Local Environmental Observer Network gets a boost from the Environmental Protection Agency
September 30, 2016Categories: Health Research and Data, Healthy Homes and Communities
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the expansion of the Local Environmental Observers (LEO) Network program, a concept initiated and championed by ANTHC and Alaska Tribal communities. The EPA expansion will extend the LEO Network reach into the Lower 48 states. This expansion will develop a Lower 48 LEO network hub at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington and create a model for the other 35 tribal colleges and universities in the Lower 48 to replicate across the U.S. The announcement was made at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C as part of other initiatives to improve human health and the environment on Indian reservations and Tribal lands. The LEO network is a network of local observers and topic experts who share on-the-ground knowledge about unusual animal, environmental and weather events. The network uses valuable traditional and local knowledge to help observe and report changes in the local environment. Available Android and iPhone mobile apps give users a powerful reporting tool to use in the field. For more information, visit the LEO Network website at LEOnetwork.org and the EPA at https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-initiatives-advance-tribal-sovereignty-expand-environmental-observer.