A-6 THE NEW MEXICAN Saturday, October 9, 2010

LOCAL NEWS Herrera:

Salazar
River gets a checkup staged
burglary
Students test
Rio Grande quality
By Staci Matlock
The New Mexican

On Oct. 6, students from the

Santa Fe Indian School and about
60 other youth groups took the
largest known single-day mea-
sure of the Rio Grande’s health.
Students took water samples
at various locations along the
1,885-mile river, from its headwa-
ters in Colorado to Boca Chica,
Texas, where it meets the Gulf
of Mexico. On Friday, the SFIS
students handed over their water
samples to volunteers from the
Rio Grande International Study
Center in Laredo, Texas, who
are making their way down the
length of the river in a “relay” to
collect samples and data. The
“Rio Research Roundup and
Relay” was held as part of the
16th annual Dia del Rio celebra-
tion.
Four students in Mark Eric-
son’s environmental science
class at SFIS gathered the sam-
ples along the Rio Grande where
it passes through Cochiti Pueblo.
Ericson’s class has a long-stand-
ing relationship with Cochiti
Pueblo and other pueblos along
the river, working on environ-
mental projects. “The Rio Relay
seemed like a good thing for our
kids to participate in and it fits
with our curriculum,” Ericson
said.
Each student tested for differ-
ent measures of water health.
“I was testing for turbidity to
see how cloudy the water is due
to erosion,” said Irvin Pino, SFIS
junior from Zia Pueblo. “I placed
a stick on the bottom of a bucket
and used a ‘scale’ to measure tur-
bidity. If we barely see the stick
on the bottom, it tells us there’s a
lot of erosion.”
Pino’s analysis? The Rio
Grande was “kind of muddy.”
Devonna Edmonds, a junior
from Ohkay Owinge Pueblo, said
it was the first time they had col-
lected water samples. “I was test-
ing for iron and copper,” she said.
Steven Poviaua, also a junior
from Ohkay Owinge, was
responsible for measuring the
levels of coliform bacteria in his
samples. “I learned a lot,” he said,
noting water quality is a big con-
cern for pueblos along the Rio
Grande.
The students said participating
in the project has given them a
deeper appreciation for the Rio
Grande. They said they were sur-
prised to learn about the number
of ways the river becomes pol-
luted.
Malcolm Vigil, a senior from
Jemez Pueblo, said he was
excited to participate in such a
Jay Johnson Castro, right, a Texas college student in charge of the water collection, along with
Felicity Broennan of the Santa Fe Watershed Association, speak to Santa Fe Indian School science
students who gathered samples from the Rio Grande on Wednesday. The collection is part of a
massive water quality testing project along the 1,800-mile river. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN
large project with so many other
students from other schools. “I
want to pursue a degree in envi-
ronmental sciences,” said Vigil,
who tested river samples for pH
and temperature. “I want to go
back and work at my pueblo and
see how the water quality is and
how we can improve it.”
Ericson, who has taught sci-
ence at SFIS for 24 years, works
on projects determined by com-
munity partners in pueblos such
as Cochiti, Tesuque and others.
“We focus on current, relevant
issues in the community,” Eric-
son said.
“It is interdisciplinary. There
is environmental field work,
history, culture. There’s an eco-
nomic component. And water is
one of the main issues my class
focuses on studying watersheds,
water quality, water rights.”
Students from the Rio Grande
School in Santa Fe and Pecos
High School also participated
in the Rio Research Roundup
Students Steven Poviaua and Devonna Edmonds examine water
samples from the Rio Grande in Cochiti Pueblo. COURTESY PHOTO
water sampling.
The Rio Research Roundup “is
designed as an educational expe-
rience to promote watershed
unity and awareness,” according
to information about the project.
Student data, videos, and com-
munity outreach PowerPoints
will be linked to the Dia del Rio
website at www.diadelrio.com.
Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055.
Secretary of state says former
employee is trying to smear her
By Steve Terrell
The New Mexican
Secretary of State Mary Herrera said Friday she
believes last week’s burglary of the Española law office
belonging to her former elections director was faked
to make her look bad.
Española police are investigating
an Oct. 1 break-in of A.J. Salazar’s
law office. Salazar is a former dep-
uty district attorney who worked
as state elections director until he
abruptly resigned in March after
claiming that Herrera had violated
laws and politicized the office.
Police have not named any sus-
pects in the break-in and the case
remains open.
“I find it kind of strange that the “ If Mary Her-
rera wants to
only thing missing was his income pit her credibil-
taxes and documents related to the
ity up against
secretary of state. It sounds kind
of suspicious to me,” Herrera said mine, I’m more
than happy
Monday.
Asked whether she thought to do so. She
Salazar had staged his own bur- knows that I
glary, Herrera replied, “Yes.” was unwilling
Salazar on Friday responded, to perpetrate
“If Mary Herrera wants to pit her
credibility up against mine, I’m a crime when I
more than happy to do so. She worked for her.
knows that I was unwilling to That’s why I left
perpetrate a crime when I worked her office.”
for her. That’s why I left her office.
A.J. Salazar
I’m not going to start perpetrating
former state
crimes now by filing false police elections
reports.” director
Salazar said he has never
accused Herrera of being respon-
sible for the burglary.
Herrera repeatedly has said that Salazar and other
former employees who have accused her of wrongdo-
ing are trying to hurt her re-election effort. She faces
Republican Dianna Duran in the November election.
Salazar resigned in March, writing a blistering res-
ignation letter that accused Herrera of violating New
Mexico’s Governmental Conduct Act and election laws.
Herrera on Friday reiterated her claim that Salazar
got angry and quit after she denied him vacation time.
E-mails from the office show there was such a request
that was denied, but that relations between Herrera
and Salazar had become tense.
Salazar accused Herrera of soliciting donations to
sponsor workshops from companies that contract
with her office. He also said she’d conducted business
for her re-election campaign in her state office. Her-
rera has denied wrongdoing.
Salazar talked to the attorney general and to the FBI
about his accusations. No charges have been filed.
Months after Salazar retired, Herrera fired two other
top members of her management team after they
talked to the FBI about similar accusations.
Those employees as well as Salazar are represented
by Española lawyer Rudy Martin, who is Salazar’s law
partner.
Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@
sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at
roundhouseroundup.com.

In brief
Christus Health Systems
settles with government
Christus Health Systems has paid the federal
government $971,000 to settle whistle-blower
allegations that several of its hospitals in Texas
and Louisiana fraudulently billed Medicare for
ineligible costs and expenses and failed to dis-
close overpayments.
The Houston-based Christus operates more
than 40 hospitals and facilities in eight states,
including Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical
Center, though the allegations predate the merger
with the Santa Fe hospital.
The settlement resolves a whistleblower’s
lawsuit that alleged fraudulent Medicare billings
as far back as 1988. The lawsuit had been under
seal until this month. Christus Health paid the
settlement without admitting any wrongdoing,
according to a statement from Phillips & Cohen,
a law firm in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco
that handled the case.
The whistle-blower lawsuit was filed in 1998
by Mark Razin, a former employee of Healthcare
Financial Advisors, a California-based consulting
firm that helped hospitals prepare cost reports
that were submitted to Medicare/Medicaid. The
lawsuit alleged that HFA helped hospitals seek
reimbursement for unallowable costs and helped
conceal known overpayments from the govern-
ment, federal prosecutors said.
The settlement was negotiated by the United
States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
Wurzburger donates
funds to Creative Cities
City Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger donated
$8,343 in leftover campaign contributions to the
city’s general fund this summer and has ear-
marked the cash for the Creative Cities program.
The figure was inadvertently omitted from a
story in Friday’s paper about how candidates
from the March municipal election used remain-
ing campaign funds.
Candidates had until early September to
report to the city clerk on the disposition of any
money they raised during the campaign that was
not used for campaign expenses.
The city code allows candidates to donate cash
to charity, use it for expenses related to their office
or contribute to the general fund. Wurzburger also
gave money to two nonprofit organizations.
City Finance Director Kathryn Raveling said
the councilor asked that the money be used for
the Creative Cities program, an effort Wurz-
burger has promoted to international audiences.
It will be transferred into an account restricted
to that purpose and could be used for travel or
other promotional activity, Raveling said.
Poker run to benefit
leukemia patient
Douglas Musso, 27, has been battling leukemia
and related complications and his friends are
staging a benefit poker run today to help him
with medical expenses.
The entry fee is $15 and passengers are $10 each.
Motorcycles, cars and trucks are welcome. Partici-
pants should register and draw their first card
between 9 and 10:30 a.m. at Real Burger, 2239 Old
Pecos Trail in Santa Fe. Players draw their sec-
ond card in the lower parking lot at the Santuario
de Chimayó, the third at RHOC Express Station
in Española, the fourth at Buffalo Thunder Tur-
quoise Trail Café in Pojoaque and the fifth card
back at the Real Burger.
All hands must be turned in by 5:30 p.m. at
Real Burger. There will be food provided after
the run and door prizes at each stop. For more
information, call Corrine Varela at 603-1122.
Offices, services closing
on Columbus Day
Hours and schedules of some offices and ser-
vices will be affected by Monday’s observance of
Columbus Day including:
u State, city, county and federal government
offices, including courts, will be closed.
u All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library
will be closed.
u Genoveva Chavez Community Center, Fort
Marcy Recreation Complex and Salvador Perez
Pool will be closed.
u City refuse and recycling pickups will fol-
low the regular Monday schedule and the Buck-
man Road Refuse and Recycling Transfer Station
will be open 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. However, Santa
Fe County trash transfer stations will be closed.
u Post offices will be closed and there is no
mail delivery.
u Santa Fe Trails Bus service will operate on
the Saturday schedule from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
u North Central Regional Transit District
buses will not run.
The New Mexican

400 Facts Today’s question: Where is the

on Santa Fe
Courtesy of the 400th
Anniversary Committee
so-called “Oldest Church in
Santa Fe”?
Check back tomorrow for the answer.
Yesterday’s question: What and where was the only “public clock”
that was used by public employees and the goverment in the 1820s?
Answer: A sun-dial was erected by Governor Antonio Narbona, in the center of the
Plaza.
To learn more about this topic, read Old Santa Fe, The Story of New Mexico’s Ancient
Capital by Ralph Emerson Twitchell, Sunstone Press, 2007.

Section editor: Howard Houghton, 986-3015, hhoughton@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Elizabeth Herrera Lauer, ehlauer@sfnewmexican.com BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.SANTAFENEWMEXICAN.COM