The department is preparing to start its new grant cycle in October and is currently working on an air emissions inventory for the reservation. Staff also conduct surface water quality testing on streams running through the reservation, collect and manage geographical data, and create programs to address environmental concerns. In addition to community outreach and education efforts such as participating in community events, the department also hosts an annual Tribal Earth Day event as well as its Community Cleanup Day. Steven Estrada, Environmental Manager for the Soboba Tribal Environmental Department, oversees the project each year and said he has seen a decline in open dumping since the cleanups have been initiated.
This year’s event produced the best results so far as residents have used the state’s sheltering-in-place guidelines as an opportunity to clean out garages, sheds and yards. In an effort to keep the wide-open spaces of the Soboba Indian Reservation as pristine as possible, the Soboba Tribal Environmental Department implemented an annual Community Cleanup Day more than 10 years ago.
