What a wonderful selfless gesture to leave your families and homes and stay up all night and half the following day and risk your lives to rescue two people you did not even know.

It was such a terrible feeling for me as a parent to imagine my sons missing overnight, not knowing if they were hurt or even alive. I felt such relief as I watched the professionalism and knowledge each of you showed in performing your jobs. You are very special people to volunteer in this way.

We do not receive many thank you letters. I especially like this one because it says she felt relieved by the professionalism and knowledge shown during the mission. This tells us that people do observe our actions. And demonstrates the importance of acting in a professional manner in base camp and on the radio.

Professionalism is the result of learning and practicing our search and rescue skills. Each evaluation and training we attend, the closer we get to mastering these skills.

See you out there.

Boots and Blisters

by Tom Russo

January was a quiet month. I like quiet months.

We had a low-key --- but by all accounts successful --- low-angle litter hauling training this month. 17 current and soon-to-be members of the team showed up and we practiced setting anchors, rigging 3:1 Z systems, setting up belay systems, using the brake tubes, and otherwise just getting our hands all over our cache of low-angle gear. It was nice to be able to devote a whole training session to this topic, instead of tacking it on at the end of a regular litter packaging training --- this way everyone was able to practice with the gear before we exhausted ourselves doing a regular litter haul. I must say, turnout to trainings was terrific last year and continues to be gratifyingly high. Thank you all for making it worthwhile to set up these things!

We've had to move the date of March's training to Saturday the 11th instead of Sunday the 12th. James has arranged to get us an instructor for a tracking class, but the instructor wasn't available on the 12th.

Susan has been busily planning out what looks like an interesting GPS training. Please join us on Saturday, February 12th at 9am. Once again, please show up before the training starts, and make sure you're signed in by 9am. The sign-in sheet will be taken up promptly at 9. So where is this wonderful training? Glad you asked. Here's Susan's answer:

Navigate to 0365031 E, 3904747 N (NAD 83).

What? You want directions? OK, drive north on I-25 to the second Bernalillo exit (Exit 242), 0360622 E, 3909173 N. From the exit, drive east 3.1 miles to 0365280 E, 3907552 N, the second Forest Service Fee Area turn-off on your right. You will turn just before the road passes between hills that rise close on either side of the road. This is a fee area, but DO NOT PAY the fee if you have a SAR sticker on your car. I've arranged with the Forest Service for Special Use for February 12. Continue on the dirt road until you mile 5.4 (from the exit), 0365031 E, 3904747 N. There are several trailheads you will pass, including the first Piedra Lisa trailhead. Some of us may need to park in the first Piedra Lisa parking area, but if there are too many vehicles for the small parking areas, members are requested to carpool from the shopping center in Placitas.

As always, I would love to have more evaluators to help spread the load of our evalation requirements. Any member who has passed an evaluation can volunteer to help me run future evals. To be an evaluator, you need to be familiar with the requirements of the evaluation (http://www.cibolasar.org/TrainingPolicy.shtml), and then set up an evaluation course under the supervision of the training officer. Once the course is set, you need to run other people through the course. When we set up this process, it was expected that evaluators would be coming out of the woodwork, and we stipulated that you would run other evaluators-to-be through the course, but if there's just one of you we'll do it by having you run the regular evaluatees through your course. If your evaluation of the other folks agrees with mine, you get to be an evaluator. Each evaluation doesn't take that much out of your schedule, but doing one every month can be a time consuming thing --- let's spread the load around as much as we can. Mike, Larry and I have done most of the evaluations for the last two years --- Terry Hardin and Susan Corban are the only other evaluators so far --- and it would be nice to let other folks in on the fun.

March's evaluation will be on Search Techniques, on Sunday 5 March. The more the merrier, so please try to join us.

Happy trails.

PRESIDENT

The Officers feel they have succeeded in their goals for 1999: trainings with other teams, 5 new Ham licenses, and (close) to a 50% increase in membership.

Larry discusses membership and commitment. All of the necessary time to keep yearly member status is just 3 hours per month. It should be understood that being on the team is not a given, you must continue to ?make? the team every year. Everyone is expected to maintain a good level of physical fitness.

Some highlights of the year and team as a whole: 22 took the Wilderness 1st Aid course, 13 the ISC 200 class; 16 became new Section Chiefs; team has 2 members on NMESC board and 2 Pace Evaluators; there were a number of instructors at Escape and statewide Cibola has a great reputation. Good job everyone!

MEMBERSHIP

Updated member data sheets are given out.

SECRETARY

TREASURER

There will be a budget meeting for 2000 on Jan. 31. Everyone welcome.

Mike announces that 2000 will be his last year as Treasurer and anyone interested in the position is welcome to work with him.

Previous months finances and balance are given.

VICE-PRESIDENT/TRAINING OFFICER

Training schedule through July is set and posted.

The WFR Class has already gotten its minimum number of students, and so it will be offered. People can still sign up.

Late arrival at Trainings needs to be clarified. From now on the sign in sheet will be picked up at the start time (usually 9 a.m.) and late arrivers must see the instructor. You must still arrive within 15 minutes of start time to get credit.

Cibola will have a Mock Search on July 15th.

Paul McClendon of Santa Fe SAR has requested a training collaboration with us. Possibly the mock search in July.

January Training will be Low Angle Rope on Saturday.

February Training on GPS on Feb. 12.

The Wilderness First Responder course will be 8 Saturdays from March 25 - May 13. Escape weekend Saturday will probably be rescheduled.

EQUIPMENT

PUBLIC RELATIONS

NMESC

NMESC will have an overnight Winter Skills Training on Feb. 25-27 at Philmont.

PACE

The ICS 200 classes (and up) are also administered by the Fire Academy and Cibola SAR members could go to those in addition to the State sponsored by the State.

The next Section Chief classes will be October 20-21 in Santa Fe.

NEW ISSUES

Susan reminds everyone to sign in at all functions.

Pinching Pennies

by Mike Dugger

Budget Planning

Who's Who and New

by Susan Corban

Paul Dressendorfer and Brian Lematta are active members this month. Congratulations, guys, and welcome to Cibola.

Michael Bridges, Steve Kolk, and Art Fischer have now each had a Cibola orientation and will be attending missions. Please introduce yourself and help Michael, Steve, and Art out on missions.

Public Relations

by David Dixon

Even though recruitment continues to be our major focus, other venues can be more fun. Francis Robertson knows this. As a new member of the PR Committee (and teacher) she would like to do more with educating the younger community in outdoor preparedness and survival skills. Lots of eager kids are waiting to share our love of the outdoors but need to learn more about how to do it safely so they don't show up on our mission list. If you would like to help Francis find those kids she is eager to talk to you. Way to go Francis - we welcome your enthusiasm.

At the February meeting I made available some our PR brochures, bookmarks and posters so that we can all be closet recruiters. See me if you weren't there or would like more.

Member Spotlights

Steve Meserole writes: Susan used her usual tact and charm in order to coerce me into writing my story. My story all starts back in rural Pennsylvania about three hours north of Pittsburgh along the border with New York state. I am the oldest of four children, and was raised in a small town where I did the normal things for the area, hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.

When I graduated from high school, I attended the Univ. of Pittsburgh (Bradford campus), and earned my B.S. in chemistry. I was able to finish college without any debt thanks in part to a national scholarship supported by Pennzoil, as well as working in a QC lab for a chemical supplier, and working in grocery store where I met my future ex-wife. After graduating from UPB in the spring of 1991, I was married a few months later. In August of 1991, I moved to Albuquerque to attend graduate school at the University of New Mexico.

While working on my Ph. D. in the chemistry department, a continuing series of personal and family problems and tragedies, as well as problems within the department itself, caused delays in earning my degree. After a few years of trying to salvage my career and life, everything, finally, came to a head. I was divorced in the summer of 1996, and in December my son was born. I also decided that it might be prudent to escape the crumbling chemistry program with a M.S. and start living for awhile.

In the summer of 1997, I started teaching at SIPI where I met Mickey. After about a year of hearing his SAR related tales, I decided that I would become involved in SAR. It gave me a good excuse to get some exercise, get out and meet people, and give back to the community. Since I joined CSAR in 1998, I have met and befriended many people. Most of which have increased my knowledge and interest in SAR, as well as in other things. People like Mickey and Mary Berry have increased my knowledge and interest in how dogs can be effectively used in SAR. For a long time, I had been interested in horses and riding, and Nancy O'Neill helped me realize how much I was missing.

As many of you know, I am also involved in a second SAR team, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department Mounted SAR. In May of 1999, I purchased my first horse (PV) and have been slowly increasing my knowledge of both riding and horses thanks to people like Kitty Montano, Jimmy Robertson, and Mike West. For those of you who have not been around horses, there is no other experience like riding a horse, especially when you are in tune with the horse, and most days you'll find me doing something with them.

In June of 1998, I started working in the College of Pharmacy at UNM as a Sr. Research Tech. This has allowed me to pay the bills and support my hobbies. I am currently living on South 14 with some friends and with my horses near by. I have plans to build a home in the future. (Actually, the barn will come first.) That is the nickel tour through my life and how I ended up here in NM and on CSAR.

My father and mother enjoyed the outdoor so I spent many weekends tromping through the woods in Northern New Mexico near the continental divide around Cuba, NM and in South Central Colorado. Since then, I have always had a heart for the mountains and the wilderness. I started tracking animals there as a kid which has helped my human tracking later in life.

I started rafting as a young kid in the late 1960s up on the Canejos River in Southern Colorado. In 1985 I joined the rafting company 'White Water Adventures'. This company is very unique; it is a Christian Rafting Ministry. We have a lot of fun taking people down the river while teaching them things that you learn on the river that you can apply to every day life. I quickly became a guide and later was certified by Rescue 3 as a 'Swift Water Rescue Technician I & II'. White Water Adventures grew over the years to become the second largest rafting company in New Mexico. After a "staff only" run of "The Box" at the peak run off of the season in 1995 (a very-very high water run off year), my wife stopped being a fan of very high water rafting. We estimated the standing waves in the lower end of "The Box" to be some where from 15 to 20 feet high. It was like a big roller coaster ride, but very dangerous! I have also enjoyed many other rivers in Colorado (such as the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River), in Oregon, and in Washington State.

I have always enjoyed the mountains. Over the years I have done a lot of hiking and backpacking. I have either hiked or backpacked into most of New Mexico's wildernesses. At one time, I lead small Christian singles' groups in backpacking adventures into the Jemez and the Pecos backcountry. I also enjoy mountain climbing and have been to the top of most of New Mexico's higher peaks, as well as a few in Colorado.

A friend of mine, Allyn Anderson, has been involved with NM SAR Support for many years and over the years he would tell me about his SAR work. Since I had a heart for the outdoors and a heart to help people, I would tell him that I wanted to get involved with SAR as soon as things slow down in my life. It happened. Things slowed down in the spring of 1991 when I tore out my knee. After having the knee rebuilt through surgery (with screws and all), I attended the State SAR Conference in Philmont. I meet Bruce Berry there and soon after that I became a member of Cibola Search and Rescue. I am currently the "oldest" (but not by age) member of Cibola.

Be careful, Search and Rescue is CONTAGIOUS!!! My wife and my dog are now doing Search and Rescue work with the "Sandia Search Dogs".

Just like most of you, I seem to keep too busy all of the time. There is never enough time in the day for work and my multiple hobbies. My hobbies range from hiking and camping, to high performance sports cars and bikes, to computers, to some unique research. I have found it interesting researching the history, beliefs, and doctrines of different religious groups, cult groups, and the occult. Also because of my science background, I have enjoyed researching the scientific aspects of Evolutionism vs Creation Science. After seeing the enormous amount of scientific information (astronomy, geology, the fossil record, biology, missing-links, radiometric dating, etc.) it is difficult for me to understand how people can still believe in evolutionism in this age of scientific enlightenment.

I hope that this information about me helps you get to know me a little better. Hopefully on the trail I will get to know each of you better too. See you on the trail!

Web News

by Knotnews Worthy

The team website can be accessed at http://www.cibolasar.org/

Statewide SAR Notes

by Mike Dugger

PACE NEWS: ICS 200/300

I-200: March 20,21

I-300: March 22,23,24

The course is being offered for the state forestry department, and is filling up quickly. Field Coordinators will be given preference on remaining space in the classes, but Section Chiefs will be accepted as space permits. To register, please contact Rick Goodman at 827-9228.

Special Notes

Invitation to Run

Everyone is invited to join me for a run before the business meetings. I'll be at the east end of Spain about 5:30 (traffic permitting) to go for a run on the Thursdays we have business meetings. If this catches on we can expand to other Thursdays in the foothills. Beginners and out-of-shapers welcome. -- submitted by Susan Corban

Disclaimer and Copyright notice

the Editors

The contents of this newsletter are copyright © 1999 by their respective authors or by Cibola Search and Rescue, Inc., and individual articles represent the opinions of the author. Cibola SAR makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in these articles, and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Articles contained in this newsletter may be reproduced, with attribution given to Cibola SAR and the author, by any member of the Search and Rescue community for use in other team's publications.