By Jeff Smith
PG&E helped elementary school children celebrate Earth Day with a Native American tribe near the company’s Topock Compressor Station in Arizona.
Members of the Chemehuevi tribe hosted PG&E staff and children from the Chemehuevi Elementary School. The purpose of the event, held at the tribe’s cultural center at Havasu Lake, was to help educate the children about sustainable choices, water quality, information about native plants, as well as respecting the environment and local wildlife.
Bureau of Land Management staff introduce the desert tortoise to admiring fans.
PG&E employees provided bottled water, helped school children plant their own wildflowers to take home and led a painting craft for the youngsters to design their own Earth Day poster. Other participants included the Chemehuevi Cultural Center, Bureau of Land Management and the Native American Land Conservancy.
Jay Cravath, the cultural center’s director, gave tours of the center, discussing the rich history of the Chemehuevi Tribe and sharing the works of art prominently displayed throughout the building.
Matthew Leivas, the center’s agricultural director, was also in attendance to showcase some of the local crops grown on Chemehuevi land.
“We were very pleased to be a part of the Chemehuevi Earth Day event,” Cravath said. “Working together with the Cultural Center provides tribal members a way to reclaim their cultural heritage, make connections with their past and learn about how to respect and nurture our natural environment.”
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