The conference featured technical trainings, field trips, breakout sessions and cultural events related to this year\u2019s theme: A National Conversation on Tribal Land and Water Resources. The 65 breakout sessions covered management topics such as solid and hazardous waste, brownfields, underground storage tanks, Superfund sites, water quality programs and emergency response. Field trips allowed participants to see how neighboring tribes are addressing waste diversion, habitat restoration and other environmental concerns. The conference included a performance and speech by Ta\u2019Kaiya Blaney, an internationally known singer and environmental justice activist from the Tla’Amin First Nation in British Columbia, as well as Miss Agua Caliente, Justice Galindo, performing her tribe\u2019s migration songs during an event featuring local Native artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more than 550 attendees, this was the largest TLEF in history, with 394\ntribal members representing 158 federally recognized tribes. The conference\nprovides a unique forum for government agencies to engage directly with tribal\nentities and the conference welcomed more than 70 representatives from the\nEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior and the\nBureau of Indian Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the first-time\nparticipants was Kathryn Sunny, who began\nher position as the brownfields coordinator for the Muscogee Creek Nation in\nOklahoma less than a year ago. The conference provided tangible strategies she\nneeded to meet the criteria for her EPA grant. She said some of the most\nvaluable learning occurred while talking with members of other tribes who were\ndealing with similar issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve met people from different states. I\u2019ve\nlearned what has worked for them, what hasn\u2019t worked for them, and how they\nworked around different obstacles,\u201d Sunny said. \u201cI really value all of that\ninformation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are other conferences that provide\nsupport for environmental stewardship, TLEF is one of the few tailored to\ntribal nations. Challenges to environment and natural resource management can\nplay out in different ways based on location, landscape, tribal government and\ntribal customs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor most tribes, this conference meets their\nneeds better,\u201d said Mickey Hartnett, co-director for the Kansas State University Technical Assistance\nto Brownfields Program. \u201cThey can relate more to the speakers, and the speakers\ncan understand their audience better. They present information in a way that\nrelates to the tribes. I think ITEP\u2019s done a great job of targeting their\naudience. There\u2019s a real sense of community among the participants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fixture on the NAU campus since 1992, ITEP\nprovides training and technical support to Tribes across the country as sovereign stewards of their\nenvironment and natural resources. ITEP has worked hand-in-hand with tribes and\nfederal partners such as the EPA in supporting the development of tribal\ncapacity with management of environmental and natural resource programs. There\nare programs covering not only waste management and environmental response, but\nalso climate change, air quality, water resources and other environmental\nmedia. ITEP serves tribes through national conferences such as the TLEF, as\nwell as in-person trainings, coordinating several Tribal Partnership Groups,\nonline courses, direct technical assistance and mentoring projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TLEF 2019 was organized by ITEP, the EPA and the\nTribal Waste and Response Steering Committee, working in close partnership with\nthe Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. \nFor more information about ITEP and the TLEF, please visit ITEP\u2019s<\/a> website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhat I find most satisfying about this year\u2019s TLEF is the effect all of the Native youth had on the attendees,\u201d said Todd Barnell<\/strong>, project director for ITEP\u2019s waste and response programs. \u201cAttendees told me this was the most emotional TLEF yet, and that is due to the powerful voices of these Native youth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Ta'Kaiya](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/TaKaiya-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Opening](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Opening-Plenary-1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n