Real Function

Real Function was created to provide a bridge between governmental authorities to address common environmental issues. Environmental issues such as watershed health, air quality, and solid waste management usually cross political jurisdictions. Successful solutions to these problems often require multiple political entities to develop a combined response. Unfortunately, many tribes, counties, and cities often lack the resources, policies, and experience to address the issues or may come across jurisdictional barriers to addressing issues that may include sources outside of their political boundaries.

The relationship between cities or counties and tribal governments is a notable example of this need. Where cities and counties can look to the state to lead on a problem that crosses their shared boundaries, a tribal government is usually outside of state jurisdiction and relies on federal agencies. When a city or county is represented by a state agency, and a tribe federal jurisdiction on tribal lands is involved, the shared leadership on the problem is always challenging and often ineffective.

Real Function provides coordination and management for cross-jurisdictional projects.  By providing often missing technical and administrative capacity, Real Function assists local and Tribal governments as they meet shared resource management goals.

What Do We Do?

Projects include assessment of environmental quality, remediation of natural resources, and development of policies and procedures to address those environmental issues shared by more than one local government. Project types include:

• Supporting communities with climate change adaptation planning and implementation
• Improving water management on a watershed level
• Improving solid and hazardous waste management practices
• Facilitating air and water quality data collection, sharing and interpretation
• Supporting programs that provide community services to overcome lost, damaged, or endangered natural resources
• Facilitating consultation and coordination with Indigenous Communities and other actions to protect tribal sovereignty
• Developing policies and procedures shared by multiple jurisdictions to addressed shared environmental issues
• Supporting effective NEPA and CEQA consultation with both tribal and non-tribal communities