Land Grant Office Endowment
NATIVE LANDSCAPING
2008 marked the 40th Anniversary of Dine College's dawning as "The Higher Education Institution of the Navajo". Student interns began brainstorming ideas to propose a landmark or memorial signifying the special occasion of the college's first groundbreaking ceremony, as well as adding to the institution's overall elegance. In the beginning, the students considered the layout and how it would be accessible to the public. The students also talked about posting a plaque with a brief histroy of the college and a small statue of the ceremonial "gish" or firepoker to inform visitors of the historic event that took place 40 years ago. A statue of a corstalk, which signifies the educational philosophy of Dine College, was commisioned by the college administration and donated as the ornament that would be 
adorn the memorial site.
Throughout the campus students have also planted native plants to decorate the campus. They also make benches and tables to create a more sociable environment for the students of the college.
The college’s Ned Hatathli Building has also been furnished with some student intern landscaping which was designed by Twy Kedelty. She cleared an area on the southeast side of the building where she planned to execute the work and create her design, a native design with an arrowhead in the center. She used gravel of three pigments to complete her design.
INTERNSHIPS
Land Grant provides internship opportunities for Diné College students throughout the regular academic year. Students from other colleges and universities are encouraged to conduct research projects during the summer
A highlight for the interns for the summer of 2008 was being able to mentor at the 1st Annual Chuska Environmental Youth Camp. This week long event was very exciting and the participants had nothing but good things to say about the event. LGO was asked byTerri Lameman of Seeds of Harmony, a non-profit organization whose focus is hydrology, to co-sponsor the event.
The first two days was spent on the Diné College campus in Tsaile, AZ, and the students participated in ice breaker activities and later got involved in some lecture and presentations about basics of science, environmental science, and hydrology. As the camp progressed, on the beginning of the third day the kids were about to embark on a three day and two night camping trip to further engulf them into the world of hydrology and environmental science.
The camping was a good outlet for the kids to learn about the subjects at hand, and learn about themselves and each others. Upon return to the campus the students came back with the same enthusiasum as they had all week. The student wound down with various sports and socializing activities, but kept the scholastics in focus as they grouped up to organize a final presentation.
More information can be found on page 3 of our newsletter.
WORKSHOPS
The Land Grant Program at Diné College is very active in providing workshops, training and certification in many areas of agriculture, horticulture, marketing and resource management. They have taken the initiative to help the rural communities in preserving, expanding and maintaining the knowledge needed to manage their own resources. The Land Grant Office seeks
expert resources from other land grant institutions to assist our Extension Agents in the process of organizing and holding the workshops.
The program has sponsored workshops in Herd Health, Cattle Reproduction, Marketing, Youth Equine Clinics to help inform younger people to maintain their horsemanship and equine health management. They have also held community garden outings where the communities are informed of different options for watering crops and plants, how to maintain seasonal crops and planting and harvesting time for many other crops that they may want to grow.
1 CIRCLE DRIVE PO BOX 7B TSAILE, AZ 86556 PHONE: (928) 724-6941 FAX: (928) 724-6949