Collaborative Water Monitoring Initiative Launched with G2G Grant

By: Sunnie Dawn Baker

The Ada Jobs Foundation (AJF) is requesting submissions for qualified vendors or applicants to take part in a groundbreaking new water project. You can access the RFQ, or Request for Qualifications, at the following link: RFQ. This document outlines the requirements that the AJF is looking for in a vendor, specifically to build a geospatial portal for data and visualization to assist in the education portion of this project. The AJF will release an RFP with a more detailed scope of the digital project after the selection process. This all works in service of an exciting new project in our area, funded by an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Government to Government (G2G) grant, which brings multiple stakeholders together for the betterment of our community.

As per the EPA’s website, the purpose of the G2G grant is to “provide funding at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.” The Chickasaw Nation ranked among the grant 88 recipients this year, applying in partnership with the Oka’ Institute and the Ada Jobs Foundation. These three entities, working together, form the backbone of what may develop into something extraordinary as they use the $1,000,000 grant to develop new and innovative ways to monitor streams while also training citizen scientists to build capacity. Duane Smith, Executive Director of the Oka’ Institute touts the importance of this project, saying, “The G2G grant is a testament to what can be achieved when partnerships like ours come together with a shared vision. With the Chickasaw Nation and the Ada Jobs Foundation, we are leveraging the principles of the blue economy to strengthen both our water resources and local economy. This grant allows us to drive innovative solutions in water sustainability that will benefit our region for generations to come.”

Kris Patton, the Director of the Office of Natural Resources at the Chickasaw Nation, has been one of the major champions of this project. The Chickasaw Nation will choose specific sites to be used for water monitoring. The goal is to establish a network of one stream site per county, across 13 counties, to have complete treaty wide monitoring. Part of this initiative includes training citizen scientists to collect water samples which will increase the effectiveness of the program while also educating more people about water issues and sustainable water resource management.

The Oka’ Institute at East Central University is the primary scientific entity within this grant. Among many other things, they are responsible for quality control of the scientific data and citizen science data that is coming into the CURL Lab, otherwise known as the Center for Undergraduate Researching and Learning. The CURL Lab, run by Dr. Andrew Whitaker, will establish research protocols, conduct quality assurance on the samples, and analyze and report the data. The Oka’ Institute will assign an environmental specialist to assist the Chickasaw Nation in collecting samples, as well as initiate the citizen science portion at the university level, collaborating with East Central University, Cameron University and Murray State College to begin training students and professors in water quality monitoring protocol. Oka’ will assist with this training to ensure that the samples collected meet quality standards and yield good data.

In addition to having a scientific entity and a government agency involved, this grant also requires the involvement of a community-based non-profit organization and that is where the Ada Jobs Foundation comes in. As the only community based local non-profit in the area, this grant depends on the involvement and support of AJF. AJF’s primary role involves selecting and managing the vendor for the geospatial data viewer. In addition to this, AJF represents the community at large and is involved in every step of this project.

This is one of the most remarkable things about this G2G grant. It breaks down silos and brings people and organizations together in an impactful way. Specifically, the Chickasaw Nation represents their nation and citizens, the Oka’ Institute represents scientific interests, and the Ada Jobs Foundation represents the overall community. These three working together allow for an unprecedented collaboration towards the betterment of our natural world. This collaborative effort extends even further by the incorporation of a citizen science initiative which invites the broader community to participate, bringing even more voices to the table. Amy Hays, Assistant Director of Development and Outreach for the Oka’ Institute appreciates the benefits of this approach. Hays says, “We really like this potential way of addressing water problems which is the purpose of the water cluster. This is a great demonstration of the value of having a water cluster which is a group of people who are really thinking about water for this region.” This approach introduces a new method for addressing water issues. Now we have a ground up approach where each region discovers their own unique water issues and then allows their own solutions to spring forth.

Caleb Biles, the GIS Analyst for the Oka’ Institute speaks to the importance of water monitoring, saying, “What we hope to gain from this water quality monitoring program  is a greater understanding of our water resources and a way forward that is sustainable for our communities and for the diverse aquatic ecosystems that can be found throughout the Chickasaw Nation. Enhanced water quality supports a higher quality of life for communities and for those aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and that is integral to the blue economy.” To be a part of the technical side of this project, check out the following RFQ to see if you might be qualified to build the mapping tool and visualizer. The submission deadline is November 15th. Access the RFQ.

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