. So there is the challenge of a huge area with extremely low population density.
Families living in remote areas have the multiple struggle of getting to schools, jobs, and stores, Wickman said. There are few jobs on the reservation, and many households have very low income. The tribal government has a very low tax base.
Wickman showed pictures of a couple of the homes she worked on. One was an old white travel trailer with holes in the roof. She guessed it was around 16 feet long. The woman who lives there has no car to go for things like water, groceries, health care. The woman's boyfriend was in the hospital. He has diabetes and had injured his elbow. Because he couldn't get to health care, the elbow became infected, and by the time he did get to health care, his arm had to be amputated.
Wickman and fellow crew member Nancy Lauro used one of the holes in the RV roof to install the light kit. Wickman said she also worked to close up the other two holes in the roof, which had been stuffed with newspaper. "People often need additional repairs," she said.
Remote locations aren't the only issue. The white RV was across the road from a power pole, Wickman said, but couldn't hook up to it. That's because service is only available to residents who have documentation of their right to live where they do. Many tribal members don't have that documentation.
Another home they worked on was a portable garden or utility shed being upgraded for an old woman who has been living in a small adobe structure. "She is elderly, (she had) no lights to avoid tripping and falling in the poor light," Wickman said. And she has no indoor plumbing.
Starting in October, crews allied with the Durango Homebuilders Association also have started building handicap ramps to homes that need them.
"They brought all the lumber and tools. Last Saturday, we and Scot did two ramps," Wickman said.
In three years, light project volunteers have done more than 150 light kit installations and spent around $22,000 on the kits, she said. There also are costs for items like conduits and fasteners. The project was assisted with a $6,500 Rotary District Grant, but the project is always looking for financial contributions as well as volunteer workers.
"Funding is a big deal," Wickman said. "There were 15,000 homes without electricity, so we have 14,848 still to do."
