TAMS Awards

About the Virgil Masayesva Environmental Excellence Award

Virgil Masayesva was a member of the Hopi tribe and the Director of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals at Northern Arizona University from it's inception in 1992 until his passing in 2005. Virgil is commemorated for his leadership, dedication, innovation and commitment to the support of tribal air programs; their creation, development, advancement and ultimate success in promoting tribal sovereignty, tribal culture and tribal environmental protection. This award was developed to recognize and perpetuate continuing contributions to that legacy. To learn more about the Virgil Masayesva Environmental Excellence Award and previous awardees please visit the TAMS site.

Tribal Program Development

Kris Ray

Confederated Tribes of the Colville

Kris Ray has been the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's Air Program Director since 1996 and worked for the Tribes since 1982. During this time, Kris excelled at representing the Colville Tribes and gave voice to tribes nationally. He served as the Chair of the Tribal Air Monitoring Steering Committee, and for 5 years he served as a tribal representative on the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee. Kris contributed to the work toward the Colville Tribes receiving Treatment as a State for 105 in 2004, thereby ensuring the Tribes' Clean Air Act (CAA) 105 funding would be prioritized. In 2015, Kris also participated in approval of the Tribes’ federal delegations under the Federal Air Rules for Reservations, which established a federal air quality burn ban program on the Reservation and took a critical step toward further air quality protection. Kris was also critical in developing the Okanogan River Airshed Partnership (ORAP), earning that partnership a Clean Air Excellence Award in 2018. His leadership in the ORAP ensured the Tribes, federal, state, and local partners worked together toward implementing voluntary measures to help improve air quality on and off the Colville Reservation. Kris's dedication to the protection of air quality, partner collaboration, and community education exemplifies leadership we can all learn from for years to come.

Kris Ray exemplifies admirable leadership qualities in that he inspires positive change by identifying research-based, air quality concerns, strategizing creative, collaborative solutions, and taking effective action. Kris looks to the future to incorporate innovation and looks to the past to build on his experience and Reservation communities’ shared knowledge and history. Kris is inclusive, and joining a meeting led by Kris means participating and being recognized for one’s input and talent. Kris has worked to protect the Colville Tribes’ airshed and his successes will not be forgotten, their effects will continue to benefit Reservation residents and environmental partners for years to come.

technical Excellence

Emma Ruppell

Bishop Paiute Tribe

Emma Ruppell has worked managing Bishop Paiute Tribe's Air Program for over six (6) years. During this time she has learned effective air monitoring techniques and equipment used by Tribes as well as most western state air districts. She has taken on improving data management and risk assessments for not only the Bishop Paiute Tribe but the whole Owens Valley with enthusiasm and scientific rigor. Emma shares her technical knowledge and problem solving skills with all tribal air professionals she comes into contact with. She learned Bishop Paiute's Air Program very quickly and is always expanding its development to truly represent air quality in the Owens Valley airshed. On a regular basis Emma depicts what the local and regional air quality issues are by sharing Bishop's extensive database, quality assurance techniques and working with other regional air managers on data analysis towards air quality improvement.

Emma serves on the Tribe’s Emergency Management Committee compiling data and given critical input on historic atmospheric river season. In 2017, The Air Program coordinated screening the Tribe’s fleet for vehicles eligible as VW Settlement replacement projects, emissions calculations, application drafting, and public info requirements; ultimately leading to a successful award to reduce NOx emissions of 1 vehicle.

Even during pandemic times she was able to:

• complete the first ever aethalometer study on the Reservation;

• convert the burn permits database into a GIS feature layer for new burn permits starting in Fall 2021, and create a map with burn permit locations and burn violation survey results;

• coordinate with the tribal radio station and air district staff to install a low-cost sensor (PurpleAir) station linking PurpleAir map to the monitoring web page;

• recalibrate the precipitation gauge via factory service and with other Environmental Management Office staff, and completed semiannual weather station checks without contracted help outside the Reservation;

• partner with the Big Pine Paiute Tribe's Air Program Coordinator to create combined quarterly data reviews including Level 2 QA review; and

• continue as co-chair of WRAP TDWG (Tribal Data Work Group), presented on a workgroup call.

Emma has been a major contributor and is continuously involved in national and regional collaborations. Emma participates actively in national and regional air quality initiatives as a CA tribal representative to the Western Regional Air partnership (WRAP) where, in 2018 became a co-chair of the Tribal Data Work Group. In 2020 and 2021 she co-presented with ITEP on data management presentations and regularly attends NAQC and National Tribal Forum on Air Quality. Recently she was part of a panel at EPA's Quality Assurance training where she explained from a grant awardee perspective the QAPP process and how it is used. Emma continues to assist many other Tribes in their efforts to build capacity for their programs by suggesting monitoring equipment, how to use data in program management and representing air quality conditions. She regularly works with the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District sharing data and QA/QC equipment checks. Emma is looked to by other area Tribes for equipment troubleshooting and other technical advice.

Special Recognition

Pictured (left to right) are Jacque Adam, Dani Keese, and April Hathcoat

April Hathcoat

Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs

Director

April holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Northeastern State University (1994) and a Master of Science in Technology (Environmental Technology Management) from Arizona State University (2013). She joined CNEP in February 2004 and serves as the director for the Pesticides, UST, Clean Water 106 and Clean Air programs. She is responsible for the quality control and quality assurance of all air monitoring data and uploads the data into the EPA’s Air Quality System (AQS). April is licensed with the State of Oklahoma as a Registered Sanitarian and a Registered Environmental Specialist, is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, and is a member of the National Environmental Health Association. She is a self-identified “bird nerd” and enjoys participating in various citizen science projects.

The Cherokee Nation Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program (aka Clean Air Program) began in 1996 with a 103 project grant and has since grown, through a succession of such grants, to become one of the larger tribal ambient air quality monitoring programs in the nation. Cherokee Nation has established a network of four monitoring stations: three fixed locations on lands of the Cherokee Nation and one mobile monitoring station that rotates between tribes in Region 6. These stations monitor criteria pollutants and a variety of other pollutants, including mercury and passive ammonia. Cherokee Nation currently participates in five EPA national program initiatives: the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET); Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE); the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN); the Mercury Litterfall Network (MLN); and the Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN). Cherokee Nation also operates an NCore site at its rural CASTNet site near Stilwell. Our program is funded under a 105 grant as of FY2022.

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