This week Idaho Governor Brad Little convened the final workshop for his Western Governors’ Association Initiative, “Working Lands, Working Communities.” The aim of the initiative that was launched last September was to examine the interdependent relationships between western communities, state and federal land resource management entities, as well as the role that local communities play in successful land planning and management processes. WGA held workshops in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho to bring together policy experts and stakeholders.
When Governor Little kicked off the initiative he noted, “The goal of (Working Lands, Working Communities) is to develop bipartisan strategies to support western communities seeking to improve cross-boundary management of lands, mitigate wildfire, and restore ecosystems. We face the growing need for additional capacity, both intellectual capacity and physical infrastructure, to responsibly manage the abundant natural resources we are so blessed with in the West. One challenge is to expand market support for active management on western working lands. A good example is examining potential markets for the relatively low-value timber and biomass that needs to be removed to reduce the threat of uncharacteristic wildfires.”
The final workshop that took place this week in Boise, ID looked at opportunities to pursue natural infrastructure solutions for economic development, how invasive grasses are a catalyst for wildland fires, expanding sustainable rangeland markets, and how Idaho has been successful at creating a sustainable forests products market which lowers wildfire risks and protects vulnerable watersheds.
Governor Little noted the need for collaborative land management to continue the region’s economic growth and develop more resilient western communities for generations to come.
"It’s important that we continue to look at improving how we make our communities more resilient," Gov. Little said. "Everybody says we want healthier watersheds, we want less catastrophic fire, we want (better management of) invasive species. Those overarching goals need to have legs under them –policies, recommendations, where to best invest the next available dollar – and that’s what we expect as a result of these panels."
Read more about WGA’s ‘Working Lands, Working Communities’ Initiatives and watch the workshop videos here.