The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) virtual Solid Waste Bootcamp will feature solid waste talks for those new to solid waste and those looking for a refresher. This is an opportunity to learn about Class III Landfills, share successes, ask for guidance, and prepare for potential summer landfill inspections. The event is designed for anyone who helps rural communities in Alaska with their solid waste sanitation programs, rural solid waste professionals looking for a free training on all things landfill, and anyone with a keen desire to understand how rural landfills operate in Alaska.  

• Register
• Reach out to your Alaska Rural Landfill Specialist if you have questions. 

Participate in conversations around developing best practices for large format battery recycling and refurbishing while addressing challenges related to collection and labeling. These working sessions are part of EPA’s ongoing initiative to increase battery recycling and reduce landfill waste through developing battery collection best practices and voluntary battery labeling guidelines. For purposes of these discussions, large-format batteries are rechargeable batteries over 25 pounds or more than 2000 watt-hours and are often used in electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engine vehicles; other motive equipment; and stationary energy storage systems.  
 

• April 24: Current Standards and Practices for Large Format Batteries. Register. 
• June 17: Expanding End of Life Management for Large Format Batteries–Recycling and Refurbishing Webinar. Register. 

Join EPA for the first of two webinars this spring to gather input from interested parties on best practices for collecting large-format batteries to increase recycling, as well as labeling these batteries to improve collection and recycling. Large format batteries are rechargeable batteries over 25 pounds or more than 2000 watt-hours and often used in electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engine vehicles; other motive equipment; and stationary energy storage systems. This session will focus on recycling and refurbishing large format batteries. Register

This new online course from the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) provides Tribes with wildfire safety considerations for indoor air quality and how to return after a wildfire in 6 modules:   

• Module 1 – Wildfire Effects, Monitoring, and Communication/Indoor Air Quality
• Module 2 – After a Wildfire: Indoor Air
• Module 3 – Distribution and Deposition of Wildfire Smoke Residues
• Module 4 – Re-Entry Safety Considerations
• Module 5 – Clean-Up Safety
• Module 6 – (Optional) ACAC Fire and Smoke Damage Certification
   

Register

The National Association of Wetland Managers invites Tribal water quality and water resource staff to learn how to enhance your program’s capability to implement Clean Water Act (CWA) programs, including Section 106, Section 319, Section

303(d), water quality standards, and wetlands. The training will be held in person in Tulalip, WA. Please note that all Region 10 Tribes are welcome to attend, but the training and travel scholarships are designed for Tribes that are eligible for CWA programs. 

• See the attached flyer for more information.

An informational meeting will be held on April 28 at 11:00 Pacific. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the training and to give NAWM feedback on your training needs.

• Register for the informational meeting. 

EPA Region 9 and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe are inviting Tribal water quality/resource staff to attend the Tribal Clean Water Act workshop in Fallon, NV. Attendees will share knowledge, resources, and experiences to better implement Tribal Clean Water Act programs and to protect Tribal water resources for future generations. Please note that the workshop is currently open to Region 9 Tribes, but may be opened to other Tribes if space is available.

• Learn more

One Health, based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and that a holistic approach to the well-being of all will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience. The One Health One Future conference is designed for indigenous organizations and community members, faculty, staff, and students of higher education, researchers, K-12 educators, community leaders, administrators, non-profit partners, government agencies, and other professionals. Participation is anticipated from across the Arctic region. The event will be held both virtually and in-person in Fairbanks. Registration for Indigenous registrants is free. 

• Register

EPA Region 9 and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe are inviting Tribal water quality/resource staff to attend the Tribal Clean Water Act workshop in Fallon, NV. Attendees will share knowledge, resources, and experiences to better implement Tribal Clean Water Act programs and to protect Tribal water resources for future generations.  

• Learn more

Learning from People and Place: Climate Adaptation and Restoration Action in Louisiana’s Working Coast is the theme of the next Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth Sciences Workshop, which will be held in person in Thibodaux, LA. The workshop will focus on navigating place-based climate actions in Louisiana. The First Peoples’ Conservation Council of Louisiana and member Tribes are leading coastal restoration and climate adaptation actions focused on restoring marshland, protecting sacred sites, reducing land loss and flood risk, increasing Tribal resilience and a regenerative future, and land rematriation for all living relatives. Register by Jan. 31

The Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress (NYCALC) aims to develop future conservation leaders with the skills, knowledge, and tools to address environmental change and conservation challenges to better serve their schools and home communities. Native students from Federally Recognized Tribes from across the country join to discuss community adaptation and related environmental issues impacting Native peoples. Apply by Feb. 28

EPA’s Smoke Management conference will focus on innovative approaches to smoke management, the latest research, and collaborative solutions for wildfire and prescribed burn challenges. The location has tentatively been set for Boise, ID.

• Complete the pre-conference survey by Jan. 17.
• Register

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Climate Adaptation Planning: Guidance for Emergency Managers helps emergency managers incorporate climate adaptation into emergency management planning. The document walks state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners through the Six Step Planning Process, as identified in “Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans.” FEMA has also released a short video summarizing how emergency managers can incorporate climate into the Six Step Planning Process. Supporting documents are available on the Planning Guides page.

This has been shared before, but in case you missed it, EPA’s American Indian Environmental Office has teamed up with the Indian Health Service (IHS) to make on-demand training courses available to Tribal staff through the Solid Waste Association of North America.  When you register, you will get a username/password to access the trainings. 

• Find a course
• Register 

Developed by the EPA’s Watershed Academy, this module explores the Clean Water Act (CWA) as a guiding framework to highlight water equity challenges and watershed management opportunities. It explains the basics of environmental justice, provides a brief overview of 10 cornerstone CWA programs that drive surface-water quality protection, and outlines clear opportunities for the public to engage in the CWA process.

• Take the training

This annual conference will include discussion of innovations being used in partnerships, projects, coordination, community involvement, and funding to integrate salmon recovery with other interests while reflecting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We believe many of you have great stories to tell in this arena. The Columbia River Basin Toxics Monitoring Subgroup is coordinating a proposal to provide the latest toxics research information to the salmon recovery community who often don’t hear about toxics.

With funding from EPA, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is offering a wide variety of trainings for Tribal solid waste professionals. The course provides up to 11 months of unlimited access to on-demand safety trainings for solid waste collections, transfer stations, and landfills. In addition to individual webinars and lesson collections, safety certification is available. Training topics include emergency response, equipment safety, first aid, machine maintenance, workplace hazards, and much more. Some in-person classes are also available.

• Register