Mescaleros seek to acquire 400 acres of forest land - proposal draws opposition

Efforts continue by the Mescalero Apache tribal administration to secure the 400 acres of Ski Apache Resort that now is part of the Lincoln National Forest. In a six-page letter issued April 2 to tribal members, Mescalero President Danny Breuninger wrote that he and tribal attorney John Wheeler traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with both of New Mexico's United States senators and its congressional representatives to go over issues facing the Mescalero, including health care and housing. "Another issue I discussed with them was our desire to acquire about 400 acres of U.S. Forest Service land where Ski Apache is located," Breuninger wrote. The land would be transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and held in trust for the tribe, he wrote. "To accomplish that, we will need Congressional action in the form of a bill being passed and signed by the President of the United States," he wrote. "This can be a lengthy process and it is our goal to have this completed within the next two years. The reason we are trying to acquire this land is that the tribe over the last 50 years since we purchase Ski Apache (from oilman Robert O. Anderson) has invested millions of dollars in improvements to the property, and by expanding and making additional improvements, we can anticipate higher revenues for the tribe." Former Tribal President Fred Chino was pushing the same initiative two years ago and spoke to the Ruidoso News about the effort at that time. Lincoln County Commission Chairman Jackie Powell said the idea of relinquishing control of the headwaters of the Rio Ruidoso is "horrific," and she will ask for the support of other county commissioners to send letters to the county's congressional delegation and the U.S. Forest Service opposing any land sale or swap at the resort. "You never want to turn over your headwaters, that's the worse scenario," she said. "I want to emphasize to the public how important it is to keep that little bitty headwater open to us. We would have no say if it was part of the (Mescalero) reservation. We have no say about what happens on the reservation now." Transferring ownership also could cut off access to those acres for sportsmen and those recreating, she said.