The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society assists Native American and Alaska Native Tribes with the conservation, protection, and enhancement of their fish and wildlife resources. Their annual conference will be held in person in Verona, NY. Abstracts, requests for student travel scholarships, requests for travel funding assistance, and national award nominations are due by March 6.

• Learn more

EPA hosted a webinar on how to apply for a competitive grant on December 17. The webinar presentation and helpful links are now available on the Competition Process Webinar webpage. The recording should be posted soon. 

Find recordings and materials for other EPA Grants Webinars under Past Webinars.

Check out EPA’s Asthma Triggers Infographics to learn how to reduce exposure to indoor environmental asthma triggers. Some of these triggers are especially prominent in winter, when we spend more time indoors. The six infographics cover mold, secondhand smoke, pets, dust mites, pests and woodsmoke. Addressing these triggers can reduce the symptoms of asthma and other lung diseases.

Radon, a colorless and odorless radioactive gas, can build up inside a home if left untreated and pose serious health risks. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. The only way to know if radon is present in your home is to test for it. 

Testing for radon is easy and inexpensive. Contact your state or Tribal radon program to learn more about radon services in your area.  

• Learn more
• Read an article from the Centers for Disease Control on the work EPA and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) are doing to help Tribes combat radon.

If you’re looking for ideas for your FY27 (or CY27) GAP work plan, you may wish to visit the 2022 GAP Technical Assistance Handbook, which provides a roadmap of activities that may be useful when developing environmental programs. The handbook contains sections on building:

• Core environmental programs
• Ambient and indoor air quality programs
• Water quality programs
• Drinking water programs
• Solid waste, hazardous waste, and underground storage tank programs
• Contaminated site remediation and emergency response programs
• Chemical safety and pollution prevention programs 

Note that the handbook provides examples; you are welcome to propose other activities.

If you decide to use ideas from the handbook, please make them your own, tailoring them to the needs of your Tribe.

Provided by the Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC) and the Washington Department of Ecology, this event will convene regulated companies, governments, solution providers, and regulators to discuss stormwater management. The conference will be held in Tacoma, WA.

• Register 

So, how long do you have to hang on to those pesky old grant records? Per 2 CFR 200.334, most records pertinent to federal award must be retained for three years from the date of submission of the final financial report.

IndigenousACCESS, provided by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), is a rapid-response tool to help users locate information and resources related to extreme hazards and severe weather events in the Pacific Northwest. The website’s PNW Tribal Flood Response Dashboard provides real-time updates and resources, emergency alert monitoring, and other information specific to the severe flooding and atmospheric river event occurring now, including:

• Active weather alerts for Tribal lands and surrounding areas
• Current conditions and impacts across the region
• Local resources and emergency contacts
• Situational awareness tools for emergency managers

The Tribal Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program supports Indigenous communities in protecting and restoring sacred lands and accomplishing their revitalization goals. TAB is a collaborative partnership between Kansas State University, the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. If you’re interested in addressing brownfields issues in your community, check out their new website. 

The National Center for Disaster Preparedness is offering a web-based training on the impacts of extreme weather events and the associated risks and hazards on emergency management, with a specific emphasis on Tribal Nation protocols. The course will teach tailored strategies Tribal Nations can use to prepare for extreme weather events and enhance their adaptation to the changing environment.

If you complete the course, include the training certificate as a deliverable with your progress report.

• Register

The Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management (ATCEM) will be held March 24-27, 2026, in Anchorage, AK. The organizers are seeking abstracts for trainings and workshops for the six tracks: capacity building, community infrastructure, contaminated sites, health, resilience, and solid & hazardous waste.

• Submit an abstract by Jan. 5.

Heads up to an issue we recently learned about: A “deficiency” will be logged in SAM.govagainst a grantee for failure to submit final grant reports within one year of the end of the grant cycle.

2 CFR 200.344 says:

• (h) The Federal agency must make every effort to complete all closeout actions no later than one year after the end of the period of performance…
• (i) If the recipient does not comply with the requirements of this section, including submitting all final reports, the Federal agency must report the recipient’s material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the Federal award in SAM.gov…

A report of non-compliance in SAM.gov can negatively impact an organization’s ability to receive future federal grants or contracts. So…. get those final reports in on time, folks! 

• Our handy-dandy calendar can help you keep the deadlines straight.
• Visit our page on closeouts for more details.

The SF-425, Federal Financial Report, is required annually within 90 days of the end of the performance period. If your grant operates on the fiscal year, the report is due by December 30. If your grant operates on the calendar year, the report is due by March 30.

However, in the last year of the grant, the SF-425 is due 120 days of the end of the performance period and must cover the entire grant period. 

It’s easy to make an error on this form. To get it all right, please review the attached guidance from our grants office and please share it with your accountant or bookkeeper. 😊

The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians conventions bring members together to engage in discussions, presentations, and committee activities focused on policy, legislation, and the future of Indian Country in the Northwest. The event will be held in Portland, OR. 

• Register

Assembled by the Alaska Tribal Resilience Learning Network, this reference guide provides templates for including climate future projections and climate data into Small Community Emergency Response Plans (SCERPs), Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs), and other common community planning efforts.

Hosted by Alaska Sea Grant, the Western Alaska Science Conference will highlight ways for maintaining strength, health, and subsistence lifestyles while moving forward during rapid transitions within the environment, ecology, and industries of Western Alaska. The conference will be held in Bethel, AK, April 7-9, 2026. Abstracts are sought from all disciplines that address questions and issues of concern to Western Alaska communities.

• Submit an abstract by Jan. 30

The National Tribal Forum on Air Quality will be held April 27-30, 2026, in the Pacific Northwest. The Forum supports Tribal programs by fostering information-sharing and networking opportunities focused on building Tribal capacity in air quality management. The organizers are seeking abstracts for presentations, trainings, and other informational sessions that will provide engaging opportunities for Tribes to connect with others working to address air quality concerns. 

• Submit a proposal by Jan. 9

The National Association of Environmental Professionals Conference & Training Symposium will be held May 11-14, 2026, in Anchorage, AK. Environmental professionals from across the country will learn about new projects, share technical knowledge, network with other industry professionals, and engage with environmental leaders. Topics typically include NEPA practice, biological resources, brownfields and remediation, cultural and historic resources, geospatial analyses, natural resources management, offshore wind and renewable energy, socioeconomics and community impacts, technology in environmental planning, transportation, and water and coastal resources. 

The organizers are seeking abstracts to showcase your work to an audience of national and Alaskan environmental professionals. Abstracts can be submitted for oral presentations, posters, workshops, and special sessions on national and Alaskan issues.

• Submit an abstract by Dec. 31

The National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) is seeking abstracts for its conference, April 27-30, 2026, in Shepherdstown, WV. NAWM is particularly interested in presentations that address one or more of the following topics: 

• Updates on State and Tribal regulatory approaches and permitting
• Wetland and aquatic ecosystem restoration
• Tribal programs and wetland management
• Integrated project funding and financing
• Market-based approaches and incentives to conservation
• PFAS and other emerging contaminants in wetlands management
• Wetlands management for wildlife conservation
• Application of tools, technology, and AI to wetlands management
• Creative partnerships and stakeholder engagement
  
  • Submit an abstract by Dec. 31