Christian Aceves, STED’s Environmental Director, said his favorite part of the event was his ability to connect with the Soboba community and interact with the vendors that attended. “Thanks to my wonderful team for those months of preparation and thanks to the great Soboba support system, to whom without the event would not have been as successful. Their support opened me up to enjoy the event for what it is: an opportunity to connect and engage with the community.”

He also enjoyed visiting the booth for Gil’s Critters, a popular vendor making its first appearance at the annual event. “It was really fun learning about some of the local critters that call Soboba and the greater region home,” Aceves said.

Christine Rodriguez, Environmental Administrative Assistant for STED, said her favorite part was seeing the result of everyone’s hard work. “Attendees and vendors were having fun visiting booths, our team wasn’t overly stressed, and we had a great group of volunteers. A huge shout-out to Tribal TANF and Parks and Rec for helping out with the event,” she said. “We appreciate all the volunteers so much; without them things would not have gone so smoothly.”

Soboba Parks & Recreation helped visitors make California native seed bombs to take home to plant in their own gardens while announcing upcoming activities. The Soboba Cultural Department, along with distributing fresh produce grown in the Soboba Cultural Garden, shared information about companion planting, a Native American gardening technique. It consists of growing two plants near each other to benefit both. One example is, “3 Sisters (corn, beans, squash) nurture each other like family when planted together.” Companion planting is considered sustainable, as it gives back to the earth the nutrients that it removes from the soil. It is said to reduce pests, attracts pollinators, boosts growth and overall plant health.

The Ramona Indian Reservation, home to the Ramona Band of Cahuilla, encompasses 560 acres and is located in the southern San Jacinto Mountains, near Anza. Its remote location contributed greatly to the Tribe’s decision to live off-grid. Doing this has allowed the Ramona Band to develop renewable energy sources to power homes, buildings and infrastructure on the Reservation; limited its dependency on fossil fuels; reduced its carbon footprint; and reduced impacts to the environment. Living off-grid has also allowed the Ramona Band to protect and preserve culturally significant sites through the avoidance of these areas. Off-grid living can pose challenges to those who are new to the lifestyle, but those who are willing to “unplug” from the grid will live cleaner, a benefit to them and the environment.

The Pechanga Environmental Department booth shared a quote from David Ipina of the Yurok Tribe, who said, “Mother Earth is not a resource, she is an heirloom.” Megan Poffinbarger encouraged visitors to pin a climate pledge. They could sign pre-printed pledges such as agreeing to turn off all lights when not in use and replacing bottled water with reusable water bottles or create one of their own and then pin the paper “leaf” onto the tree poster.

Other booths offered fun crafts such as Soboba Casino Resort’s marketing team making biodegradable slime and Soboba Housing helping paint colorful suncatchers. Tribal Family Services offered earth-themed stress balls and a poster for guests to add their green or blue fingerprints.

The Green Coalition of San Jacinto Valley is a local nonprofit that partners with businesses and government entities to promote green living. It is currently working with clean technology startup companies to help pave the way for green businesses to move to the San Jacinto Valley. For more information, contact President Wiggs Mendoza at 951-929-0854 or info@greencoalition-sjv.org.

Contributions from Noli Indian School students in grades 6-12 made for an interesting competition with visitors receiving a ticket to vote for their favorite poster. The theme of this year’s Earth Day is Planet vs. Plastics and many students, who worked as a team within each class, designed posters to promote the idea of using less plastic. One that showed the types of plastic items that belong in a recycling bin at a park carried the message: “Live Green to See More Green.”

First place in the Noli Student Art Contest went to Jay Dagostino’s fifth period class, who will receive a class pizza party and second place went to Sabrina Sobel Smith’s fourth period class who will receive an ice cream party. Winning posters are being displayed on Tribal Administration department doors.

Visitors were given a bingo-like game card upon checking in and at each vendor booth they visited, one of the squares was stamped. When the card was completed with 24 stamps, they could deposit it into the bin for a chance to win one of 12 unique raffle prizes. These included a solar power bank, an America the Beautiful National Park pass, an air purifier tower and a Celestron travel telescope.

Aceves said his team worked together to come up with what they felt were environmentally influenced prizes that the attendees would be excited for. He said two of the prizes were donated by vendors Morongo Environmental Protection Department and Native American Environmental Protection Coalition.

STED’s Environmental Specialist Katelyn Thomas said she enjoyed seeing everyone interacting and learning new things about the environment. “Earth Day highlighted our goal to educate the community on environmental topics and foster discussion,” she said.

Aceves said the Tribal youth and the Tribal community members were interviewed at random in a way to increase feedback and better improve future events. Overall, the Tribal Community and attendees enjoyed themselves. They raved about the good food (provided by In-N-Out Burger), appreciated the educational vendors, and loved their Soboba Tribal Environmental Department swag.

“When asked how they would improve the event, a Tribal youth member stated, ‘a water slide would be cool or a cotton candy machine!’ When asked which booth they liked the most, a Tribal youth member stated, ‘Gil’s Critters… because it has a lot of cool animals.’ Lastly, when asked which booth they liked the most, a Tribal community member stated, ‘This one [Riverside County Department of Waste Resources], because I know how to compost at home now,’” Aceves shared.

Similarly, vendors were interviewed at random and asked if they would change anything. One vendor stated, “I love it as is and the community always shows up.” Another vendor said, “The music was excellent and fun.” This was provided by DJ Mike Nevarez throughout the event. Many of the vendors said they enjoyed being able to connect with other vendors within their scope of their work.

It is important to note that STED works year-round to help the reservation stay resilient and sustainable through many different programs and projects. Currently it has recycling bins set up around the Tribal Admin building for plastic, aluminum and glass. The department recently began working with Noli and has placed some recycling bins in classrooms and in the quad area where breaks are taken.

“This was actually an idea that the students had come up with and they reached out to us for assistance,” Aceves said.  “We also encourage the use of reusable water bottles.”

STED organized a community cleanup two days prior to the Earth Day event, which collected several gallons of paint, oils and e-waste. It will hold another community cleanup event on July 18.

For more information, https://epa.soboba-nsn.gov.

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Members of the Soboba Tribal Environmental Department organized Soboba’s 16th annual Earth Day celebration on April 28. More than 500 guests to the Soboba Sports Complex spent time visiting 40 vendors who provided conservation information and giveaways.

“We try to bring awareness about environmental issues that affect the whole world, such as climate change, and we have games and activities to spread important messages,” Environmental Director Christian Aceves said. “Demonstrating that learning about the environment and adopting sustainable methods can be done in a fun and engaging way is our goal.”

Aceves said his favorite part is interacting with the “passionate local vendors and the amazing Tribal community members” in attendance.

An art contest of projects created by students at Noli Indian School on the Soboba Reservation utilizing recycled materials is an annual favorite. The first-place winner, Jay Dagostino’s 4th period biology class, will receive a pizza party for their environmental message touting flower and his second-place 5th period chemistry class is being treated to an ice cream party for their cockroach-themed project.

“For biology, this project fits with ecology, but for all classes it fits with community service and involvement which is also very important,” Dagostino said.

Another group of biology students who created a papier mache panda bear added a narrative to explain that “If we don’t protect the earth, the panda bear could go extinct. If we keep cutting down trees and ruin the forest environment, the pandas will not have food and will lose their habitat.”

Oceanography students made a statement using recycled materials to construct a sea turtle, adding written comments about its possible extinction. “If pollution in the ocean goes unchecked, trash like straws and plastic bags will continue to kill sea turtles at high rates. That’s why it is important to use metal straws and recycle plastic,” the note stated.

Soboba Cultural Department employees were on hand to pass out fresh produce cultivated from its Cultural Garden and to share information about the importance of white sage (Salvia apiana). This plant plays a significant role in Native American culture and is known for its practical and edible uses, as well as its medicinal properties. Visitors were given seeds to plant their own for personal use.

Soboba Tribal Administration, Soboba Casino Resort and the Soboba Foundation also had representatives on hand to share information and items with visitors. SCR set up a “pollination station” with pots, soil and seeds for take-home planting of bee-friendly flowers. Tribal Administration offered a choice of herbs in self-watering planters and the Foundation gave away plush beach towels.

“We want to encourage everyone to spend time outdoors with friends and family again, whether it’s here at our pool and splash pad or at a beach or lake,” Foundation Vice-President Catherine “Cat” Modesto said.

GRID Alternatives was one of the first booths guests could visit after checking in. Lisa Castilone, Community Development & Tribal Program for GRID Alternatives Inland Empire, explained the Soboba Fire Station Microgrid project being undertaken and answered all questions. When completed, a carport canopy will provide shade for team members’ cars while supporting the solar panels that will be connected to the grid.

The project will offer cost savings to the facility and backup power for emergency operations during power outages. This potential for long backup power will be especially effective during major emergency events, where the system can convert the Soboba Fire Station into a community emergency center. Castilone also had sign-ups for job-training opportunities for this and possible future projects.

Jana Desrocher and Patti Hudson from the US Forest Service, Idyllwild Ranger Station, explained how everyone can help keep forests and state parks healthy by following the “Leave No Trace” philosophy. They also were asking that everyone observe “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night” for World Migratory Bird Day on May 15 by dimming or turning off outdoor lights for one hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. to ensure that birds can navigate their routes without being affected by light pollution.

Soboba Tribal Preschool staff and teachers kept all children involved by helping them plant some seeds to take home to watch plants grow and also to paint clay necklaces they could wear. All the “tools” kids used were recycled from the school’s kitchen. Milk cartons, juice cups and water and juice bottles were modified to be used as planters and to scoop up soil.

A first-time vendor at Soboba’s Earth Day celebration was Inland Empire Waterkeeper, a nonprofit water quality advocacy organization dedicated to enhancing and protecting the quality of the waterways within the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed.

Also making a debut appearance were the Soboba Elders. President Glen Placencia and the group’s coordinator Erica Schenk helped guests pot some vegetable seeds to take home and grow. Schenk helped organize Soboba’s first Earth Day event in 2006.

“This year the Elders board wanted to do something out in the community,” she said.

Aceves said that aside from learning about good environmental practices he hopes the attendees gained a sense of community by sharing the event with one another.

“I hope they understood the Soboba Tribal Environmental Department is first and foremost here to serve the Soboba Tribal community to ensure their natural resources can be enjoyed for generations,” Aceves said. “Facing the truth regarding our impact to the environment can often be daunting. Although, it is important to face the truth and learn how we can all make small changes that together, as a community, can bring forth great change.”

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