Members of the Yocha Dehe Tribal Council are joined by PG&E senior account manager John Mabry, second from right, and Trane Company area manager Dale White, third from right, to celebrate a $1.1 million rebate coming from the tribe's participation in the "Shift and Save" program on Thursday. (James Noonan/ Democrat)

A $1.1 million rebate check presented to the members of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation was the highlight of celebration showcasing a broad range of sustainability work being done by the tribe on Thursday.

"Thank you for recognizing the effort that our tribe is making to provide for, preserve and protect the Capay Valley," said Tribal Chairman Marshall McKay. "Stewardship has always been a critical part of our identity as Native people."

The event, held in parking lot of the Cache Creek Casino Resort, featured several exhibits demonstrating the tribe's many sustainability projects, including a 250 kilowatt solar farm, three hydrogen fuel cells and a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility that annually recycles 80 million gallons. These projects, as well as others, allow the resort to generate roughly 20 percent of its total energy usage on-site.

Attendees were treated to a program featuring a blessing from Tribal Council member Leland Kitner in the nation's native Patwin language, a rendition of "We Are the World" performed by the students of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy and tours providing a first-hand look at the tribe's environmental work.

The centerpiece of Thursday's event was the resort's thermal energy storage unit, which allowed the tribe to participate in PG&E's "Shift and Save" program, and receive the High-Performance Building Showcase award from the Trane Company.

"The technology for this project is really simple, yet very effective," said Tim Horton, a project manager at the Cache Creek Casino Resort.

The thermal energy system, which consists of a 1.4-million-gallon water storage tank, allows the resort to remove itself from the energy grid between the peak hours of noon and 6 p.m. and cool its water during non-peak hours. The cooled water can then be stored in the tank and piped into the resort throughout the day. The operation shifts more than one megawatt of energy usage to non-peal hours each day, resulting in an annual energy savings of $400,000. Thursday's rebate represents the savings over the last four years.

"Our team at Trane is proud to have worked with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to create a new, large-scale system to lower the resort's energy use," said Dale White, area manager for Trane's northern California Region. "We are honored to present our award to the Yocha Dehe Nation because of our shared commitment to energy efficiency."

For McKay and the other members of the tribal council, Thursday's event comes as recognition of age-old tribal traditions.

"For thousands of years, we have tended the land, protected plant an animal species and preserved environmental balance," McKay said. "As a continuation of this long history, we move into the future, actively investing in systems and technologies that will contribute to a healthier planet."