If you or your staff are responsible for oil spill response, plan to join the Fast/Slow Water Booming Course in Yakima, WA. EPA is sponsoring this hands-on training taught by the Whitewater Rescue Institute. The training will cover personnel rescue, swift water oil spill control, boom deployment, spill containment and cleanup on fast and slow waters. Instructional will be mostly in the field, with some classroom lecture. The training is free, but participants will be required to cover their own travel costs and attend the full four days.

After completing this course, participants should be able to:

• Demonstrate how to read a river to determine flow rates, debris patterns in currents, and selection of safe oil recovery locations.
• Select an appropriate method of boom deployment on a fast water.
• Demonstrate the deployment of boom on fast water by deflecting simulated oil to a recovery site down river.
• Select an appropriate method of protecting sensitive areas of a river with boom.
• Demonstrate safe boat operations on fast water rivers.
• Recognize health and safety issues associated with field operations involving oil recovery on fast water rivers.

Space is limited. Please register for the event as soon as possible to secure your spot.

• Register
• Questions? Contact Jenna Manheimer at 206-487-2984 or Manheimer.Jenna@epa.gov

Tribes are welcome to attend Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) smoke coordination calls, which are held on Mondays and Thursdays for as long as prescribed burns are taking place. Calls include a review of current and upcoming weather, ventilation, and air quality conditions and an opportunity to ask questions. Burners also can share their plans with the group – when they’re hoping to burn, the size and tonnage of the burn, fuel types, and the general location. The Smoke Team is available post-presentation to discuss specific projects and answer questions.

• Attend the Smoke Coordination Call on Teams at 9:00 Pacific.
• Visit the State of Washington’s Burn Portal and Smoke Resources page for more information.

For Washington State smoke-related questions or concerns, email Smoke@dnr.wa.gov

Join coastal decision-makers, planners, resource managers, researchers, and other practitioners in Lacey, WA, for a day of knowledge sharing and partnership-building around Washington’s coastal resilience.

• Register by April 18.

The National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) developed this 4-module online training for wetland professionals who seek to understand how hydric soils are formed and how to recognize and interpret the information they provide when observed in the field. The trainings can also be used as refresher courses for those practitioners who have not had soils training in recent years. Registration for module 1 is now available. Register

Registration has opened for the Tribal Lands and Environment Forum, which will be held online and in person in Minneapolis, MN.

• Register
• Submit a proposal for a presentation by May 16.

The Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference will explore the future of energy in Alaska and on a global scale; the impact of artificial intelligence and demand from data centers and supercomputing; the latest advancements in renewable energy and advanced nuclear power, transmission and energy storage; and the continued responsible development of oil, gas and mineral resources. The conference will be held in person in Anchorage. 

• Register

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. 

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. 

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

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

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