Soboba’s 20th Earth Day Celebration on April 23 was officially its largest. Christian Aceves, who serves as Environmental Director for the Soboba Tribal Environmental Department said that after comparing notes with Environmental Administrative Assistant Naomi Silvas, they finalized the count at 62 vendors and roughly 740 attendees, making it their most successful event to date.
“For the 20th anniversary, our goal was to make the event feel truly rooted in the community,” Aceves said. “We focused on bringing in as many local vendors as possible to showcase the talent, culture, and spirit we have right here at home. More than anything, we wanted people to come together, enjoy a beautiful day, and celebrate what Earth Day is all about. In the end, we really did love the Earth together—and that sense of unity made the milestone feel extra special.”
Birdsingers from Torres Martinez started off the morning in traditional fashion while students from the Soboba Tribal Preschool performed “We Love the Earth” a little later to a very enthusiastic audience.
“We were thrilled to welcome community favorites like Gil’s Critters and the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, who always draw big smiles while teaching families about our native wildlife,” Aceves said. “Our food vendors included Native-owned gems like Frybread Kitchen and Papa Langos, who kept everyone happy with delicious handmade tortillas and Indian tacos.” The Soboba Youth Council provided root beer floats throughout the day.
The Green Coalition’s Wiggs and Ginger Mendoza were making their 20th appearance at the Earth Day event, providing free take-home succulents such as aloe vera to help promote the growth of native and sustainable plants.
“Giving away plants is part of our mission and part of what this day should be about,” Wiggs said. He explained to those at their stand that the aloe plant can be used as a moisturizer or hair treatment and explained how it can have medicinal properties for cuts and burns.
“The Green Coalition has been our longest-standing partner, and we’re incredibly grateful for their continued presence and support at Soboba Earth Day,” Aceves said. “Their commitment has really helped shape the event into what it is today.” For more information, https://greensanjacinto.org.
EMWD Public Affairs Specialist Allan Freetage shared the importance of not letting certain items go down household drains and offered sink strainers to visitors to help with that. “Our Hydration Station van is a great educational tool to show that tap water can be good,” he said as he offered free cups for guests to fill with cold water.
Climate Science Alliance made a strong showing with informative handouts for adults and fun activities for children at their booth. The organization’s goal is to work with communities to help Native lands survive. “We have trainings with different community partners to help share knowledge,” Grants and Partnership Manager Edgar Carrillo said. Education Program Manager Sarah Morgan said the most important thing is to stay connected as community-based solutions are best.
“There was also strong representation from neighboring Tribal Environmental Departments of Santa Rosa, Morongo, Pechanga, Augustine, and 29 Palms, highlighting the unity and collaboration across our Tribes,” Aceves said.
Pechanga’s Director of Environmental Helen Waguiu was passionate about explaining the damage being incurred to local oak trees due to the invasive Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB). She shared details of how to look for them so they can be reported and dealt with before causing further harm. She readily explained how the impact of this pest is far reaching. A reduction in oak tree population threatens cultural practices; Coast Live Oak, which is one the GSOB targets, is known as a keystone species and plays a vital role in the local ecosystem; oaks provide food and habitat to thousands of species; and dead and dying oak trees contribute to dangerous levels of wildfire fuel.
Local universities such as CSUSB, UCR, and University of Redlands showcased their environmental programs, inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.
“Alongside them were essential partnerships with local utilities, nonprofits, and agencies,” Aceves said. “It truly was a vibrant mix of organizations, creating a space where our community could learn, connect, and get inspired. Having such a wide variety of vendors made the day feel full, energized, and incredibly meaningful.”
Soboba Cultural Resource Department representatives Renee Rhodes, Jessica Valdez, and Lily Brandt shared how their Cultural Garden at The Oaks is rooted in tradition and why it’s important to protect the earth.
“Tribal culture is land based,” Valdez said. “Once depleted, we cannot practice our traditional way of life.”
Aceves spent much of his time at the STED check-in area to greet guests and make sure they got their tickets for a free meal, a raffle prize chance and a vote for the best student poster. He also visited each vendor to personally thank them for their participation.
Silvas interacted with guests, vendors and others throughout the four-hour event. She said she received a lot of positive feedback about the food, the 39 raffle prizes and all of the different activities for children to do, especially the bird walk that was provided by Robin Roberts. She enjoyed seeing community members interact with all the different vendors and seeing how large the event has grown.
“Another highlight for me was all of the community members, employees, and different departments that volunteered to help us put this all together,” Silvas said. “I’m very appreciative to have their support and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
The standout moment for Aceves was the sheer number of people who showed up.
“Every year our event grows, and with it, Soboba’s commitment to environmental stewardship shines even brighter,” he said. “Seeing the community arrive in droves—families, students, elders, everyone—really exemplifies their dedication to learning, caring for the land, and celebrating the earth together. That kind of turnout is the best reminder of why we put so much heart into this event.”
Activities leading up to the celebration included the invitation to have Soboba departments design creative displays using all recyclable materials and Noli Indian School science students collaborating on posters that depicted the theme of this year’s event.
One of Sabrina Smith’s classes won first place scoring a fun pizza party while all other classes were treated to an ice cream party. The winner is chosen by attendees who each receive a ticket to be placed in the bucket set up next to their favorite poster.
Soboba Housekeeping won first place once again this year with their “McLovin’ the Earth” McDonald’s restaurant theme.
Aceves said that as the event has grown, so has the planning timeline.
“These days, we’re preparing earlier and earlier to make sure everything comes together seamlessly,” he said. “For this year’s celebration, we started more than six months in advance. At this point, half of our department’s calendar revolves around Earth Day, but we love it. It’s a huge lift but seeing the community show up the way they did makes every bit of preparation worth it.”
He said the most important thing people can do to make every day Earth Day is to love it.
“This year I selected the theme ‘Love the Earth’ (‘Éxla ‘Omá’ma) so that people could reflect on why they love the earth,” Aceves said. “In the opening remarks I asked participants to reflect on why they love the earth, be it the mountains that ground you, the rivers that bring life, or just the feeling of fresh air after a long day. Whatever it is, hold onto it because what we love is what we protect.”
For information on upcoming STED events, please visit https://epa.soboba-nsn.gov.
Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
