This project will assist the chugach regional resources commission and their member tribes in building capacities and developing programs to protect the tribal environment and health

The Chugach Regional Resources Commission received a $134,000 Project Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 under the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (CFDA 66.926), effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027. This award supports capacity-building initiatives for the Chugach Regional Resources Commission and its seven member tribes in the Chugach region of Alaska to enhance tribal environmental protection and health programs. The project delivers six primary capacity-building components: administrative capacity development, programmatic capacity enhancement, communications infrastructure, water quality monitoring capabilities, harmful algal blooms (HAB) monitoring systems, and Geographic Information System (GIS) technical capabilities.

Specific products and services include operational management of an environmental office with administrative and program staff; technical training on land, energy, ocean water quality, HAB monitoring, and GIS systems; community engagement activities including quarterly regional calls and educational programming; development of a Chugach Region Ocean Monitoring Program; and collection of baseline ocean water quality and HAB monitoring data. Anticipated deliverables comprise performance reports, outreach materials, ocean monitoring project summaries, and multimedia products including an educational video and story map. No subawards are included in this assistance agreement, with funding directed entirely toward direct tribal implementation. The grant targets benefits to tribal members and the local public through increased administrative and programmatic capacity to assess environmental issues and develop responsive environmental protection programs.

Objectives/workplan components include: 1. Building administrative capacity; 2. Building programmatic capacity; 3. Building communications capacity; 4. Building water quality monitoring capacity; 5. Building harmful algal blooms monitoring capacity; and building geographic information system capacity.activities:workplan activities/tasks include: maintaining an environmental office and administrative and program management functions; attending training and researching issues and resources; communicating internally and externally about issues; conducting community education activities and quarterly regional calls; building technical knowledge of land and energy; providing training on ocean water quality, harmful algal blooms, and geographic information systems; developing the chugach region ocean monitoring program; and collecting baseline ocean water quality and harmful algal bloom data. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the intended beneficiaries of this project are the chugach regional resources commission and their member tribes, tribal members, and the local public. The expected outcomes of this project include: increasing consortium and tribal administrative capacity to respond to local environmental concerns; increasing tribal programmatic capacity to assess local environmental issues; increasing community knowledge of environmental issues and actions protective of the environment; and increasing tribal technical capacities to prioritize environmental needs and develop programs to address them. Anticipated deliverables include: performance reports; copies of outreach materials; ocean water quality and harmful algal bloom monitoring project summaries; and a video and story map.