Making the most of virtual meeting venues, tribal partners are actively participating in E-Enterprise projects and learning about E-Enterprise opportunities.
Beginning with this summer’s 25th Annual Inter Tribal Environmental Council (ITEC) webinar series, attendees received training for tribes on E-Enterprise initiatives that are now expanding nationally, the Disaster Debris Recovery Tool and the Assessment, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Tracking and Implementation System. In efforts to build tribal capacity, the webinars also highlighted ways E-Enterprise is being used to strengthen environmental program management. The Region 6 Regional Tribal Operations Committee representative of the E-Enterprise Leadership Council (EELC), Cynthia Naha of Santo Domingo Pueblo, shared examples of how citizen science is evolving in tribal environmental program management (see more in the citizen science article below). In addition, Angie Reed of Penobscot Nation’s Water Resources Program and the Tribal Governance Group, discussed how the Penobscot Nation is working to communicate the cultural significance of wild foods to the non-Native public.
In August, members of the E-Enterprise community had the opportunity to join the Tribal Lands and Environmental Forum Virtual Community Gathering and discuss components of the E-Enterprise Quality Assurance Project Plan effort, with a specific focus on training, technical assistance, and available resources. Tribal, EPA, and state representatives also co-hosted a virtual informational booth during the Multi-Media Meet Up Forum, which provided an opportunity to share information with tribes interested in learning more about E-Enterprise.
Next, E-Enterprise was featured in plenary during the Region 10 Tribal Environmental Leaders Summit in September. Jessica Snyder of EPA, Kari Hedin of Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and Jason White of Cherokee Nation highlighted the importance of tribal participation in E-Enterprise and encouraged tribes from Region 10 to consider joining the EELC given the regional vacancy. There are also opportunities for tribes who participate in the Region 2 and Region 3 Regional Tribal Operations Committee to become members.
Finally, the E-Enterprise Community Inventory Platform (EECIP) team presented a workshop and training for tribal users at the November 2020 Virtual Data Academy and Conference, hosted by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals. The Virtual Data Academy is an event designed for tribal professionals working with environmental data to leverage technology solutions to streamline work and enhance data management capacity. The EECIP presentation was led by ECOS staff and April Hathcoat of Cherokee Nation, with opening remarks by EECIP Tribal Chair Kari Hedin of the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. It featured a live demonstration of the EECIP tool, interactive Q&A using EECIP-based polling, and “concierge time” in which attendees received individual assistance with registration and other aspects of using the site. EECIP is an online community and inventory of efforts, tools, and services that states, tribes, and local agencies can use in their environmental program management.
If your agency or organization is interested in receiving an EECIP training, please contact Owen McAleer of ECOS. Tribal representatives interested in participating in or learning more about E-Enterprise governance or project work may contact Jason White.