ITEP Online Course Catalog

The goals of this course include developing a basic understanding of air quality, developing (or improving) a tribal air quality program plan, and identifying resources (financial and informational) to implement the program. This online course is equivalent to 2.0 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately twenty hours of total learning time.  

After completing this course, participants will be able to: 

1. Identify sources, issues, and concerns of air pollution in your community. 

2. Describe the health and environmental impacts of air pollution in your community. 

3. Describe the regulatory and policy tools for addressing air quality and tribal resources [Inherent Tribal Authority, Clean Air Act (CAA), Tribal Authority Rule (TAR), 1984 Indian Policy, Executive Order 13175, Federal Trust Responsibility]:  

   1. Describe the purpose of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and name the six (6) criteria pollutants. 

   2. Explain Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), identify HAPs that might be found in your community, and discuss their sources and health and environmental effects.  

   3. Discuss Data Defensibility 

4. Explain the basics of air pollution and movement (i.e., inversion, transport).  

5. Name possible elements of a tribal air program that could apply to your community (i.e., regulatory, and voluntary).  

6. Identify types of air quality assessment projects (i.e., Emissions Inventories and Monitoring). 

7. Discuss air quality monitoring activities appropriate for your community concerns. (i.e., Sensors, Regulatory monitoring).  

8. Describe the role of Tribal sovereignty in your Tribal Air Quality program. 

   1. Discuss a holistic approach to environmental protection activities. 

   2. Discuss the limits of regulatory programs and funding.  

9. Describe methods of community engagement and outreach applicable to your community and community leaders. 

10. Draft a Professional Development Plan that will meet the needs of your Tribal Air Quality Program. 

Instructor:

Mansel A. Nelson

Mansel.Nelson@nau.edu

ITEP American Indian Air Quality Program (AIAQTP)

Contributors:

Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center (TAMS)

• Chris Lee

• Michael King

• Melinda Ronca-Battista

• Angelique Luedeker

• Hayden Hardie (EPA)

Christal Black (AIAQTP)

James Payne (EPA, OAQPS)

This online course provides tribes with post wildfire safety considerations for indoor air quality and a how to Return Safely. This online course is equivalent to 0.7 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and requires approximately 7 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course 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

The American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) offers a Fire and Smoke Damage Certification as a Consultant, Technician, or Assistant Technician. For those interested in pursuing certification, the ACAC will share the certification process with participants. Including information about the exam, cost, and available on-line prep-course.

Course Topics:  

• Monitoring Air Quality Index (AQI) during and after a wildfire to make informed safety and health decisions and to communicate risk with your community.

• The composition of wildfire smoke, particle distribution in indoor environments, and how wildfire smoke poses potential hazards on indoor environments.

• The investigation process, sampling, and analytical methodologies used to evaluate smoke impact in and outside of structures.

• The standard of care for cleaning/restoring structures, contents, and personal property to pre-loss conditions and verify the effectiveness of cleaning to prepare for re-occupancy.

Instructors:

• Mansel Nelson, Program Manager, ITEP: Mansel.Nelson@nau.edu

• Alhelí Baños-Keener, Indoor Air and Asthma Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 9: Banos.Alheli@epa.gov

• Kelley Xuereb, Program Analyst, U.S. EPA Region 9: Xuereb.Kelley@epa.gov

• James Payne, Environmental Protection Specialist, U.S. EPA OAQPS: Payne.JamesJ@epa.gov

• Brad Kovar, President and CEO of Safeguard EnviroGroup, Inc. and IAQprepcourses.com: brad@safeguardenviro.com 

Online platform support: itep-elearning@nau.edu

This online course was developed to assist tribal environmental and transportation staff to manage road dust, resulting in improved air quality. Dust, also called Particulate Matter (PM), has negative impacts on health road safety, and the quality of life. Road dust from unpaved roads is a major air quality concern in many tribal communities. The long-term success of dust management depends on good roads and road use, as well as a clear understanding of your community's unique needs. Additional steps for dust management include dust suppressants or investing in another form of road stabilization.

This online course is equivalent to 0.7 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and requires approximately 7 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules:

• Module 1: Introduction to Managing Road Dust

• Module 2: Introduction to Road Dust Suppressants

• Module 3: Sharing Community Experiences

 After completing this online course, participants will be able to:

• assess current roads

• develop community education messages leading to behavioral changes

• develop plans to improve road design

• consider use of dust suppressants

• continue with air quality assessments

• create a dust management plan

• identify potential funding sources

Presenters

• Mansel Nelson (Program Manager, ITEP), Mansel.Nelson@nau.edu

• Kayla Krauss, US Environmental Protection Agency

• Billy Connor, University of Alaska – Fairbanks

• Paul Goodfellow, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 

• Santina Gay, US Environmental Protection Agency

• Larry Carmichael, 

• Michael Opheim, Seldovia Village Tribe

• Stephan Payton, Seldovia Village Tribe

• Ryan Eberle, Gila River Indian Community

• Luis Echenique, Louden Tribal Council 

Online technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu 

Participants enrolled in this course are expected to have some background in air quality. After completing this online course, participants will:

• Understand how to plan for wildland smoke.

• Understand what to look for during a wildland smoke event.

This online course was developed as an introduction to air quality planning for wildland smoke, the impacts of smoke on communities, and how to minimize exposure. This course is equivalent to 1.0 Continuing Education Credit (CEU) and requires approximately 10 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules:

• 1.0 Wildfire Smoke and Health Concerns

• 2.0 Wildfire Smoke Community Outreach

• 3.0 Tribal Case Studies

• 4.0 New Technology and Monitoring 

If you have questions please contact Christal Black, Assistant Manager at Christal.Black@nau.edu or at 928-523-8410.

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu

This course is designed for tribes needing to generate an emissions inventory. This online training series is a rigorous course composed of modules in which participants complete work products, guided by ITEP instructional staff and other course participants. Each module contains video presentations, homework assignments, discussions, and one-on-one assistance that will walk participants through completing a Level 4 Emissions Inventory. 

Enrollment must be pre-approved by ITEP staff. Please email Angelique at Angelique.Luedeker@nau.edu to determine if you are eligible to enroll at this time. 

Emissions Inventory (EI) Fundamentals is equivalent to 5.0 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately 50 hours of total learning time to develop a Level 4 Emissions Inventory. A level 4 EI does not include gathering activity data or calculating emissions, but only lists sources and pollutants using data generated by and obtained from EPA/nearby jurisdictions; this is also a necessary first step toward more comprehensive EIs, and for those who wish to continue to the next series, EI Advanced. 

Emissions Inventory (EI) Advanced is equivalent to 12 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately 120 hours of total learning time to develop a Level 2 or 3 Emissions Inventory. This online training is for participants who need to gather data from sources on tribal lands (for example, amount of gasoline sold at gas stations, cords of wood used in wood stoves, miles of unpaved road, gallons of propane purchased to heat community center, etc.) and use the data to calculate emissions from those sources. Participants should have completed the EI Fundamentals training or have prior experience developing EIs. 

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

This online training series is not an "informational course," but is a rigorous course composed of a series of modules in which participants complete work products, guided by ITEP instructional staff and other course participants. Each module contains video presentations, homework assignments, discussions, and one-on-one assistance. 

This course is designed only for those tribes needing to generate an emissions inventory. Enrollment must be pre-approved by ITEP staff. Please email Angelique at Angelique.Luedeker@nau.edu to determine if you are eligible to enroll at this time or if you are interested in the self-paced option. 

Emissions Inventory (EI) Advanced online training series is equivalent to 12 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately 120 hours of total learning to begin developing a Level 2 or 3 emissions inventory. 

This online training series is for participants who need to gather data from sources on tribal lands (for example, amount of gasoline sold at gas stations, cords of wood used in wood stoves, miles of unpaved road, gallons of propane purchased to heat community center, etc.) and use the data to calculate emissions from those sources to begin developing a Level 2 or 3 EI. Participants should have completed the EI Fundamentals training or have prior experience developing EIs. 

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

This online training is not an "informational course," but is a rigorous course in which participants complete work products, guided by ITEP instructional staff. Modules contain video presentations, homework assignments, discussions, and one-on-one assistance.  

This course is designed for tribal environmental professionals who are currently monitoring or collecting data for at least one criteria pollutant or for meteorological conditions. It is not possible to take the course without having criteria air pollutants or meteorological data files from their air monitoring stations. Demonstrations use example data, but all assignments are individualized to each participant. Participants are expected to have intermediate-level working knowledge of Microsoft Windows. Although the course is structured around a Microsoft Access database, the database is form-driven and user-friendly; therefore, no previous Access experience is necessary. 

During this training, participants will import continuous pollutant and met data, begin entering data from quality control checks performed on their air monitoring samplers, validate their data, generate reports, charts, and AQS-formatted files.  

This online training is equivalent to 8 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately 80 hours of total learning time. 

Instructor: Angelique Maureen Luedeker, Angelique.Luedeker@nau.edu 928-282-8101 

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

This online course will increase participants’ understanding of wood smoke’s health impacts, cultural perspectives of wood-burning, and safe wood-stove operation and maintenance. Participants will also obtain ideas, publications, and resources for conducting outreach for woodstoves operation and maintenance within their own tribal communities. Participants will also learn about the recently certified Navajo Hybrid stove approved for burning coal and wood.  

This online course is equivalent to 0.6 CEUs and requires approximately 6 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules:  

• Module 1.0: Overview of Residential Wood Smoke, Interventions, and Cultural Perspectives of Fire

• Module 2.0: Woodstove Installation Basics

• Module 3.0: Education and Outreach Case Studies

• Module 4.0: Chimney and Maintenance Safety

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• assess the health impacts of wood smoke

• identify potential methods to reduce the health impacts of wood smoke

• consider cultural perspectives of wood burning

• identify proper wood stove operation & maintenance protocol

• obtain resources for conducting outreach on operating woodstoves safely and effectively 

Presenters:

• Eugenia Quintana, Navajo Nation

• Glenna Lee, Navajo Nation

• Mansel Nelson, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP)

• Tony J. Ward, Chair and Professor, School of Public and Community Health Science, University of Montana

• Perry H. Charley, Director & Senior Scientist, Environmental Outreach & Research Institute, Diné College

• Rick Vlahos, Executive Director, Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Education Foundation, & National Fireplace Institute

• Roy Hosteen, Four Corners Program Coordinator, Red Feather Development Group

• Johna Boulafentis, Environmental Outreach Specialist, Nez Perce Tribe

• Russ Dimmitt, Director of Education, Chimney Safety Institute of American

Online technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu 

Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Warm Climates provides tribal environmental professionals with building science principles and a review of how a home responds as a dynamic system in warm climates.  

Instructors delivering content for this online course expect you have a good understanding of indoor air quality (IAQ) basics and a basic understanding of IAQ and health, environmental conditions, structural design and construction, and operation and maintenance issues for residential homes in your community. This online course is equivalent to 0.8 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately eight hours of total learning time. CEUs can be earned by completing the following course topics: 

• Getting to Know Your Warm Climate Region

• Residential Construction

• Assessing Potential Problems

• Managing Moisture

• Ventilation

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Explain how the home responds as a “dynamic system.”

• Identify basic building science principles.  

• Have a Quality Assurance Project Plan for and educational outreach project on the topic of indoor air quality.

Presenters and Instructors: 

Jed Harrison, former Indoor Air Quality/Building Science Researcher/EPA Lab Director 

Mansel Nelson, Senior Program Coordinator, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals - Environmental Education Outreach Program 

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

This online course has been developed as an introduction to building science principles important to healthy, comfortable, energy efficient homes and is intended to help tribal professionals understand and optimize the dynamic “building ecosystem” for occupancy wellness and building performance. 

This course was originally developed for Alaska Villages, however, it is applicable to many tribes in cold climates. It will provide participants with an understanding of how the home responds as a “living system” and help participants understand what to look for during a residential home assessment. This online course is equivalent to 0.8 CEUs and requires approximately 8 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules: 

• Building Science Basics

• Building Structure and Mechanics

• Occupant Behaviors

Participants enrolled in this course are expected to have a good understanding of IAQ basics and a basic understanding of homes in your communities including: sources, health effects, actions to improve IAQ, and what kind of concerns you are trying to address. This course reviews building science principles important to healthy, comfortable, energy efficient homes.  

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Understand how the home responds like a “living system”

• Understand what to look for during an IAQ assessment

This course will NOT provide a comprehensive understanding of design and construction details. 

Instructors: 

• Rich Seifert, Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Energy and Housing Specialist

• Mansel Nelson, Senior Program Coordinator, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Mansel.Nelson@nau.edu 

Many of the presentations within this course were originally developed as an online version of the cold climate homebuilding techniques workshop that Extension’s Rich Seifert has taught for many years. All Extension’s recordings are available at: https://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/cold-climate-building-course/id506895267

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

The Radon Fundamentals course provides tribes with an introduction to the mechanics of radon, examples of how tribes are addressing radon, and possible funding opportunities. This course does not provide radon certification. 

The presentations in this course were originally developed as webinars in February and March 2016 in collaboration with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 Tribal Indoor Air Quality and Health Network and staff from Spokane Tribe Department of Natural Resources, Navajo Nation EPA, Taos Pueblo Tribal Housing Office, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This online course is equivalent to 0.7 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately seven hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules; course content is also available on-demand for the casual learner: 

• Introduction to Radon

• Testing for Radon

• How Tribes are Addressing Radon

• Radon Funding

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Explain what radon is.

• Describe the potential health effects of exposure to radon.

• Describe how radon enters a home 

• Recognize which radon mitigation systems are effective for different types of building structures 

• Locate different types of testing devices available for testing indoor radon levels.

• Locate additional training that will enable tribal staff to become certified in radon testing and mitigate radon.

• Initiate the development of a tribal radon program.

• Locate funding sources for radon testing and mitigation.

Presenters Include: 

• Mansel Nelson, Senior Program Coordinator, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals

• Nolan Hoskie, Radon Specialist, Navajo Nation EPA

• Twa-le Abrahamson-Swan, Air Quality Program Manager, Spokane Tribe

• Terron Chischilly, Radon Specialist, Navajo Nation EPA

• Ryder Freed, Air Radiation Program Coordinator, US EPA Region 9

• Jed Harrison, Former Director of the EPA Radiation and Indoor Environments National Lab and Former Sr. Tribal Advisor for the EPA Office of Radiation and Indoor Air

• Daniel V. Suazo, Construction Projects Manager, Tribal Housing Office, Taos Pueblo

• Sarah Olsen, Grants Management, US Department of HUD

• Rich Seifert, Professor Emeritus, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

Residential Building Science Review provides tribal environmental professionals with building science principles and a review of how a home responds as a dynamic system. This short online course was developed to prepare individuals for the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals’ in-person Indoor Air Quality Diagnostic Tools course and is required prior to being accepted to the course. The course is also available for the casual learner. 

Instructors delivering content for this online course expect you have a good understanding of indoor air quality (IAQ) basics and a basic understanding of IAQ and health, environmental conditions, structural design and construction, and operation and maintenance issues for residential homes in your community. This online course is equivalent to 0.4 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately four hours of total learning time. CEUs can be earned by completing the following course topics: 

• A Building Ecosystem

• Air Flow

• Heat Transfer

• Moisture Dynamics

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Explain how the home responds as a “dynamic system.”

• Identify basic building science principles.  

Presenters and Instructors: 

• Jed Harrison, former Indoor Air Quality/Building Science Researcher/EPA Lab Director

• Rich Seifert, Professor Emeritus, Building Scientist, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Energy and Housing Specialist

• Mansel Nelson, Senior Program Coordinator, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals - Environmental Education Outreach Program

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

An EPA-approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) is required to implement EPA-funded work that involves acquisition of environmental data from direct measurement activities, collected from other sources, or compiled from computerized databases and information systems. Data gathering projects, including those that are self-funded, require a QAPP to ensure the project is designed and documented to provide legally-defensible data. 

This course is for tribal professionals who are either writing a new QAPP or updating an existing QAPP.  An outline of a QAPP is provided with all 24 elements, page headers, and a table of contents. The course provides example documents and resources for the following pollutants: 

• Ozone with a Continuous Method

• PM2.5 with a Continuous Method

• PM2.5 with a Filter Method

• PM10 with a Continuous Method

• Meteorological Monitoring

• Radon

If you are writing a QAPP for a pollutant not listed, the available information may still be helpful. Contact the instructors with questions. 

NOTE: If your project is US EPA-funded, your regional office may have specific guidance. This course is for everyone and strictly adheres to US EPA and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidance, but does not take into account specific requirements from different EPA regions. Each EPA region has a QA resources page and it is important you consult that page and your regional contacts. 

Instructors:

Chris Lee, Christopher.Lee@nau.edu, 702-784-8264

Melinda Ronca-Battista, Melinda.Ronca-Battista@nau.edu, 602-616-2218

Online platform technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu 

Quality Assurance Fundamentals is an introduction to basic quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) concepts (bias and precision, with control charts of flow rate QC checks), terminology, and a review of quality assurance project plan (QAPP) elements for environmental monitoring projects. Completion of this course signifies practical understanding of the QA elements of QAPP Level 4 projects, such as indoor air quality or wildlife surveys, or other basic community assessments. This course is equivalent to 1.2 CEUs and requires approximately 12 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules: 

• Introduction to Quality Assurance (QA) / Quality Control (QC)

• Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs) and Data Quality Objectives (DQOs)

• Introduction to Precision and Bias 

After completing this course, participants will be able to: 

• Explain what a staff person needs to know about QA for a project and why it is important.

• Explain the terminology used in QAPPs.

• Describe QA in common sense terms.

• Locate helpful resources, materials, and people to develop quality systems.

• Identify basic principles of data management.

• List the required elements for a category 4 QAPP (as categorized by US EPA).

• Begin writing a QAPP.

QA Fundamentals was developed by the Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals. 

Instructors: 

• Chris Lee, Christopher.Lee@nau.edu, 702-784-8264

• Mike King, Michael.King@nau.edu

• Melinda Ronca-Battista, Melinda.Ronca-Battista@nau.edu  

Online platform support: itep-elearning@nau.edu  

This Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Tribal Environmental Professionals online training was developed for all Tribal environmental employees to identify when and what PPE is necessary to protect them from the hazards that they may encounter in their workplace and/or fieldwork they may conduct. This online course is focused on Level D PPE and is not intended to replace Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training. Additionally, this course may create awareness for future training, including HAZWOPER and/or other safety training specific to each employees’ needs. It is important to note that PPE is used as the final option after eliminating workplace hazards using administrative or engineering controls. PPE is the least desirable method of controlling hazards because the hazard is still present in the workplace. 

This online course does not cover all situations requiring employees to wear PPE. Therefore, it is critical that tribal staff take the time to identify the proper selection and use of PPE needed for different job positions in their department. If a tribe does not have their own Health and Safety Officer, they may consider hiring a consultant to assist them with writing Site Specific Health & Safety plans which includes proper PPE for various tasks. Employees must receive proper on-the-job training specific to their job duties. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure workers remain competent in activities specific to their job functions and determine if this training meets the needs for PPE that their employees require. The employer may determine that hands-on training is unnecessary, however, must assess the employees’ skill level, and ensure that workers remain competent in their current and any newly assigned duties. 

This course is focused on Level D PPE found in the workplace and does not include training employees on selecting and using respirators. Resources are included for participants to learn more about what training and health monitoring employers are required to provide their employees for proper respiratory protection. 

This online course is equivalent to 0.8 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately eight hours of total learning time. CEUs and a certificate of completion are earned by completing the following course modules: 

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Overview & Limitations

• Identifying When PPE is Necessary

• Identifying Appropriate PPE, Wear, Care, Maintenance, and Disposal

It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure workers remain competent in activities specific to their job functions. 

Instructors:

Les Benedict, Assistant Director, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environment Division

Doug Huntman, Director of Environmental Services, Delta Backhaul Company, dhuntman@dbcalaska.net, website - dbcalaska.net 

Eric Lindeman, Hazardous Materials Specialist

Ted Jacobson, Rural Alaska Landfill Trainer and Heavy Equipment Operations in Landfill and Landfill Alternatives, Sustainable Solid Waste Solutions, ted.ssws@gmail.com

Feel free to email us at itep-elearning@nau.edu if you have questions.

This short course will provide participants with: an understanding of what brownfields are, tribal examples of brownfields sites, a summary of brownfields funding sources, how tribes may be able to access brownfields funding, who was using brownfields grant money as of 2013, and contact information for free brownfields technical assistance available to tribes.  

This course has been developed from a public webinar delivered during ITEP’s 2014 Tribal Environmental and Planning online course. Special thanks to Campbell Environmental Group for the coordination of presenters, development, and delivery of the original webinar. This course is equivalent to 0.4 CEUs and requires approximately 4 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules; course content is also available on-demand for the casual learner: 

• What are Brownfields?

• Tribal Brownfields Examples

• Tribal Brownfields Funding

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Understand what Brownfields are.

• Locate resources for identifying possible Brownfields sites.

• Identify Brownfields grant programs that may be applicable to their tribe.

• Understand the distribution of Brownfields funding.

Presenters include: 

• Dale Mitchell, Brownfields Program Coordinator, Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Tribe

• Amy Jean McKeown, Brownfields Project Officer, United States Environmental Protection Agency

• Rich Campbell, Geologist, Campbell Environmental Group

• Glenn Daukas, Campbell Environmental Group

Feel free to email us at itep-elearning@nau.edu if you have questions. 

Brownfields: Land Restoration Using Traditional Foods, Plants, and Culture will provide course

participants with four examples of how Tribes have incorporated traditional food, plants,

and culture into their restoration work on contaminated lands. All four presentations

demonstrate creativity and insight when it comes to vision, partnerships, and funding

opportunities. The fifth presentation covers some of the free technical assistance

available to Tribes who are looking to pursue Brownfields funding. The course activities

that are paired with the presentations encourage course participants to consider what the

priorities are for their Tribe regarding traditional food, plants, and culture in their land

revitalization efforts, what funding sources might help support their priorities, and where

to find technical support for their Brownfields work. 

Participants may come to this course with a range of experience. For those new to

Brownfields, the USEPA often refers to Brownfields work on Tribal lands as Tribal

Response Programs (TRP). This course is designed to be useful whether you are just

considering applying for TRP funding or looking to strengthen an existing Tribal Response

Program. Additionally, while the course is framed around Brownfields, the content can

also be applied to other projects that fall under a broader definition of contaminated

lands. In fact, one of our presenters discusses their work at a Superfund site, and another

presenter never specifically sought out Brownfields funding. 

This course has been developed from a live two-day online course delivered in 2024 and

we have included some of the relevant Q&A discussions from the initial course

participants.  

This course is equivalent to 0.8 CEUs and requires approximately 8 hours of total learning

time. CEUs, along with a certificate, are earned by completing all course modules.

Participants who are not pursuing CEUs or a certificate are welcome to take the portions

of the course that correspond to their learning goals.

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

•  Understand the basic pillars of USEPA Brownfields 128(a) funding. 

•  Learn how other Tribes have incorporated food and tradition into their efforts to restore contaminated lands 

•  Generate ideas around how their Tribe might want to prioritize food and tradition into land restoration efforts. 

•  Understand issues and potential solutions surrounding seed and plant sourcing for restoration efforts. 

•  Learn how other Tribes have combined diverse funding streams and creative partnerships to advance their restoration work. 

•  Research and compare non-federal funding sources that may bridge gaps that federal funding may not be able to finance. 

•  Learn about the free technical assistance to brownfields services that are available to federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, and Tribal entities. 

Presenters include: 

•  Joy Britt, Chignik Bay Tribal Council 

•  Oral Saulters, Kansas State University Tribal Technical Assistance to Brownfields 

•  David Smith, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa  

•  Nikki Crowe, University of Minnesota Extension 

•  Jessica Jock, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe 

•  Sateiokwen Bucktooth, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe 

•  Jay Wilkins, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe 

•  Jessica Raspitha, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe 

•  Ken Sandusky, Modoc Tribe 

•  Brian Herber, Modoc Tribe 

•  Todd Barnell, ITEP (facilitator) 

•  Julie Meikowski, ITEP (facilitator)

To learn more about Brownfields, ITEP offers two additional self-paced online course

offerings: 

•  Introduction to Brownfields  

•  Brownfields Tribal Response Program Fundamentals 

Feel free to email us at itep-elearning@nau.edu if you have questions.

The Brownfields Tribal Response Program (TRP) Fundamentals course has been developed to provide tribes with an overview of the CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program funding. After taking this course tribes will have the information needed to request CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program funds with a draft work plan as described in the current EPA funding guidance. This course is also useful for new brownfields tribal employees to gain a better understanding of the program they are working in. It is recommended that participants complete ITEP’s Introduction to Brownfields online course for an overview of brownfields and tribal examples prior to beginning this online course. 

This online course is equivalent to 0.5 CEUs and requires approximately 5 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules; course content is also available on-demand for the casual learner: 

• Brownfields 128(a) Tribal Response Program (TRP) Overview

• Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities

• Brownfields TRP Funding Uses and Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Explain the purpose and scope of the CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program (TRP).

• Identify the four elements of a TRP

• Establish and maintain a public record system.

• Describe the terms and reporting requirements of the CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program.

• Identify technical assistance and training opportunities.

• Identify possible brownfields sites.

Presenters Include: 

• Rachel Lentz, EPA HQ OBLR

• Mary Goolie, EPA Region 10

• José García, EPA Region 9

• Amy Jean McKeown, EPA Region 1

• Mickey Hartnett, Kansas State University

• Colette Santasieri, New Jersey Institute of Technology

• Inacio Dayrit, Center for Creative Land Recycling

Feel free to email us at itep-elearning@nau.edu if you have questions. 

Introduction to Rural Alaska Landfill Administrator (RALA) provides tribal environmental professionals in rural Alaska an introduction to the landfill management and operations and resources for additional training. The development of this short course was a collaborative effort between the Alaska Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA AK Chapter), Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), the Alaska Forum, Inc., Green Star, and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals. The presentations in this online training are part of an 8-hour RALA training and were originally recorded during the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management in 2016. In-depth courses for Rural Alaska Landfill Administrator training are offered annually at the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management by SWANA AK Chapter instructors. This online course is equivalent to 0.5 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately five hours of total learning time. CEUs can be earned by completing the following course modules: 

• Introduction to Landfills, Administration, and Operations in Rural Alaska

• Solid Waste Administration, Planning, and Budgeting Basics

• Minimizing Waste in Your Landfill

After completing this online course, participants in rural Alaska will be able to: 

• Identify the classification and type of landfill in their community.

• Recognize the top ten landfill issues.

• Define landfill administrator’s and operator’s roles.

• Identify basic administrative, planning, and budgeting needs for managing landfills.

• Identify strategies for minimizing waste that fits their communities’ needs.

• Identify best management practice for burning waste.

Instructors Include: 

• Ted Jacobson, Solid Waste Tribal Liaison, EPA/SEE Program/Alaska

• Doug Huntman, Director of Environmental Services, Delta Backhaul Company, dhuntman@dbcalaska.net, website - dbcalaska.net 

• Stephen Price, Rural Landfill Specialist, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Solid Waste Program

Feel free to email us at itep-elearning@nau.edu if you have questions. 

Introduction to Hazardous Waste provides tribal environmental professionals with an introduction to identifying and managing hazardous waste that the tribe and facilities on tribal land generate. Additionally, this course will provide an overview of the three classes of generators for tribes to determine how the hazardous waste must be managed and includes a module specific to household hazardous waste. The development of this course was a collaborative effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, Gila River Indian Community, the Alaska Forum, Green Star, NRC Alaska, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals. This online course is equivalent to 1.5 continuing education units (CEUs) and requires approximately fifteen hours of total learning time. CEUs can be earned by completing the following course modules: 

• Identifying the Waste

• Managing Hazardous Waste

• Managing Household Hazardous Waste

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Locate resources for determining which wastes are regulated as solid waste, hazardous waste, and excluded.

• Identify EPA and state regulations for managing the type of waste identified, including alternative management standards for special wastes.

• Explain hazardous waste generator rules.

• Understand the need for determining proper handling, storage, and shipment for hazardous waste generated on tribal land.

• Inform their community about the risks associated with household hazardous waste.

• Initiate best management practices for collecting, storing, and shipping household hazardous waste.

• Locate resources for US Department of Transportation hazardous waste requirements.

Instructor: 

• Liz Blackburn, EPA Region 7 Air and Waste Management Division 

Presenters Include: 

• Rudy Mix, Waste Program Manager, Gila River Indian Community Department of Environmental Quality

• Dale Anderson, Environmental Quality Specialist, Gila River Indian Community Department of Environmental Quality

• Paul Nielsen, Director of Sales & Marketing, NRC Alaska, LLC

• Samarys Seguinot-Medina, DrPHc, MSEM, Environmental Health Program Director, Alaska Community Action on Toxics

Feel free to email us at itep-elearning@nau.edu if you have questions.