LITTLE BOSTON — The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe has been awarded a grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training.

Of 18 grants distributed nationwide, Port Gamble S’Klallam is the only Tribe to have been selected to receive the grant, which totals $200,000. The grant will be used to recruit, train and place Tribal members in green jobs, promoting environmental health for areas impacted by contamination. Program participants will receive training in a wide variety of cutting-edge methods, opening doors for short- and long-term employment. The program is designed to develop comprehensive skills for maximum positive impact in local communities.

A press release from the EPA indicates that Port Gamble S’Klallam will use the $200,000 to train 38 students and place more than 30 in environmental jobs. Trainees will receive more than 240 hours of instruction in topics ranging from hydrology to environmental chemistry to underground storage tank cleanup.

After completing training, participants will have earned two state and five federal certifications. In order to fulfill the grant’s mission of job placement and to identify program participants, the Tribe is working with several partners, including Northwest Indian College, Hood Canal Coordinating Council, Port Gamble S’Klallam Housing Authority, Nookayet Development Corporation, and Home Builders Association of Kitsap County.

The partnerships will ensure that program graduates can put their newly acquired skills to work for the community. The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, originally known as the Nux Sklai Yem or Strong People, are descendants of the Salish people who have been well-established in the Puget Sound basin and surrounding areas since 2400 B.C. In the late 1930s, the Port Gamble S’Klallam reservation, located on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, was established. Many of the Tribe’s members, who total about 1,200, still live there today.