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El Sobrante Landfill is a Class 3 regional disposal facility permitted to accept up to 10,000 tons per day, seven days per week. It employs approximately 40 full-time employees. Landfill operations are overseen by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health.
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Field biologist Diana Ortiz knows all about Waste Management’s dedication to resource management and environmental protection. As part of an award-winning team of biologists from Recon Environmental, she is responsible for habitat management and reporting at El Sobrante’s permanent habitat preserve. Her meticulous efforts help El Sobrante win ongoing rigorous certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council. Long days at the preserve for Diana include weaving around rattlesnakes, stinging nettles and mountain lions—sometimes at night with just a helmet and flashlight in hand.
Before any new construction begins at the landfill, Diana works closely with Waste Management staff to coordinate pre-clearance surveys for sensitive species and other wildlife and plants. When barn owls took up roosting in hollow concrete pipes, she worked with crews to stop construction in the area and monitor the nests to give the fledglings time to mature and move on. As other sections of the landfill close, Diana also works with crews to restore these areas through re-vegetation and by introducing wildlife.
Diana’s other responsibilities include an annual population survey of the Quino Checkspot Butterfly (a Federally endangered specie), habitat enhancement for the Federally endangered Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat, and surveys of rare plants on the preserve. She enjoys the distinct seasons at El Sobrante. Summer and fall are usually hot and dry, while her favorite time of year is late winter and early spring. In rainy years, lush grass and wildflowers blanket the hills in emerald green, brilliant oranges and purples. Diana notes that this springtime spectacle is unique to Riverside County. “I’m really lucky,” she says. “People in California usually have to go back east to see seasons, but I get to experience them right here at El Sobrante.”
Despite the natural beauty, the habitat faces challenges, including trespassers and invasive bird species. Off-road vehicle and motorcycle riders often sneak past the enclosures and rip up the ground, leaving large bare patches in their wake. Their joy rides have especially threatened the restoration site for the Many-stemmed Dudleya, a native plant with yellow starburst flowers. To keep such vehicles at bay, the habitat management team has tried blocking off strategic locations with boulders and large cactuses. They are also currently working with a security company for routine patrols of the area, and coordinating a team for weekend patrols with help from local authorities.
The Brown-headed Cowbird is another trespasser that has proven sneaky. The female birds of this parasitic species can each deposit as many as 40 eggs per year in nests that belong to songbirds, which are unable to distinguish between the imposter eggs and their own. Once the Cowbird hatches, it shoves its step-siblings out of the way, and tires out its adopted parents with a voracious appetite and relatively hefty body weight. Because songbirds can lose an entire nesting season in this way, Diana continues to work with a trapping specialist to capture and remove the Cowbird from the preserve.
Diana enjoys taking part in the landfill’s community outreach efforts, which include educating the public about the preserve and leading three-day outdoor classrooms for middle and high school students. She brings out her microscope, books, butterfly nets and other gear to open up a world that students may have never considered before. “All you need to do this type of work are ears, eyes, nose, and heart,” Diana tells students. For more information, or a tour of the Habitat, please contact us.
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