Newsletter: Planet Pala Summer 2024
Planet Pala Newsletter
The Pala Environmental Department and Planet Pala announce the Planet Pala Summer 2024 Newsletter.
Letter from the Director
Welcome to News from Planet Pala.
Summer is here and things are already heating up in Pala. We are excited to be holding fun activities in the PED garden as part of the Pala Youth Summer Program. You can read more about our Art in the Garden programs below. And speaking of the garden, come visit to see all the amazing new features we have added, including new pathways and a dry creek bed. We welcome volunteers in the garden every Thursday from 9 am – 10 am. Read on to hear more about what PED has been up to, including updates from the Pala Monitoring Program’s efforts to preserve and protect cultural sites and the Pala Fuels Crew’s work on keeping the community safe from fire. You can read all of our newsletters in the Planet Pala Newsletter archive.
Please reach out to us with comments, questions, or suggestions. We are here for Pala and you!
The Fuels Crew Spring Activities Roundup
The Pala Environmental Department’s Fuel Crew has been active all spring, keeping fuel breaks maintained around Pala. Pala has implemented an active program to keep and maintain breaks along roads, near neighborhoods, and in some areas of vegetation for fire control and wildlife prevention. These breaks also help when crews need access to fight fire.
Recently, our crew was able to help with a controlled burn on the La Jolla Reservation. These burns have been slowly returning to Tribal lands, bringing back a culturally important practice. Controlled burns can be used to reduce invasive weeds, thin forests for their health, and bring back healthy native grasslands. Research is also showing that these burns, used correctly, can control many of the invasive insects damaging our wonderful oaks and other trees.
Other actions the Fuels Crew has taken include installing a fuel break around Pala’s vineyard, helping with some tree planting, maintaining fuel breaks along several of our roadways, and winning a contract to maintain open space around SDGE’s electric poles. SDGE has contracted Pala’s Fuels Crew before, and is doing so once more, to maintain areas around their poles on the Pala Reservation and nearby lands for fire prevention and ease of access for workers. Our crew is taking an approach that reduces the weedy, non-native vegetation but leaves native shrubs and trees around the poles for wildlife habitat. Their work will continue into the summer, helping to keep Pala safe as we enter wildfire season.
Pala’s 2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Please review the 2023 PBMI Annual Water Quality Report.
Every year, all public water supply systems must develop and send out a CCR (Consumer Confidence Report), which describes the water quality of their system’s tap water.
This report covers Pala’s drinking (tap) water quality from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.If you have any questions about Pala’s water quality, please feel free to contact Heidi Brow at 760-891-3514 or hbrow@palatribe.com.
Solar Carport Installation to Begin in July
Our long-awaited project to install solar carports and battery storage backup at the Pala Administration Building is breaking ground in July. This is the first installation in the larger Pala Community Microgrids project, which will provide approximately 102% of the Pala Band of Mission Indians’ electricity consumption at eight facilities, saving nearly $6.4 million in net energy costs and displacing approximately 933,553 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the project’s 25-year lifetime. Construction and installation of the solar carports will require the closure of some parts of the parking lot, so please be aware of closure notices and construction activity.
Pala Youth Summer Program: Art in the Garden
This summer Pala is offering a variety of activities for youth. PED will be hosting Art in the Garden every Wednesday 9-10am throughout the month of July. These activities will take place in the garden located on the east side of the Administration building. Youth will be able to participate in hands-on arts and crafts and assist with art projects in the garden where the entire community will be able to view the art.
Please reach out to Tina Fernandez at 760- 891-3510 or tfernandez@palatribe.com to sign-up.
Happy National Pollinator Week!
The third week of June each year is National Pollinator Week. What do you think of when you think of pollinators? Maybe you think of butterflies, bumble bees, dragonflies and of course honeybees. It is well known that honey bees use pollen to produce delicious honey and they also contribute to pollination of flowers, fruit trees, vegetables and berries. However, honey bees are only one of the first pollinators that come to mind. I was recently reminded that the honey bees we have come to value for their sweet, sticky honey are non-native and are actually European bees. Although I learned this fact decades ago, I didn’t think much about it until I realized that honeybees have gotten more attention as pollinators than they actually deserve. There are many other flying insects that also deserve recognition. In fact, there are over 200,000 species of pollinators that sustain our ecosystem. From the common bumblebee to sweat bees, digger bees, long horned bees, cuckoo bees, leaf cutter bees and so on, there are over 650 species of native bees that reside in San Diego alone. That’s just the bees! Some of the less recognized pollinators that we should consider valuable for the biodiversity of our ecosystem, agriculture and our home gardens include tarantula hawks, Vespid wasps, bee flies, moths, green bees and sand bees. Even some bats are pollinators! PED is designing some new stickers featuring some of our local pollinators so you know what they are when you see them in your garden. Talk to us if you want to learn how to make your garden more friendly to our pollinators! Contact Keith Bowman at kbowman@palatribe.com.
Come out to the garden and see all the new things are happening! Currently, the
re are lots of flowers still in bloom. New pathways have been installed along with a dry creek bed incorporating a pond that was installed and has been attracting lots of wildlife. The site location for a greenhouse has been prepped and is ready for building to begin. We are also going to be spreading mulch and planting. There is so much going on in the garden. Check it out when you get a chance or better yet come volunteer on Thursdays between 9-10 am all summer long.
No information for the summer 2024 newsletter.
PREP Neighborhood Survey and Project Update
The PREP (Pala Reservation Emergency Preparedness) leadership team, spearheaded by Shasta Gaughen, Director of the Environmental Department has made great progress developing the PREP webpages.
Visit the PREP Homepage, listed under Public Safety on the PBMI website here to:
- Learn about PREP
- Take the PREP Neighborhood Survey
- Read the Pala Hazard Mitigation Plan
The information gathered from the PREP Neighborhood Survey is being used to develop PREP Neighborhood Meetings. Indicate on the survey if you need help with:
- Clearing brush
- Hanging smoke detectors
- Assembling a disaster supply kit
- Making a disaster plan
The PREP Neighborhood Survey is available through June 2024.
PREP Neighborhood Meetings will take place this fall with support from Tribal Leadership and the Pala Fire Department.
In the meantime, the Tribe encourages everyone to take a first step toward disaster preparedness and Register for Pala’s Emergency Alert System.
Pala’s Emergency Alert System
This is a phone-based community alert system. Opt-in to receive automated texts, calls, or emails when an emergency or hazardous situation is on or near the Reservation. Register here.
In the event of a disaster, also tune in to Pala Rez Radio 91.3FM. Visit Pala Rez Radio for more information.
PREP Project Facts
The PREP project aims to engage the entire Pala community in addressing the impacts of climate change and the threats of natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, and floods. The PREP Neighborhood visits will pinpoint specific challenges within each neighborhood and develop tailored strategies to prepare and protect residents including:
Evacuation routes
- Identifying vulnerable residents
- Addressing hazardous areas
- Developing emergency plans
Stay tuned for PREP announcements and opportunities for community involvement. Together, we can build a safer, more resilient Pala Reservation.
Pala was recently featured in an article in San Diego Magazine, Pala Reservation Looks to the Future With Aquaponics, about the hoop house and aquaponics system that we are building in cooperation with EcoLife.
Planet Pala
Welcome to Planet Pala. This is the place to learn how you can help the Pala Environmental Department protect Mother Earth. Come to Planet Pala to learn about Pala’s plants and animals, discover how to do your fun activities like building a DIY bee habitat or planting a pollinator garden, and get tips on healthy, green living.
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Pala Environmental Department
For more information, contact the Pala Environment Department:
760-891-3510 | ped@palatribe.com | ped.palatribe.com