PROJECT STAFF:	Vacant, NTERI Program Coordinator
PROJECT PERIOD:	October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003
FUNDING SOURCES:	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters American Indian Environmental Office

PURPOSE:

The The National Tribal Environmental Research Institute (NTERI) was created to promote informed and/or consensus based Tribal deliberation and comment on important federal and other proposed laws, rules, actions, initiatives, and programs. The NTERI's goal, using a dynamic work group process, provides the review, research and evaluation of a variety of topical issues and presents articulate studied conclusions "online" in written treatise format from a Tribal perspective.

The goals of NTERI are to create the web page to be accessible on a national level so that Tribal Leaders, Tribal Environmental Managers and others can utilize the information presented to make more informed decisions regarding their environments. This web page will provide the Tribes with access to timely and effective analysis of issues and appropriate documents. Some of these other documents include federal register notices, other training and relevant information that Tribes can utilize in their environmental development. Additionally, the NTERI web site will provide the Tribes with an opportunity to share Tribal environmentally relevant information on the NTERI Web Board. NTERI is striving to provide the relevant information by addressing the priority topics of the day and posting this information on the internet at www.nteri.net. The NTERI web site has been on line since March 20, 2001.

WORKPLAN OBJECTIVES:

• Post Summaries and Comprehensive Analysis: NTERI will continue to select emerging environmental issues and research, analyze and develop topical summaries and post on the priority topics page of the NTERI web site. Comprehensive analysis regarding hot topics of the day will be posted on the priority topics analysis navigation page.
• Continue to Develop Technical Capacity to Maintain and Present NTERI Web Site: It is an objective to redesign the NTERI Homepage to highlight latest/relevant hot topics of the day so the web site will be more appealing and navigable. Additional software will be purchased to convert digital documents so that the site will be more accessible. Furthermore, NTERI will continue to conduct web site maintenance training for the staff and develop/update link pages for the web site.
• Continue Distribution Efforts in Marketing the NTERI Web Site: NTERI shall continue to disseminate informational brochures on the NTERI project. More Tribal organizations/web sites will be contacted for information dissemination purposes. Additional Tribes will receive presentations regarding the NTERI web site. Dissemination interests will continue by providing NTERI materials to the tribal participant list. Other distribution will be provided at Tribal meetings, events and conferences.
• Strive to Develop the Topical Work Group Process: At this time NTERI utilizes the existing work group process to obtain researched and analyzed product for the web page. The NTERI networks with Tribal environmental managers on a national level and other experts to discern the relevant hot topics of the day. Our program will contact the appropriate individuals/experts to act as needed in a Tribal Resource Group (TRG) to finalize TRG and TWG processes.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list or would like more information on the National Tribal Environmental Research Institute, please contact Elaine Wilson, Environmental Quality Programs Director. The Program Coordinator can be reached at (602) 258-4822.