Tribal Environmental Leaders Summit (TELS) 2021 2021 Theme “OG- Original Guardians” September 29- October 1, 2021 The annual Region 10 Tribal Environmental Leader’s Summit is designed for Tribal Administrators, Council Members, or other Tribal Leaders, Indigenous Youth, Environmental staff or technical environmental workers and for any person who lives closely tied to the land, air and water. Region 10 is home to 271 Federally Recognized Tribes in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Each year we locate the summit in a different state in our region, rotating through to provide equitable accessibility and representation. RTOC and Tribes our region have been hosting these summits for over 15 years. In 2017 we were hosted by the Suquamish and S’Klallam tribes in Western Washington In 2018 the Coeur d’Alene Tribe hosted our summit in Worley, Idaho In 2019 we met in the greater Portland area, where the opening blessing was conducted by Chariman Delores Pigsley of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians In 2020 we temporarily moved to an online format, hosting from Anchorage, AK. This summit provides the tribes in Region 10 the opportunity to come together to share and learn from each other on important aspects of managing the life-force of our communities and the physical environment. Then in the afternoons, there will be breakout sessions. This Summit is organized by the Region 10 Tribal Operations Committee, with grant funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency Indian General Assistance Program. We look forward to engaging with you and making some positive movement toward the protection and preservation of our environment for generations to come. Abstracts for the RTOC Tribal Leadership Summit are due by July 31st. Abstracts will be reviewed by our planning committee. Acceptance notifications will be made on August 15th. Abstracts received after July 31st, 2021 may not be considered. Not all abstracts will be selected for presentations. RTOC TELS 2021 IS VIRTUAL- A COMBINATION OF LIVE AND PRE-RECORDED ONLINE EVENTS FOR TWO TRACKS*! Please understand that, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the opportunity to host and attend TELS 2021 in-person is not possible, thus requiring a change in the medium of how to share significant content and technical trainings to a virtual platform. The Tribal beneficiaries of RTOC Region 10 will have access to an extensive menu of options to include: technical and youth tracks, presentations, training, support, and content that is equivalent to the previously planned in-person Tribal Leadership Summit. Content will be provided in a variety of media and social media modalities that are visually and intellectually engaging. Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to August 13th, 2021!Presentations can include topics like, but are not limited to: programs in your Region, Tribe, School, Community, place of Education, State or Federal Department are conducting or have successfully implemented on this year’s theme of: “OG- Original Guardians” Areas of interest for proposals: Tribal Land Management, Environmental Justice, Education Curriculum, Conservation/Environment, Research Findings, State /Federal Policy, and Future.Five categories of Abstracts: Keynote: Please submit an abstract outlining the presentation that you would like to give, including learning goals and objectives.Session/Plenary: This session would be the best fit for highlighting success and programs for other Tribes to learn from OR programs that offer support of grants for Tribes in Region 10. A description of the project, learning goals and objectives as a component of your abstract. Panel Session: Bringing together collaborators, stakeholders, and wisdom keepers on a topic that is related to the work that you do. To bring a wholistic, multifaceted, understanding to the area of focus. Youth Focused: Passage of traditional ways of knowing to Indigenous Youth is a priority. If you have a presentation or a breakout session that is focused on youth, please note that in your abstract. Film Festival: We are accepting films that have been created in the last year by your Tribe to be presented as a film festival style for participants to choose from. We will have a showing of several short films or one larger film and then host panel discussions by the film makers or tribal producer. Please take care in reviewing the cultural ethics of your submission. We respect the secret recipes and knowledge of our Traditional Healers/Tribal Doctors. If the information is gathered from an Elder, Healer, tribe, or a community please make sure that you have prior permission to share it. Abstracts may be picked to be produced in a Podcast format.Accepted presenters and film festival submitters will receive a waived registration.