Our Mission is to protect, monitor, restore, and regulate Morongo’s natural resources, honoring and protecting all life, land, and traditions and enhancing tribal sovereignty. We will promote

environmental awareness and environmentally considerate actions by exemplifying environmental stewards, fostering collaborative relationships, expanding education and outreach activities, and

continuing to enrich and develop our programs.

Morongo Band of Mission Indians July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Environmental Protection Department

Wildlife on Morongo Written by: Jon Castillo, Environmental Technician

Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and snakes are some of nature’s amazing wildlife

creatures found here on the Morongo Indian Reservation. They can also present danger to

you, your family and your pets when they are threatened. Here are some tips to live in

harmony with our wildlife friends.

Eliminate Potential Food Sources.

At home keep small pets in sight, gated, or indoors. Keep cat, dog, and livestock food

indoors or sealed if outside. Keep trash with food scraps in bags and close lids on all

refuse containers. Wash down BBQ areas after each use (scraps and grease). This will

keep small rodents, coyotes and other wildlife from coming into your home.

Don't disturb snake habitats.

Rolling over rocks and sticking your hands in tree stumps, holes in

trees, and in brush piles is not advised. If you disturb a snake it will

feel threatened and might strike before you even realize it's there.

Look under your vehicles for snakes before entering. Wear long pants

or snake protectors when hiking or working on your yard.

When out in the Canyons make lots of noise and travel in groups to let wildlife

know of your presence. This will eliminate surprise encounters.

Look for signs of Bears.

There have been black bear sightings in all of

Morongo’s Canyons. Some signs are: Scat (poop) that

may have berries, heavy claw marks on trees, and

paw prints. There are only a few reasons bears

attack humans: to defend their young, to defend a

food source, or because they're surprised and scared.

There have been sightings of a Mountain Lion in Hathaway Canyon.

Turning and running can stimulate a mountain lion’s chase instinct. Instead, back up

slowly while speaking firmly and loudly and maintaining direct eye contact. Be aware of

what you can throw at the lion if it begins to act aggressively. In the unlikely event of an

actual attack, use whatever you can - fists, rocks, sticks, backpack—to fight off the

mountain lion.

It's best and safest to leave the animals unprovoked and their environment undisturbed. Our wildlife friends are

just happy to be left alone. If you see any of these wildlife animals in the Morongo Residential Community, please call

Morongo Patrol (951) 755-5302 or Gate Two (951) 634-4810 for assistance.

A Look at Google Earth

2

Integrated Pest Management: A Safer Method to Control Pest Problems in Your Home

3

Watch out for Bull Thistle!

4

Clean, Renewable Energy on Tribal Land

5

Environmental Outreach - Earth Day & Education at Morongo Schools

6

Seasonal Photo Contest

7

News Bits & Upcoming Events

8

Page 2 July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

A Look at Google Earth Written by: James Payne, Environmental Director

Imagine if you had a machine that would enable you to fly, go back in history, and take you to the stars, the moon,

and even Mars. A device that would take you on tours, measure areas from afar, and provide information like a

gazetteer. Google Earth (Earth) can do all those things and more, well at least it can replicate some of those activities.

And unlike the current cost of a time machine, it’s totally free! Of course one of the best ways to learn something is to do

it hands-on, so instead of providing a tutorial for Earth, I encourage you to download the program to your computer

(https://www.google.com/earth/) and play around, but I’ll highlight some of the fundamentals and where to begin.

If you’re just starting out, the help resource (click the help button) takes you online and shows you how to learn the

basics, including navigating and controlling the view. You’ll discover how to search for an area, and once there, how to

zoom in/out, rotate the view, and change the perspective. Additional information is also provided for printing, emailing,

and saving.

You can mark point locations on the map to indicate a great

camping spot, a favorite getaway, or the location of anything

else. You are able to draw polygons on the map and then Earth

will calculate the amount of area there, which is great for

figuring out how much seed is needed for planting or the

acreage of property. Sketching lines on Earth is great for

showing and sharing a hiking or biking route with someone;

you can also use it to figure out the distance and one of my

favorites, figuring out the elevation profile.

Another favorite feature of many is the time

slider, showing imagery from various years (going

back to 1995 for the area around Morongo). Of

course you can use this to identify both manmade

and natural features that have changed, perhaps

as the result of a fire or from development.

Like any good map reading, make sure you

look at the legend and identify what layers are

available. These features can be clicked on and off

and show you very interesting and various

information, and give you the option to click and

learn more online. Such data and providers

includes earthquakes, National Geographic, NASA,

weather, hiking trails, and photos taken of or at

their location on the map.

If you’re already more familiar with Earth,

check out the features and tools that allow you to

explore the stars, Mars, and the moon. You can

also use the flight simulator to fly either a prop

plane or a fighter jet. Share your knowledge and

create a movie tour!

May 2014

June 1996

Notice the development of the Travel Center,

MCRS, roundabouts and more! What might this

look like in another 18 years?

Path/elevation profile

Integrated Pest Management: A Safer Method to Control Pest Problems in Your Home Written by: Dana Morey, Environmental Supervisor

Page 3 July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

Spiders, ants, and cockroaches, oh my! We have all been bugged at one time or another by pests, and for many

of us, our initial reaction is to reach for the nearest can of bug spray. Insect sprays, baits, repellants, sanitizers, rodent

poisons, and weed killers are all pesticides. Pesticides are very effective at killing pests but they are poisons and are

also very harmful to people, animals, and the environment. Children are at an even greater risk of exposure to these

harmful poisons and can come into contact with them if pesticides are not stored or used properly at home and at

school.

Rather than rely upon pesticides to handle your pest problem, try a safer approach called Integrated Pest

Management (IPM). IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach that manages pests effectively while

minimizing risks to human health and the environment. IPM uses knowledge about a pest’s biology and habitats to

select the best combination of common-sense practices to control the pest. Pests are like us and seek habitats that

provide for their basic needs such as air, water, food, and shelter. Therefore, pest populations can be controlled by

creating inhospitable environments by removing the availability of these basic needs. If pesticides must be used, the

least toxic pesticide should be chosen.

Implementing Integrated Pest Management

1. Properly identify the pest. Before deciding on a course of action, identify the pest and

where it is coming from. Using IPM effectively requires understanding the pest’s basic

biology and habitats. IPM strategies for ants would be slightly different than that of rodents.

2. Take away food. Store food in hard plastic or glass containers with tight-fitting lids. Clean

up crumbs and spills and don’t walk around the house eating food. Use a trash can with a

tight fitting lid and take it out often. Put away pet food when your pet is not eating.

3. Take away water. Fix dripping faucets and pipes, keep surfaces clean and

dry, and do not let water accumulate anywhere in or around your home. For

example, do not leave any water in trays under your houseplants, make sure

appliances are not leaking, do not allow rain water to accumulate in buckets,

puddles, etc. for long periods of time, and remove or dry out water damaged

materials.

4. Take away their hiding places/ shelter/ entrances. Investigate how the

pest got inside and fill in any holes, cracks, and crevices. Get rid of clutter and

keep things tidy to minimize pest hiding places. Install screens on windows,

doors, and floor drains to discourage pests from entering your home. Place

weather stripping on doors and windows and caulk and seal openings in walls.

Outside, remove or destroy outside pest hiding places around your home such

as piles of wood or debris and keep vegetation at least 18 inches away from

your house.

5. Monitor the situation. Watch and see if the pest returns, if it does re-check

steps 2-4.

If you decide the best solution to your pest problem is using a pesticide, use

caution and choose the form of pesticide best suited to your target site and the

pest you want to control. Read the label and follow safety precautions to keep

yourself and your family safe!

For more information, visit

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/controlling/index.htm

Page 4 July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

Watch Out for Bull Thistle! Written by: Kimberly Miller, Environmental Specialist

What is bull thistle?

Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a plant native to Europe and Asia that has

been introduced throughout North America. The bright pink/purple flowers are

easily spotted in the canyons May through September. The flowers may appear

pretty, but the plant is protected by many long, sharp spines. Bull thistle can

grow up to 6 feet tall. It typically grows as a biennial, meaning it spends the first

year as a rosette and then begins to grow tall and produce flowers the second

year. Bull thistle is an invasive plant. “Invasive” is used to describe non-native

plants that do very well outside of cultivation, expand into natural areas, and

disrupt native plant communities.

Where do you find it and how does it get there?

Bull thistle can thrive in many different habitats, but they are most likely to pop up in

areas that have been disturbed from the natural condition. Bull thistle is commonly found

along roads, trails, and in areas that have been affected by erosion, traffic, grazing or

other activities.

Bull thistle is primarily dispersed by wind. The flowers dry out and produce fluffy seeds

that are easily blown to new areas. A heavy infestation can occur in an area through the

feeding habits of livestock and wildlife. The animals will continue to eat their normal food

in an area, but will avoid the bull thistle. This leaves a wide open area for the seeds to

fall and easily establish new plants. People can also play a part in the dispersal of seeds.

If a seed blows onto clothing or is caught in shoes or tire tread, the seed can hitch a ride

into a whole new area.

Why is bull thistle undesirable?

Bull thistle out-competes native plants by taking up space, nutrients and water. Having a large

amount of bull thistle in an area can prevent native plants from being able to get established or

maintain a viable population. This can affect both plants and animals that make up the natural

ecosystem of the area. Without native plants, wildlife in the area may have to feed on plants that aren’t

preferred or are less nutritious. They may also have to leave the area to find suitable food elsewhere. In

addition to being a problem for native plants and wildlife, bull thistle is not very good for humans

either. The sharp spines will poke through most types of material except for thick leather.

What can we do to control it?

The best way to control bull thistle is to minimize the amount of

natural area that is disturbed. This means limiting driving to

established roads or trails, leaving natural vegetation in place,

managing grazing, and reducing erosion. Once bull thistle becomes

established, the most eco-friendly and effective option for removal is

to physically remove the entire plant including the root. The

Environmental Protection Department has been working to

eradicate bull thistle from sensitive areas and occasionally along

roadsides.

For more information on bull thistle and other invasive plants,

visit the California Invasive Plant Council’s website at http://

www.cal-ipc.org/ip/index.php.

Bull thistle rosette

Bull thistle flower

Bull thistle over 5 feet tall

Page 5 July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

Clean, Renewable Energy on Tribal Land Written by: Pamela Atcitty, Environmental Specialist

Tribal Lands’ Natural Resources

Today, there are over 500 Native Americans tribes living in the United States. We live in more than 40 states, on

and off reservation lands that range in size from only a few city blocks to millions of square miles of rural lands. And

although we are among the poorest in the United States, our lands are home to a wealth of natural resources: two-thirds

of the country’s uranium, one-third low-sulfur coal, oil and natural gas resources are all on Native American land.

These natural, fossil fuel resources, when extracted, processed or burned, cause damaging effects on our environment.

Most importantly, when we extract our fossil fuel resources, whether coal, oil or natural gas, the resources are limited

and they will eventually be depleted.

What is Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy comes from any resource that is naturally regenerated over a

short time such as wind, solar, hydro, or geothermal potential. When a Tribe

develops clean, renewable sources of energy, no matter how long or how much

energy is produced, the resources will still be as plentiful as when they were first

harnessed. Renewable energies are almost pollution free. When developed properly,

there is minimal loss of air or water quality as a result of increasing the amount of

energy produced, compared to fossil fuels. In this respect, renewable energies are

compatible with many tribal beliefs, such as living in harmony with nature: no

mountains are torn apart to mine coal; no polluting gases are spewed into the

atmosphere; and no greenhouse gases are created to increase global warming. The

possibilities are endless with renewable energy; whether our goal is to provide heat

to a single home or add to the utility grid for profit.

Types of Renewable Energy

There are many different sources of renewable energy. The two types of renewables that have had

considerable success on Tribal lands, are wind and solar, which have been used with positive results for

several years. Other sources of renewable energy include biomass, hydroelectric and geothermal.

Wind power is the most common renewable form of energy on Native lands. It extracts from air flow

using wind turbines or sails to produce mechanical or electrical power. Wind power can be produced

by a single stand-alone turbine, a small-scale system that is connected to an existing power grid, or a

utility-scale wind farm comprised of hundreds to thousands of turbines.

Solar cells made from silicon absorb the sun’s radiation. Solar technologies can be scaled to provide

onsite energy for homes, buildings or large installations that provide energy for the utility grid.

Hydropower plants convert the energy of moving water to electricity. Large and small scale,

hydropower technologies can produce energy, water supply and control flooding.

Biomass can be converted to biofuels by fermentation from crops or left-over food products and used

as gasoline. Biofuels can transmit electricity across a large area for a single home or small

community.

Geothermal energy is heat from the earth that can be used to heat and cool homes or to run utility-

scale power plants.

Potential for Renewable Energy on Tribal Lands

While there are many renewable energy sources for Tribes to consider, each one come with some

trade-off or impact. However, when properly developed and implemented, Tribes have the ability to

enhance energy security, stabilize energy costs, strengthen tribal energy infrastructure and promote

tribal self-determination. As Native people, we may live in poverty or may be beneficiaries of newly

accumulated wealth and it would be a mistake to consider that all tribes and their needs are the same.

But with all our diversity, we cherish some common values: living as proud, sovereign people, honoring

and protecting the earth and the people on it and caring about future generations.

Page 6 July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

The 2015 Earth Day Event had a wonderful turn out. The event focused on

environmental education for our community and hosted booths from local

organizations, crafts for kids and even some animal visitors. This event is

important because it helps educate our community members on the important

roles they play in protecting our environment. We covered topics including:

Water Conservation, Drought Tolerant Landscaping, Recycling, Energy

Efficient Products, Use of Native Materials, Local Wildlife and much more.

Thank you to all departments and volunteers for helping make this community

event a success.

Earth Day 2015 Written by: Jessica Southard, Environmental Administrative Assistant

Environmental Education in Morongo Schools Written by: Jessica Southard, Environmental Administrative Assistant

Each year the Environmental Protection Department staff collaborate with the

Morongo Schools to incorporate Environmental Education into the curriculum for our

students. This helps the students learn about our Air, Water, Pollution Prevention, GIS/

Geography and our Local Wildlife. They worked on some amazing projects including: an

experiment in how plants can filter pollutants, utilizing recycled materials to create

works of art representing our local wildlife, creating jellyfish from plastic to learn about

the lifecycle of plastic and the role it plays in our environment, understanding the

Greenhouse Effect with glass jars and a lesson on how to read maps and legends. Thank

you to all students and staff who helped make it a successful education year.

Page 7 July 2015 - Volume 10, Issue 3

Spring Seasonal Photo Contest Winner Written by: Jessica Southard, Environmental Administrative Assistant

The Morongo Environmental Protection

Department would like to congratulate

Trisha Smith,

Morongo Social Services

for winning 1st place in the Spring

Seasonal Photo Contest with her photo

“Quail outside the Social Service office”

Trisha received a $50.00 gift card to

Bath & Body Works. Eight photos were

submitted. Photographers remained

anonymous and all employees who had

access to a computer were allowed to

vote for their favorite photo.

Submit your photos for a chance to win a gift card to a local retailer!

Submissions need to be original photographs taken between June 1 and August 31, 2015 within the Reservation or the

surrounding San Gorgonio Pass and can be anything related to the environment. Tribal members, descendants,

community members, and employees are all welcome to participate!

To submit your photo for the photo contest, upload your pictures at: www.morongonation.org/content/environmental-

seasonal-photo-contest Or email photos and a description to: environmental_department@morongo-nsn.gov

If you need assistance uploading your photo or you have any questions about the photo contest, please contact the

Environmental Department at 951-755-5128.

Congratulations to

Tom Yang, Morongo IT

who submitted the

Runner-Up photo

“Spring Begin”.

Check out these amazing images from the Morongo Reservation and surrounding area.

Summer

Entries

are Due

September 1st

Environmental Protection Dept. 12700 Pumarra Road Banning, CA 92220 951-755-5128

News Bits & Upcoming Events with the Morongo Environmental Protection Department

Thank you for recycling this newsletter when finished!

Are you receiving our

Quarterly Newsletter?

If you would like to receive electronic

versions of the Morongo Environmental

Protection Department’s Quarterly

Newsletter and information on other

Environmental Events, sign up at

www.morongonation.org/content/environme

ntal-newsletter-email-signup

or email epd@morongo-nsn.gov and request

to be added to the list!

Prefer a copy mailed to you, no problem!

You can sign up at

www.morongonation.org/content/newsletter

or email us at epd@morongo-nsn.gov

This newsletter was printed on 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Paper

Upcoming Events

EPD High School Intern Presentations

Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 10:30 am & 1:30 pm

In Council Chambers

Our summer interns will be presenting on a topic they are

passionate about concerning Environmental Protection and how it

relates to Morongo.

Household Hazardous & Electronic Wastes Drop-Off Day

Saturday, August 22, 2015 from 9:00 am – Noon

Behind Public Works

Items accepted include household cleaners, pesticides, herbicides,

oils, automotive fluids, tires, paints, electronic devices, and sharps.

Backyard Composting Workshop in Banning

Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 10:00 am

Banning Senior Center – 769 North San Gorgonio Avenue

Attend a free “How-To” workshop on backyard composting and

learn how to turn your green waste into a green resource! The

workshop is presented by the Riverside County Waste Management

Department and is open to all Riverside County residents.