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 About Us |
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Mission:
The UGPTI's Tribal Outreach effort improves safe transportation of people and goods on tribal reservations to enhance livability, community and cultural values through increased accessibility to employment, workforce development opportunities, education, healthcare and housing.
Vision:
The Tribal Outreach effort will be a leader in facilitating improvements in tribal transportation to enhance livability, community and cultural values for reservation residents.
Currently, the effort offers outreach in:
- funding opportunities
- grant writing assistance
- training (workforce development, youth, education, technology)
- program/resource assistance
- partnership/collaborative opportunities
- outreach task force
- monthly newsletter
Other resources and services will be offered as they become available. Please visit us on the web to
apply for assistance.
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Featured Program: NDLTAP
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Our featured program this month is the North Dakota Technical Assistance Program (NDLTAP). The NDLTAP is operated in partnership between North Dakota State University (NDSU) and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) as part of the FHWA's Local Technical Assistance Program.
NDLTAP services provided by the center encourage and enhance the exchange of highway transportation related technology and information. Local units of government utilize the center as a source for technical assistance and information, educational resources, and work force development.
This program offers an array of news bulletins, workshops, technical assistance and training in road and transportation-related courses. For a current list of available and upcoming training opportunities, click here .
On May 8-9th there is a
Roadway Safety- Work Zone Temporary Traffic Control training in West Fargo and Bismarck.
NDLTAP works closely with the
Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program based at the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck.
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| New GIS Software & Technical Assistance Available Soon |
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The UGPTI has developed an applied Geographic Information System (GIS) software that has been test piloted with the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikira (MHA) Nation in North Dakota.
GIS is vital for road planning and asset management. The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute stands ready to provide tribal agencies with initial and on-going technical assistance to enable them to harness the power of Transportation-GIS models and information systems. Faculty and graduate students will provide in-house and continued support in the design and initial implementation of GIS-Transportation networks, as well as on-going support and training in the use of the software for road planning and asset management.
Tribal planners will be guided though the process of establishing an initial inventory of assets and roadway networks, linking the IRR inventory with widely used GIS models, and conducting planning analyses such as truck trip routing and system needs assessments. Graduate students (under the supervision of faculty) will consult with individual tribal planners, providing one-on-one technical assistance as requested.
Please note that our GIS software IS compatible with older and current versions of ArcGIS software.
If you are interested in obtaining this software and technical assistance free of charge, please
contact us to get on the list. Outreach and implementation of the project is slated to begin in May.
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Tribal Outreach Task Force
The UGPTI recently initiated a Tribal Outreach program to aid local and regional Native Nations in establishing and maintaining specific programs to enhance tribal livability, community, and cultural values. UGPTI recognizes that livability as a whole is a broad concept, so we have narrowed our focus specifically to issues that have negatively affected tribal communities.
The objective of this task force is to afford an opportunity for tribal representatives and agencies with a vested interest in improving tribal livability with a platform to identify areas of concern (transportation, health care, education, employment, poverty, etc.), to sustain cultural and historic preservation, and to improve tribal to state relations.
Currently, our member directory includes representatives from MHA Nation, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, ND House of Representatives, American Indian Public Health Resource Center (AIPHRC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), USDA- Rural Development, Farm Services Agency (FSA), Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NPTTAP) and the UGPTI.
Our next (Q2) meeting is scheduled for June. We are still looking for tribal representation in both North and South Dakota. Please
contact us for more information.
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Transportation Awareness in Schools
The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University sent nearly 350 transportation-related educational activity packets to schools across North Dakota to kick off the Institute's 50th anniversary.
Educational packets targeted at 5th graders focus on building awareness of the importance of transportation and will include a transportation activity sheet. "By increasing awareness of transportation's role in our daily lives, we hope to open your student's eyes to interesting careers in the transportation industry," communications and marketing assistant Makenzie Schmidt said.
A second packet aimed at 7th and 8th graders includes a state map and a science Olympiad-styled quiz sheet that is intended to build geography and map-reading skills. That packet will also include information on transportation careers.
The UGPTI will be developing a similar awareness campaign aimed at tribal middle schools for the the upcoming school year. The objective is to educate tribal youth and generate interest in transportation-related careers. This will likely include tribal-specific information, activities, quizzes and a quarterly "Project in a Box" (build-a-bridge) for groups in each class to complete. This would be offered as a free resource to any tribal school in North and South Dakota.
More information will become available as this campaign develops.
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