Join part 1 of a two-part series on participatory science hosted by EPA’s Watershed Academy in partnership the National Water Quality Monitoring Council’s Volunteer Monitoring Workgroup. The workgroup was developed in 2016 to encourage integration of volunteer monitoring with ongoing water-quality monitoring conducted by local, state, and federal agencies. The series will explore diverse projects that engage members of the public in aquatic-based data collection projects. The first webcast will showcase diverse water quality programs; the second will highlight coastal programs emphasizing the role of partnerships and program impact. 

• Register
• Learn more about participatory science

The Columbia River Basin Team is co-hosting the next Working Group Meeting in Spokane, WA, with the Washington Department of Ecology. The goal is to identify strategies to reduce toxics in the Basin. The meeting will begin with an afternoon session, followed by an optional walking tour of the City’s efforts to prevent combined sewer overflows. The May 23 meeting will spotlight partners working in the Upper Columbia and provide leadership and networking opportunities. 

• Contact Greg Frey (gfrey@thecounciloak.com) or Robin Parker (Parker.Robin@epa.gov) if you have questions about the meeting or would like to be added to the email list. 

EPA seeks input from states, Tribes, municipal governments, and industry representatives on current practices for safe collection, storage, and transport of small format batteries before recycling. This webinar will focus on how communities and businesses are informing the public to prepare used batteries for collection, ensure safe collection and storage at drop-off locations or consolidation points, and package and ship used batteries to minimize potential safety issues. Participants will be invited to provide their own experiences and lessons learned to inform the development of EPA resources that summarize best practices for collecting batteries for recycling. 

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During this webinar, the American Indian Environmental Office will review the Final Supplemental Guidance on Providing Waste Data in GAP Progress Reports. (We will share the document once it is posted online.) This webinar will be helpful for any Tribe conducting solid waste collection, transportation, backhaul or disposal activities, or open dump cleanups under GAP, as the information shared will be needed to report results in progress reports. The webinar begins at 11:00 Alaska, 12:00 Pacific, 1:00 Mountain. 
 

• Join on Teams. Meeting ID: 234 352 310 352. Passcode: CLJ8Rf
• Call in (audio only): 202-991-0477. Phone conference ID: 262 502 541#

Join the National Tribal Caucus (NTC) and EPA for a town hall on Tribal climate change. The topic will include giving input on EPA’s Climate Adaptation Plan and Leveraging Grants for Climate Action. Bill Hand, Tribal Administrator for the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah, AK, will moderate the session. The following questions will be discussed:

• EPA has identified Tribal Nations as a priority for their climate adaptation work. How can EPA help your Tribe adapt to climate change?
• What are best practices for integrating climate action into your grant activities?  

Please note that you can submit questions for the town hall when you register. 

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This is the fourth of four fish passage trainings for Tribes hosted by the Chickaloon Village Native Council. This training will focus on stream mechanics and the stream functions pyramid. The training will be held in person in Chickaloon Village.

• To attend, contact Andrea James at aljames@chickaloon-nsn.gov.

This is the third of four fish passage trainings for Tribes hosted by the Chickaloon Village Native Council. This training will focus on stream mechanics and an introduction to river forms and processes. The training will be held in person in Chickaloon Village.

• To attend, contact Andrea James at aljames@chickaloon-nsn.gov.

This is the second of four fish passage trainings for Tribes hosted by the Chickaloon Village Native Council. This training will focus on culvert assessment and will be held in person in Anchorage.

• To attend, contact Andrea James at aljames@chickaloon-nsn.gov.

In this training hosted by Zender Environmental, learn how to take your own water and soil samples to send for laboratory contaminant testing, test on-site for surface water fecal coliform, and sample and monitor for the basic water quality parameters using a YSI probe and turbidity meter. One-on-one follow-up will be provided after the training to each attendee to answer questions, troubleshoot testing, help with writing QAPPs, and more. The training will be held in person in Anchorage. Travel scholarships are available. 

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Zender is hosting two other trainings in May as well: 

• May 7-9: Backhaul & HazMat Regulation: Zender Training
• May 10: Refrigerant Recovery: Zender Training

This is the first of four fish passage trainings for Tribes hosted by the Chickaloon Village Native Council. This training will focus on GIS and will be held in person at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage.

• To attend, contact Andrea James at aljames@chickaloon-nsn.gov.

Join the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) for its annual Solid Waste Bootcamp, a freeand truly superbonline training on the basics of solid waste management in rural (Class III) landfills. Topics will include solid waste best management practices, proper burning practices, Class III landfill designs, backhaul/recycling, and much more.

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This introductory workshop hosted by Community-Based Social Marketing is intended for those who design or fund programs to encourage environmental behaviors. Attendees will learn the five steps of community-based social marketing (selecting behaviors, identifying barriers, developing strategies, conducting pilots, and broad-scale implementation) and be exposed to numerous case studies illustrating its use. Held virtually over Zoom, the workshop consists of three four-hour sessions over three days. Save $50 when registering with the code 76183ddd.

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The World Social Marketing Conference, hosted by the Social Marketing Association of North America, will discuss how to effectively deliver programs to foster health, safety, and environmental behavioral changes. The conference will be held in person in Clearwater, FL.

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What is Social Marketing?

Social marketing is a discipline that aims to change behaviors for the good of society, communities, and people. Social marketing approaches can increase the effectiveness of communications and marketing efforts. To create meaningful and sustainable behavior change, organizations can deploy social marketing strategies to overcome barriers and provide people with personal, relevant motivators to act. Learn more on EPA’s web page, Creating Messages That Drive Behavior Change.

The EPA has set May 22 and 23^rd as the next hybrid meeting of the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program Working Group. The in-person meeting will take place in Spokane, WA with discussions and breakout sessions designed around face-to-face interaction. In-person attendance is encouraged!A virtual option will be available as well for the presentation portions of the meeting. We are planning a two-day meeting format with an afternoon session on Wednesday May 22^nd and an all-day session on Thursday May 23^rd. We have some amazing speakers lined up and may even have a site visit opportunity. Robin Parker sent a save the date Outlook invitation in January and the proposed agenda will be sent in the near future. Please email her (Parker.Robin@epa.gov) if you did not receive the save the date or want to be added!

This entry-level professional development course hosted by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is designed to prepare Tribal staff to conduct a variety of education and outreach activities that will help increase awareness about environmental issues and abilities to make informed decisions that protect air quality and human health. Course participants will experience environmental education tools and curricula that can be used in formal or informal educational settings. Participants will receive a Particulate Matter (PM) sensor through a long-term loan for conducting air quality outreach activities. Topics include assessing air quality needs and concerns in the community, developing an effective outreach plan, creating materials for outreach, developing partnerships for outreach, implementing citizen science in Tribal communities, and using air quality sensors to increase awareness of air pollutants. Applicants who have an outreach task in their current work plans will receive preference.

• Apply by April 3

This course from Zender Environmental trains communities to perform refrigerant recovery at their landfills. This training will be held in person in Anchorage, AK. 

This comprehensive backhaul training from Zender Environmental will include safety, DOT HazMat regulations, inventory, storage, packing, shipping, labeling, and shipping paperwork. The training will be held in person in Anchorage, AK.

• Register