Helpful Tips Aimed to Help the Environment and Threatened Desert Tortoise
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, along with Burrtec, and the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) have joined forces to educate the public about the threatened desert tortoise and are encouraging people to “Take Care of Your Trash.”
Improper disposal of trash can have major impacts to the community including damaging infrastructure, blocking recycling efforts, and even harming one of our local threatened species, the Desert Tortoise.
In sewer systems like CVWD’s that relies on pumps and motors to move waste, flushing trash is a major problem that can create serious damage to pumps and other equipment. If objects such as “flushable” wipes and diapers clump together, they can get stuck in our equipment. This can cause damage and even destroy pumps, which could cost more than $40,000 to replace. Each year CVWD spends about $1 million maintaining and cleaning its sanitation system. A great deal of that effort is removing items that should not have gone down the drain in the first place.
It’s also important to know what items can and cannot be recycled, as mixing trash with recyclables is harmful to recycling efforts. If any non-recyclables are placed in the recycle containers, it can contaminate an entire load. Dumping recyclables or even green waste into a normal trash container means it will end up in a landfill instead of having another use. The public is encouraged to put different types of waste in the right place— and if they don’t know which bin is the correct one, please ask.
In January 2018, The Living Desert launched its “Time to Talk Trash” campaign to assist people in making the connection that open trash containers, whether at home or at a business, provide a food source for ravens. The campaign includes three billboards along highways in the high desert, as well as stickers to be used by The Living Desert and their partners. Bumper stickers were also distributed to groups such as off highway vehicle users that often recreate in open desert areas, home to tortoise populations.
“While ravens are a natural part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem, their numbers have increased 1,500% over the past three decades causing a huge imbalance in the ecosystem – and the desert tortoise is suffering because of this,” said Dr. Danoff-Burg. “Actions as simple as covering our trash will mean fewer ravens, and that will hopefully mean more desert tortoises.”
These are just a few of the countless small acts that contribute greatly to a more sustainable planet and help ensure the longevity of desert species.
For more information about recycling visit burrtec.com, for tips on water conservation visit cvwd.org and for information about desert tortoises, visit livingdesert.org
About The Living Desert
The Living Desert is an AZA-accredited zoo and gardens that is dedicated to desert conservation through preservation, education and appreciation. It is a family-friendly place to explore nature and create meaningful experiences for guests that are remembered for a lifetime. The Living Desert is located at: 47900 Portola Avenue, Palm Desert, CA 92260. For more information: (760) 346-5694 or visitLivingDesert.org.
About Coachella Valley Water District
Coachella Valley Water District is a public, non-profit agency serving domestic water, irrigation water, wastewater collection and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection and groundwater replenishment over a 1,000-square-mile area, including parts of Cathedral City to the Salton Sea communities. CVWD is a State Water Contractor and operates the 123-mile Coachella Canal to import Colorado River water to the region. An elected five-member board sets policy and represents the ratepayers. For more information, please visit cvwd.org.
About Burrtec
For over 50 years, Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc. has consistently provided excellence in service and satisfaction with a strong loyalty to the future of the communities in which we serve. Burrtec and its sister company, EDCO Disposal Corporation, comprise the largest privately held solid waste company in California. Originally started in 1955, the company is still owned and operated by The Burrs’. For more information call (760) 340-2113 or visit burrtec.com
