POULSBO, WA, Aug. 31, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- David Troutt, natural resources director and council chair of the Nisqually River Council cited EKO-System -- a web-based, integrated project management, database, and reporting system designed by Paladin Data Systems specifically for natural resource managers -- as "a key tool to provide public accessibility, transparency and the results of our successes" during his presentation Monday at the invitation-only White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in St. Louis.
The council, which was also honored for its achievements by the U.S. Department of the Interior in a ceremony earlier this month, was one of just 30 conservation organizations asked to speak at the conference in recognition for their excellence and leadership in cooperative conservation.
The White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation (www.conservation.ceq.gov) was organized under a directive from President Bush to strengthen shared governance and citizen stewardship of the country's natural resources and is only the fourth such conference to be sponsored by the White House in the history of the United States. Conference attendees included more than 1,200 leaders from federal, state, local, and tribal governments, as well in academia, the non-profit environmental sector, and other influential leaders from across the country.
"The Nisqually River Council has been a conservation leader in Washington state for many years, and it's no surprise that they would be asked to speak at this prestigious event," Jim Nall, president and CEO of Paladin said from St Louis, where EKO-System was one of the conference exhibitors. "It's a great honor for us that this group thinks so highly of EKO-System -- we couldn't ask for better validation of all the hard work we've put in to developing this system for the natural resource management community."
The Nisqually Indian Tribe, one of the partners in the Nisqually River Council, has been using EKO-System since March to help manage its ongoing natural resource management work and monitoring in the Nisqually watershed.
"EKO-System is the tool we have been looking for that is helping us pull all of our data into one place and make it easily accessible for us and our project partners, funders, and the community," said Jeanette Dorner, salmon restoration supervisor for the Nisqually Indian Tribe. "By sharing information in a way that is accessible to all it makes it easier for us to accomplish our goal of protecting and restoring our watershed's health and to share information about our progress with everyone."
EKO-System was designed and developed for the natural resource management industry by experienced database professionals and experts in natural resource management, environmental data collection, and government policy, making it the only software application of its kind. The system combines project management and data storage functions, allowing organizations to use one tool to store and manage any and all information relevant to projects and research findings, simplifying management, accountability, and information sharing with partners, policymakers, and funders. In addition to the Nisqually Indian Tribe, EKO-System is used by organizations such as the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, the Asotin County Conservation District, and the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board.
Paladin Data Systems Corp. (www.paladindata.com), the developer of EKO-Systems (www.eko-system.us), is a privately owned software engineering solutions firm headquartered in Poulsbo, Wash. Paladin offers a number of services to both public and private sector clients throughout the United States and Canada, including Paladin's signature software products, custom software engineering, and technology training.
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