The HERS Center is dedicated to the development and application of technologies grounded on the holistic and healing foundation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, an approach which provides the philosophical basis for center efforts in environmental education, technology transfer, research, and community service HERS promotes activities that reduce negative environmental impacts of economic development in Native communities, provide for environmental restoration, and promote environmental health for the advancement of tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

HERS Programs

Technical Outreach Services for Native American Communities (TOSNAC) 

National Outreach to Tribes dealing with hazardous substances issues, with focus on tribal cultural risk assessment and management, Environmental Justice Issues.

Great Basin

Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Coordination with Nevada Tribes that are Cooperators in the Program, with focus on sustainability and mine waste concerns. See to learn about mission and projects related to Haskell Indian Nations University partnership with host, University of Nevada, Reno.

National Science Foundation Planning Grant 

Building evaluation capacity among Native American Indians influence by design.  Culture-based ABC's of evaluation to impact public policy. Traditionally Native Americans have been categorized and defined under Western standards that do not account for differences in cultural ethics, practices, and beliefs. As a result, Native Americans are often disadvantaged in schools and in public policy areas. the purpose of this planning grant is to provide support for Kansas State University (KSU) and Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) to build evaluation capacity in the Native American culture.

Altai Project 

In 12999, Borno-Altaisk State University (GASU), Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU), Kansas State University (KSU), and University of Kansas (KU) joined together to create a partnership to address water quality issues common to both the Russian Federation and to U.S. 

U.S Department of Agriculture Scientific Cooperative Exchange Program assessing the impact of traditional grazing techniques on drinking water quality. a cooperative program between Haskell Indian Nations University and Gorno-Altaisk State University, Russia.

Extends the existing cooperative project focused on drinking water quality to include a survey documenting the re-emergence of traditional practices of herd management amount indigenous Altians since the collapse of the Soviet government. These materials will form the basis for a comparative program between indigenous Altian (Siberian) practices and traditional practices use on selected tribal lands in the U.S.