September 15, 2021

Mabee House Nearly Ready for Vacationers

The BDC expects to welcome its first vacationers to the newly renovated Mabee House by mid-October. Replacement of the roof has been completed, and the interior renovation is nearly finished. Furnishings and housewares will be added in the coming weeks. The biggest hurdle remaining is the installation of satellite TV and high-speed internet service, a must-have for successful vacation rentals. The existing internet service on the Golden Eagle is inadequate for this purpose. The BDC also is considering additional improvements such as privacy fencing and a landscaped backyard patio area. Amenities like these add value to vacation rentals and justify higher rates.

August 1, 2021

BDC Welcomes New Golden Eagle Tenant

The BDC has welcomed a new tenant on the Golden Eagle. Holly Millard Sik and Tatum Sik are the owners of Cutting S Ranch, and raise quarter horses as well as herding dogs. Holly needed a short-term home for her operation while she finds and prepares a new permanent ranch site in the Ramona area. Holly also provides education and training for owners of horses and dogs that work with cattle. She will lease the Costello residence and several adjacent pastures and facilities for one year. Repairs and improvements are being made to the residence and grounds to accommodate the new tenant, and to help prepare the structure for later use as a vacation rental and special event venue.

July 15, 2021

BDC Holds Strategic

Planning Session

On July 15-16, the BDC conducted its first strategic planning session since 2019. The agenda included brief sessions with the Tribal Council and the Housing Authority on how to improve internal procedures and handle transactions between the various entities to ensure proper accounting. Other priorities on the agenda included the hiring of additional workers for Tekamuk Facility Services and Golden Eagle Gardens; the schedule for preparing the Terebessy property as a vacation rental after the previous owner's lease-back has expired; and continued due diligence on the potential for an equestrian center and horse show park on the Golden Eagle.

 

July 6, 2021

BDC Awards 14 Garden Mini-Grants

The BDC has awarded fourteen mini-grants of $300 each to help Mesa Grande community members grow their own organic food gardens, either at home or on the Golden Eagle Farm. The funds must be used for seeds, seedlings, garden tools, plant foods, soil or other garden-related supplies. Grantees will submit receipts to verify that they used their grants for allowable purposes. More grant funds may be available for a similar program next year.

The mini-grant program is made possible through a grant from the Native American Agriculture Fund, which also provided funds for the start-up of Golden Eagle Gardens. Within two years, the tribe will have 20 acres of organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs in production.

June 24, 2021

BDC Receives Bonus Grant from First Nations

First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) has awarded the BDC a "bonus grant" to help pay for the purchase and installation of several greenhouses to help keep Mesa Grande Tribal Gardens producing year-round. The bonus $7,500 grant was a supplement to FNDI's first grant of $10,000 for the purchase of one "high tunnel" greenhouse. The BDC has established a relationship with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), which has a program that subsidizes the purchase of high tunnels. The BDC will leverage First Nations' initial grant to fund the purchase of two more greenhouses through NRCS.

May 31, 2021

Renovation of Mabee House Resumes

After more than a year's delay due to the pandemic, the renovation of the Mabee House, the Golden Eagle's main residence,  is again moving full speed ahead. Area contractors all but ceased operation during the COVID crisis, facing labor shortages, supply delivery issues and skyrocketing costs for construction materials. Although there are still issues with delivery delays and higher than expected costs, the work is now targeted for completion by mid-September. Then the BDC will furnish it and prepare it for rental as a short-term destination, like those featured on AirBNB or VRBO. Demand for vacation rentals is expected to increase significantly due to pent-up demand for vacation rentals in the post-COVID world.

May 20, 2021

Mesa Grande Dedicates Tribal Gardens

On May 19, the Mesa Grande BDC, tribal community members and special guests gathered for the blessing and dedication of Mesa Grande Tribal Gardens, a 20-acre organic produce and ethnobotanicals garden launched with grant funds.

The program opened with a traditional Kumeyaay prayer and bird songs. Guests got a preview of the plan for the gardens, which will produce vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers and traditional plants year-round. The gardens will serve as an economic resource as well as a way to improve tribal health and nutrition, restore native plantings, and reconnect tribal members to what it means to live off the land.

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To see photos from the garden event, click here.

May 20, 2021

BDC Announces Mini-Grant Program for Family Gardens

The BDC has announced that tribal members may apply for mini-grants of $300 each to pay for seeds, supplies and garden tools to plant their own family gardens either on the Golden Eagle site or in their own yards. Up to 12 grants may be awarded with available funding.

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The mini-grants are part of the Native American Agriculture Fund's grant program to promote Native farming.

May 18, 2021

Mesa Grande Acquires

40-Acre Income Property

The Mesa Grande Band has acquired a beautiful 40-acre property immediately adjacent to the Golden Eagle Farm. The property includes a 5-bedroom/4 bath home intended for use as a high-end vacation rental. The previous owners, Terry and Carol Terebessy, contacted Mesa Grande last summer before they put their home of 36 years on the market. "We just wanted the tribe to have it," said Carol Terebessy. "We saw that they were bringing back the Golden Eagle, and we wanted to offer them the first opportunity to buy our property to complement what they are doing on the farm. We're very happy that it all worked out."

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The Terebessys, in their Mesa Grande T-shirts, are shown above with BDC President Keely Linton and Board Secretary Essence Oyos at the May 19 Tribal Gardens Dedication.