About the Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program

EPA conducts research in partnership with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Professors from TCUs receive funding and technical support from EPA to solve the environmental problems most important to their tribal communities.

Selected professors from eight different TCUs will work with a group of students to solve environmental and public health issues ranging from sustainable building materials to monitoring of local drinking water wells. The professors will collaborate closely with neighboring tribes and EPA scientists to ensure that available resources are leveraged and resulting data is verified.

"Building stronger tribal partnerships and increasing our support for tribal communities is one of our top priorities," said EPA Assistant Administrator Michelle DePass. "This group of Ambassadors represents an effective partnership where the tribal community can direct EPA resources to the most pressing environmental problems they face, and to start developing solutions."

Visit the EPA tribal website for additional information on environmental tribal activities

Program Brochure (PDF) (2pp,283K, About PDF)

Tribal ecoAmbassadors Project Descriptions (PDF) (2pp, 65K, About PDF)

tribal ecoAmbassador Duties

Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program at a Glance

• 63 students are receiving college credit for participating in this year's program.
• At least 3 accredited new courses will be developed as a result of this year's program.
• Contacts from 3 Federal Agencies have requested to work with EPA on this program next year.
• Professors from 2 large Universities have provided in-kind equipment or analysis.
• Over 20 EPA scientists are working closely with the Ambassadors to help publish and interpret collected data
• $30,000 in scholarships for leadership training has been offered to students in the program.