2023 Western Interstate Region Conference

Located near St. George, Padre Canyon is a 2.5-mile hike climbing up mountains through the Snow Canyon. After the summit, the trail descends into the Red Mountain Wilderness, where it eventually connects with the Snow Canyon trails. Keep an eye out for exceptional desert wildlife, including Gila monsters. This excursion is for experienced hikers - the trail consists of a steep incline and is considered moderately difficult.

The Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) comprises nearly 46,000 acres at the convergence of the Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau and Great Basin. Located just outside of St. George, the NCA encompasses critical habitat for the Mojave Desert tortoise and other vulnerable species. Learn how Washington County worked with federal agencies to better manage this NCA to benefit the species, environment and local community. Policy steering committee members are given preference for joining these tours, followed by a first-come, first-serve basis for additional attendees.

How are you preparing your community to respond to economic shocks? Join the U.S. Economic Development Administration and county partners for a conversation on how local innovation, industry clusters and equitable partnerships can serve as keys to economic resilience. This session will examine how coal communities are facing economic transitions, options for asset-based economic development as well as lessons from natural disaster and economic recovery efforts. 

For more than two decades, the boom-and-bust cycle of Western drought and flooding has jeopardized the quality of life for residents and reduced economic opportunities in rural areas. To meet these challenges, the federal government has established new programs to conserve water supplies, while state and local leaders and private sector partners have implemented innovative solutions to amend water and dam management plans, capture stormwater for groundwater recharge, institute water reuse plans and utilize advanced forecasting to inform actions. This workshop will feature government leaders and private sector stakeholders to discuss the current drought and flood outlook, share resources to secure and grow water supplies, and discuss how intergovernmental partnerships are necessary to reduce the negative impacts of this long-term challenge for the West. 

This workshop will bring together officials from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Readiness & Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program and leaders from counties neighboring military installations to discuss current partnerships in the West and climate resiliency measures. During this session, participants will learn how the REPI Program can play a critical role in strengthening local capacity for resiliency and discover opportunities to leverage REPI funding to match other federal funds. 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced in December 2022 its plans to update the 2012 Western Solar Plan and to expand its reach into five additional states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. In the 10 years since, counties have seen the growth of solar farms and experienced the positive and negative economic and environmental impacts. In this workshop, explore how the new BLM Solar Plan can extend solar energy into western counties, the economic benefits of solar, how to mitigate any negative impacts of solar installations and the potential consequences for your community.

When disaster strikes your county, the community looks to its county officials for leadership and guidance. How you handle the situation sets the tone for the immediate response and future recovery. This workshop will focus on building skills relevant to resilient leaders, including calmly leading through crisis and the importance of adaptability. With these traits, county officials will be better prepared to lead through crisis and help communities emerge from any crisis together and stronger.  

The challenge of attracting workers is not new to many county governments – especially those in rural areas. The private sector and urban centers draw many potential candidates away from county service, and the pandemic only exacerbated the problem. Nevertheless, the recent influx of federal dollars presents counties of every size a new opportunity to compete for high-quality employees. Learn how your county can leverage recent federal investments to address county workforce shortages.