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Show The Salt Lake Tribune INTERMOUNTAIN Friday, September 26, 1997 Pueblos Get Corps of Engineers operates the dian tourism fund to benefit non- ‘fourism Grief But Few Dollars agement runs Tent Rocks, the pueblo benefits little from visi- bled in committee. “Thereis a lack of acknowledg- @ From Previous Page Birgest source of income, behind federal money, Lujan says. But many pueblo members believe the price of admission into the tourist industry is too high Without sufficient staffing and faeilities to manage visitors, the pueblohasseen excessive wear on its ancient buildings. The tribe has trademarkedits name, but public domain issues loud its ability to copyright the diage of the famous five-story Adobe. It is nearly impossible to stop publication of unauthorized photographs on postcards, tourist brochures and hotel pamphlets. Not a pennygoes back to the tribe. “All you have to do is open any New Mexico publication and you'll see Taos Pueblo,” Lujan says. Moredisturbing is what the influx of people doesto the pueblo’s sense of community. Each morning, Taos Pueblo — where people live and work — becomes a parking lot. Because electricity and indoor plumbingare not allowed inside the pueblo wall, families leave doors open in summer to cool their homes, which tourists mistake as aninvitationto enter. “Privacy is a big issue,” Lujan says. “Imagine you're at home trying to live your wayof life and people are looking in the windows or walking in the front door.” Pecesis clear about why tribes fail to benefit from tourism — a lack of everything from visitors’ centers and bathrooms to hotels and restaurants, elements that would keep more dollars on the reservations. “When you lack infrastructure, you have a few whobenefit,” says the Princeton-educated Pecos. ‘You have the individualartists, the self-employed vendors. “But for the larger community, employment is minimal because the multiplier effect is nonexistent. So the beneficiary is isolated to those individuals whoare able to sell to the tourists who do come onto the reservation lands.”” Cochiti Pueblo gets an influx of visitors every weekend because of its proximity to Cochiti Lake and Tent Rocks. Because the Army lake and the Bureau of Land Mantors, but mustpick uplitter, manage traffic and enforce trespass laws. “On some days you can see huge clouds of dust because of high volume of traffic,” says Pecos, a member of Cochiti Pueblo. At Jemez Pueblo, the tourism industry is minimal despite a streamof visitors. N.M.-4 dissects the pueblo, bringinga steadyflow oftraffic throughit year-round. “Wehavea visitors center, and that’s about it,” says Gov. Leonard Loretto. “About all we do is try to keep people from roaming around too much.” Jemez earlier this year asked the media not to publish feast dates because it couldn't accom- modate increasing numbers of tourists and had encountered disrespectful behavior among some visitors, “We wantpeople to know we're ment from the state that Indian culture contributes to the state economy,’’ Madalena says “Thereis a verycritical need for infrastructure in Indian Country, just like there is in anyother rural area We're always being over- looked,”’ says Sally Begay. president of the New Mexico Indian Tourist Association, formed in 1990 to help tribes capitalize on tourism. “We're the major attrac- tion, yet we're overlooked.” For somelegislators, the issue oftribal sovereignty clouds fundéng issues, says Senate Minority Whip Skip Vernon, R-Bernalillo “My big concern is we now make this distinction between tribes and others,” hesays. “It’s very difficult for tribes to declare themselves as sovereign nations and ask to beleft alone, but then ask the state of New Mexico to not anti-tourism,” says Gachupin “We have a beautiful culture and us get to the point wherewe'reall but we have to manage it.” A 1994 Department of Tourism study showed New Mexico visi- nored. But the realityis that they vation spent an average of $1,184 on their trip — only $188 with the pueblo or tribe. gamblingin the mix, andit's even we love to share it with people, tors who toureda puebloorreserOfthat, $107 wasspent on gam- ing, for visitors whovisited gaming tribes, and the remaining $81 on arts, crafts, souvenirs and food Fraguabelieves the $81, based on tourist surveys, is exaggerated. “If every visitor spent an aver- age of $81 — if those numbers fund their tourism. I'd like to see New Mexicans “There's a general perception that Native Americans are ig- receive a lot of services when compared to the average New Mexican. And then you throw in the same sentence strikes an automatic response from the tribes: If we have to share our gambling profits with you, how about sharing your tourismprofits with us? “What percent of the tourism revenue is being the attraction pretty good money,” hesays. Even the most popular pueblos have some of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the state. Taos Pueblo has an unemployment rate of 45 percent, according to a 1995 Bureau of Indian Affairs Report. That compareswith a 6.2 percentstatewide average “The state has an obligation to worth, 16 percent?” says Fragua, tions,” says Paul Rainbird, chair- manof the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, which organizes Indian Market. “I personally believe the No. 1 draw is the tribes. The state investing in tourism on the reservation en- hancesthe tourists’ visit and that reflects positively on the state.”” This year, Rep. James Roger Madalena, D-Jemez Pueblo, intro- duced a bill to allocate one-16th of the gross receipts tax to an In- ORROW SNOWBOARD PACKAGE DEAL moreso.” Putting tourism and gambling were even close — that would be build infrastructure on reserva- All gamblingtribes. Thebill was ta- referring to the 16 percent reve- nue-sharing fee in state Indian gaming compacts. Tribes look to the lodgers’ tax ISNOWBOARD - MORROW MODEL “T” 230° SixHABOOTS-WFO or PRESTON BINDINGS-PRESTONBINDINGS collected in communities near 160° 150” TOTAL VALUE *5462° reservations and pueblos. Taos County is one of the few communities that shares lodgers’ taxes with a tribe, giving annual *269 disbursements to Taos Pueblo to promote tourism. Even so, Taos Pueblo says the amounts it receives aren't nearly proportional to the tourism it gen- erates. “That's one of the areas that has always beena pointof discontent with the tribes,” says Pecos “Tribal representatives have always underscored that there ought to be consideration in sharing a portion of the lodgers’ tax in every region along the Rio Gran- de and east and westof I-40.” === PEDERSEN'S 5 SKI & SPORTS FASHION PLACE 266-8555 UNIVERSITY MALL OREM 225-3000 CROSSROADS MALL 355-4111 COTTONWOOD MALL 278-5353 LAYTON HILLS. MALL 546-3143 OGDEN 621-4733 . 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