Skip to main content

U.S. flag An official website of the United States government

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA FAQ's and resources about coronavirus (COVID-19).  LEARN MORE

Training Opportunities

Last Modified: Aug 3, 2022
Print

bison in snowy field

Emergency Preparedness and Response Training: Preparing Tribal Nations for Animal and Plant Health Emergencies

APHIS is cooperating with Native American agriculture and natural resources organizations to host regional Emergency Preparedness and Response Training. These workshops open a critical dialogue between APHIS and Tribal personnel about the Tribe’s emergency response concerns and ability to respond to animal or plant health emergencies. Tribal agricultural, natural resources, and emergency management personnel and leadership from related departments are encouraged to attend.

During training, participants will learn about:

  • APHIS programs and how they respond to various emergencies
  • Foreign and domestic threats to agriculture and wildlife
  • Current pest and disease surveillance activities and responses
  • Federal incident command system and emergency support functions
  • Benefits of having animal and plant emergency response plans and emergency response memoranda of understanding (MOU)
  • Funding opportunities

After training, participants will be able to:

  • Identify response resources and trusted partners
  • Clarify each responding agency’s role and responsibilities
  • Save time and avoid confusion during an initial response
  • Prioritize protection for different resources
  • Identify historic or scared sites to protect or avoid
  • Reduce the economic losses and impacts of an incident
Workshop participants will receive technical assistance with developing animal and plant health emergency response plans, initiating MOU discussions, coordinating logistical exercises, and identifying response vulnerabilities.

Contact APHIS’ Office of the National Tribal Liaison to find out about upcoming workshops:

Dr. Terry W. Clark, Director
(301) 440-4388
terry.w.clark@usda.gov

Carl Etsitty, Assistant Director
(970) 494-7573
carl.etsitty@usda.gov

Recent Training and Workshop Highlights

training in conference room


APHIS and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission cohosted the first Tribal Emergency Preparedness and Response Training on Stillaguamish lands in Washington State in April 2022. The training covered federal incident emergency response and support functions, current plant pests and animal diseases threats and surveillance activities, funding opportunities, and other topics important to tribes.

workshop with participants in white Tyvek suits


APHIS hosted a Tribal Biologist Workshop for Disease Detection and Surveillance at the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Annual National Conference held at the Miccosukee Tribe, in Miami, Florida in May 2022. Participants learned how to test waterfowl for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), collect samples from deer to test for SARS-CoV-2, and collect material from feral swine to test for swine diseases.

Previous Training

Complementary Content
${loading}