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HOME > DEPARTMENTS > TRIBAL EPA HOME > EPA PROGRAMS
The Tribal EPA Department is responsible for carrying out programs that protect human health and
the environment of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. The Department was established in 1991,
and for more than 10 years operated with just one staff person. In 2003, the Tribe conducted an
intensive outreach program in the community to identify Tribal environmental goals. Staff
developed a 10-year environmental master plan addressing the Tribal goals, and began seeking grant
funds to implement the plan. In 2004, the Department expanded to 5 permanent full-time staff.
The Department is 100% grant funded.
Staff work diligently to protect and restore the environment, while serving the day to day
environmental needs of Tribal members. Among our responsibilities are monitoring environmental
conditions and changes, conducting restoration projects, coordinating environmental clean-ups,
assisting other Tribal departments and Tribal members with regulatory compliance, and serving as an
information/educational resource within the Tribe.
Our programs include:
Tribal EPA staff educate community members on the hazards of air pollution. The Tribal Council has
adopted a Code which requires that Tribal members obtain a permit prior to conducting any open
burning of leaves and brush. Burning of household trash, flammable products, medical waste, tires,
and other items as designated by the Tribal EPA, is prohibited at all times.
As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, the Tribal EPA is dedicated to
revitalizing any contaminated land to productive economic and green space use. The Tribe has one
Brownfields site on the Reservation; the site is an artesian well that is leaching contaminated
groundwater onto surrounding soil. The groundwater was not contaminated by manmade activities;
the contamination is a result of naturally-occurring hazardous substances in the groundwater. The
Tribal EPA has received Brownfields funding to fully assess and cleanup the site.
In 2006, the Tribal Council adopted its first Environmental Protection Codes to promote the peace,
health, safety and general welfare of residents. The Codes apply equally to everyone on the
Reservation – both Tribal and non-Tribal. The Codes confirm that the Tribe is a sovereign nation
governing its land and people. The Codes provide that the Tribal EPA and/or Tribal Police may
conduct enforcement activities. The Tribal EPA will first educate the community and conduct
compliance assistance, and then may issue warnings, citations, and fines. Ultimately, the Tribal EPA
may file an action in Tribal Court seeking damages from those who violate Tribal law.
The Tribal EPA is working with the Cultural Committee, Tribal Council, Elders, and Tribal members to
improve and preserve the Tribe’s cultural awareness and knowledge of the ways of life of our
ancestors. Much of the historical knowledge and traditional practices of the Tribe were lost during
the Termination Era. The Tribe’s goal is to build an organized and sustainable historic preservation
program. To implement this goal, Tribal staff and members are obtaining training on laws and
regulations, and seeking funding to establish and support a Tribal Historic Preservation Office. The
Tribe also wants to conduct cultural inventories, and protect artifacts, written documents and
important cultural and historical sites. Tribal EPA staff are trained to conduct cultural monitoring
activities.
The Tribal EPA is very active in the community. Staff outreach begins with drafting newsletter
articles, setting up informational tables at membership meetings and other gatherings, and
conducting door-to-door outreach. Staff also sponsor annual events which involve significant
community participation, including the annual Creek Cleanup, the annual week-long Reservation
Beautification Cleanup, and the annual Earth Day Celebration. Tribal EPA staff are always available
to assist community members with general information, removal of junk cars, disposal of hazardous
materials, and other issues.
The Tribal EPA has developed a 10-year Environmental Master Plan to outline Tribally-identified
environmental, public health, safety and welfare concerns; to set priorities; and to establish a plan
to implement comprehensive solutions over the next ten years.
Development of a GIS program is providing the Tribe with the ability to map its lands, including its
environmental and cultural resources, and will be a powerful planning tool for Tribal leaders.
Non-Point Source Pollution is pollution that occurs when rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation runs over
land or through the ground, picks up pollutants, and deposits them into rivers, lakes, and coastal
waters or introduces them into ground water. The most serious nonpoint source problems for
streams on the Reservation include erosion/ sedimentation, parking lot runoff, nutrients (primarily
from septics) and improper disposal of hazardous wastes. The goal of the Tribe’s nonpoint source
program is to address problems through prevention, voluntary efforts by landowners, development
and enforcement of regulations, design and installation of on-the-ground projects, public
involvement and education.
The Tribe has developed a Plant Management and Protection Code and a Tree Management and
Protection Code. In order to implement the Codes, the Tribe requires baseline information, or
inventories, documenting all plants and wildlife on the Reservation, specifically including those
which are native and significant to Tribal culture. The Tribe will conduct the surveys over a three
year period. Additionally, the Tribe is developing a herbarium which will house dried samples of all
plants on the Reservation. Tribal residents are welcome to stop by the Tribal EPA Office and view
plants in the herbarium.
The Tribal EPA is responsible for implementing the Tribal Solid Waste Management Plan and the
Household Hazardous Waste Management Plan. We also coordinate open dump closures, facilitate
the Lalil Daqaw Tribal recycling buy-back center, work within the community to expand use of green
products, and coordinate household hazardous waste collection and disposal events.
The land of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians is home to several tributary creeks in the upper
reaches of the Russian River watershed. These creeks have been documented as historically
supporting a vibrant salmonid population. But observations have shown that these salmonid
populations have severely dwindled in the last several decades. The Tribal community has expressed
concern for this disappointing trend, noting that the steelhead trout once found in Tribal streams
are important for Tribal spirituality, nourishment, and cultural preservation. The members of the
Hopland Tribe therefore wish to pursue actions to restore a healthy habitat to the creeks and fish
on Tribal land. The Tribal EPA is conducting habitat profiles of Tribal creeks, along with culvert
assessments, and seeking resources to restore steelhead to Tribal waters.
The Hopland Tribal EPA Summer Internship Program is a four to ten week experience to help
students learn about the environment and determine whether a career in environmental studies or
natural resources is right for them. The interns experience daily hands-on learning and participate
in a variety of activities such as water sampling, gardening, recycling, and outreach.
Tribal EPA Water Quality staff monitor and assess the conditions and trends of surface and ground
waters in order to ensure that water quality can be maintained and improved. Staff are evaluating
options for Tribal Water Quality Standards or other water quality criteria/indicators that would meet
Tribal needs. Staff also coordinate annual creek clean-up days, and provide water quality outreach.
Pollutants can enter unused wells and move quickly into the groundwater, without being filtered
and cleaned by soil. In order to protect the groundwater, the Tribal EPA has located unused wells,
obtained well construction reports, and is working with a contractor to properly close the wells.
the environment of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. The Department was established in 1991,
and for more than 10 years operated with just one staff person. In 2003, the Tribe conducted an
intensive outreach program in the community to identify Tribal environmental goals. Staff
developed a 10-year environmental master plan addressing the Tribal goals, and began seeking grant
funds to implement the plan. In 2004, the Department expanded to 5 permanent full-time staff.
The Department is 100% grant funded.
Staff work diligently to protect and restore the environment, while serving the day to day
environmental needs of Tribal members. Among our responsibilities are monitoring environmental
conditions and changes, conducting restoration projects, coordinating environmental clean-ups,
assisting other Tribal departments and Tribal members with regulatory compliance, and serving as an
information/educational resource within the Tribe.
Our programs include:
Tribal EPA staff educate community members on the hazards of air pollution. The Tribal Council has
adopted a Code which requires that Tribal members obtain a permit prior to conducting any open
burning of leaves and brush. Burning of household trash, flammable products, medical waste, tires,
and other items as designated by the Tribal EPA, is prohibited at all times.
As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, the Tribal EPA is dedicated to
revitalizing any contaminated land to productive economic and green space use. The Tribe has one
Brownfields site on the Reservation; the site is an artesian well that is leaching contaminated
groundwater onto surrounding soil. The groundwater was not contaminated by manmade activities;
the contamination is a result of naturally-occurring hazardous substances in the groundwater. The
Tribal EPA has received Brownfields funding to fully assess and cleanup the site.
In 2006, the Tribal Council adopted its first Environmental Protection Codes to promote the peace,
health, safety and general welfare of residents. The Codes apply equally to everyone on the
Reservation – both Tribal and non-Tribal. The Codes confirm that the Tribe is a sovereign nation
governing its land and people. The Codes provide that the Tribal EPA and/or Tribal Police may
conduct enforcement activities. The Tribal EPA will first educate the community and conduct
compliance assistance, and then may issue warnings, citations, and fines. Ultimately, the Tribal EPA
may file an action in Tribal Court seeking damages from those who violate Tribal law.
The Tribal EPA is working with the Cultural Committee, Tribal Council, Elders, and Tribal members to
improve and preserve the Tribe’s cultural awareness and knowledge of the ways of life of our
ancestors. Much of the historical knowledge and traditional practices of the Tribe were lost during
the Termination Era. The Tribe’s goal is to build an organized and sustainable historic preservation
program. To implement this goal, Tribal staff and members are obtaining training on laws and
regulations, and seeking funding to establish and support a Tribal Historic Preservation Office. The
Tribe also wants to conduct cultural inventories, and protect artifacts, written documents and
important cultural and historical sites. Tribal EPA staff are trained to conduct cultural monitoring
activities.
The Tribal EPA is very active in the community. Staff outreach begins with drafting newsletter
articles, setting up informational tables at membership meetings and other gatherings, and
conducting door-to-door outreach. Staff also sponsor annual events which involve significant
community participation, including the annual Creek Cleanup, the annual week-long Reservation
Beautification Cleanup, and the annual Earth Day Celebration. Tribal EPA staff are always available
to assist community members with general information, removal of junk cars, disposal of hazardous
materials, and other issues.
The Tribal EPA has developed a 10-year Environmental Master Plan to outline Tribally-identified
environmental, public health, safety and welfare concerns; to set priorities; and to establish a plan
to implement comprehensive solutions over the next ten years.
Development of a GIS program is providing the Tribe with the ability to map its lands, including its
environmental and cultural resources, and will be a powerful planning tool for Tribal leaders.
Non-Point Source Pollution is pollution that occurs when rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation runs over
land or through the ground, picks up pollutants, and deposits them into rivers, lakes, and coastal
waters or introduces them into ground water. The most serious nonpoint source problems for
streams on the Reservation include erosion/ sedimentation, parking lot runoff, nutrients (primarily
from septics) and improper disposal of hazardous wastes. The goal of the Tribe’s nonpoint source
program is to address problems through prevention, voluntary efforts by landowners, development
and enforcement of regulations, design and installation of on-the-ground projects, public
involvement and education.
The Tribe has developed a Plant Management and Protection Code and a Tree Management and
Protection Code. In order to implement the Codes, the Tribe requires baseline information, or
inventories, documenting all plants and wildlife on the Reservation, specifically including those
which are native and significant to Tribal culture. The Tribe will conduct the surveys over a three
year period. Additionally, the Tribe is developing a herbarium which will house dried samples of all
plants on the Reservation. Tribal residents are welcome to stop by the Tribal EPA Office and view
plants in the herbarium.
The Tribal EPA is responsible for implementing the Tribal Solid Waste Management Plan and the
Household Hazardous Waste Management Plan. We also coordinate open dump closures, facilitate
the Lalil Daqaw Tribal recycling buy-back center, work within the community to expand use of green
products, and coordinate household hazardous waste collection and disposal events.
The land of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians is home to several tributary creeks in the upper
reaches of the Russian River watershed. These creeks have been documented as historically
supporting a vibrant salmonid population. But observations have shown that these salmonid
populations have severely dwindled in the last several decades. The Tribal community has expressed
concern for this disappointing trend, noting that the steelhead trout once found in Tribal streams
are important for Tribal spirituality, nourishment, and cultural preservation. The members of the
Hopland Tribe therefore wish to pursue actions to restore a healthy habitat to the creeks and fish
on Tribal land. The Tribal EPA is conducting habitat profiles of Tribal creeks, along with culvert
assessments, and seeking resources to restore steelhead to Tribal waters.
The Hopland Tribal EPA Summer Internship Program is a four to ten week experience to help
students learn about the environment and determine whether a career in environmental studies or
natural resources is right for them. The interns experience daily hands-on learning and participate
in a variety of activities such as water sampling, gardening, recycling, and outreach.
Tribal EPA Water Quality staff monitor and assess the conditions and trends of surface and ground
waters in order to ensure that water quality can be maintained and improved. Staff are evaluating
options for Tribal Water Quality Standards or other water quality criteria/indicators that would meet
Tribal needs. Staff also coordinate annual creek clean-up days, and provide water quality outreach.
Pollutants can enter unused wells and move quickly into the groundwater, without being filtered
and cleaned by soil. In order to protect the groundwater, the Tribal EPA has located unused wells,
obtained well construction reports, and is working with a contractor to properly close the wells.