On Saturday, more than 250 people attended the 18th annual Chumash Earth Day celebration put on by the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office (SYCEO).
Santa Ynez Chumash community members and the wider public gathered at Kitiyepumu’ Park in the Santa Ynez Reservation to peruse the booths of about 30 organizations, all united by a shared care for the Earth and its resources.
The day started with opening remarks and Chumash songs sung by Carmen Sandoval, a cultural educator and Chumash community member who was raised on the reservation and now lives in Cuyama. She sang the ancestor song — a traditional Chumash tune passed down through the generations, the lyrics of which have an unknown meaning.
“Continue doing your magical work,” said Sandoval, “for our future generations, for all the babies that are not born, all of the new eggs that are starting to hatch.”
Guests wound their way through the lawn with two rows of tents featuring environmental groups from across the Central Coast, face painting and activity booths, goats and miniature horses for petting, and two food trucks, one serving fry bread. At the family-friendly event, children were running across the lawn and playing on the neighboring playground while their parents learned about resources and local organizations.
Throughout the day, Diego Cordero, SYCEO’s lead environmental technician, was raffling off prizes ranging from native plants to spa gift cards. When Cordero came on the mic, visitors and booth sitters eagerly grabbed their tickets, groaning when their numbers stopped matching.
David Paul Dominguez was selling his clothing and jewelry from his brand Chumash Style at the event. | Credit: Elaine Sanders 
Kids could build houses out of mud and learn about building houses from natural materials. | Credit: Elaine Sanders 
Credit: Elaine Sanders 
Visitors were greeted by the soil tunnel, an inflatable arch that educates folks about what goes on beneath their feet. | Credit: Elaine Sanders 
Around 30 booths were set up on the lawn of Kitiyepumu’ Park. | Credit: Elaine Sanders
SYCEO Environmental Director Julie Colbert was running the show on Saturday and has been involved in every one of the 18 Chumash Earth Day celebrations. She said that four months of planning went into this year’s event, and with a sigh of relief said, “the weather cooperated this year; that was my biggest anxiety all week!”
David Paul Dominguez had a booth at the event selling clothing and jewelry from his brand, Chumash Style. Dominguez has been involved in tribal events and politics since his father was a long-standing chair of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in the ’90s.
He commented that Chumash Earth Day has been expanding. “It’s great to see the growth. It’s not imploding; it’s exploding,” he said. “It’s like a good disease.”
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