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TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - The Cherokee Nation was awarded a $190,000 Network Challenge Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"The Network Challenge Grant is a first step at improving tribal environmental data access to the general public, state and federal agencies", said Dwayne Beavers, director of Cherokee Nation Office of Environmental Services (OES). "A larger goal is to make tribal environmental data available in order to protect public health, environment and natural resources."

"Network Challenge Grants are for collaborative work that advances the exchange network including projects that result in a higher level of quality data, simplified reporting, or provide increased public access to the data", said Randy Gee, (OES) environmental specialist III. "The Cherokee Nation grant will be used to prepare collected water quality data into a standard format for reporting into the STORET system."

STORET, (short for storage and retrieval), is a repository for water quality, biological and physical data and is used by tribal and state environmental agencies, EPA and other federal agencies, universities and private citizens.

The Cherokee Nation is the only tribe in Oklahoma to receive a network grant in 2003.

"This is the second network grant that the Cherokee Nation received since the program’s inception", Gee said. "The Cherokee Nation received a network one stop grant last year."

OES staff members who assisted in the preparation of the grant included John Sparkman, environmental specialist II, Nancy John, program manager, and Dwayne Beavers, program director. Tonia Williams from Cherokee Nation Information Systems also provided assistance in the grant application.

Related contact information:

Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager Cherokee Nation - Public Affairs Phone 918-456-0671 (Ex.2324) E-mail: ldaugherty@cherokee.org

Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Specialist Phone: 918-456-0671 (ex.2843) E-mail: bpeak@cherokee.org