Groundbreaking Conference Will Explore Alternative Futures for Our Communities, Rural Landscapes, and Wildlands

“Growth and change are inevitable,” notes Future West Director Dennis Glick. “They can happen by design, or by default. It’s time that we recognize this reality and begin to identify our vision for the future and the actions needed to make it a reality.”  That is precisely the focus of a unique regional conference to be held this June in Bozeman, Montana.

Conservationists, elected officials, rural landowners, business leaders, land managers, developers and many others will gather for a day-long exploration of the potential future of our towns, working landscapes, and wildlands. The conference, Sustaining the New West: Bold Visions – Inspiring Actions, will take place June 5th at the Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman.  

Hosted by the non-profit Future West, the event will put a spotlight on growth trends in the Northern Rockies and offer alternative visions for how we develop and conserve this region.  The conference will also highlight examples from around the West of successful efforts to plan for and achieve sustainable conservation and development on a regional scale.

A stellar lineup of speakers will include founding member of the Blackfoot Challenge- rancher Denny Iverson, Lain Leoniak- former Bozeman Water Conservation Specialist and current Assistant Attorney General for Colorado, renowned conservation biologist Dr. David Theobald, Mayor of Canmore Alberta John Borrowman, Teton County Idaho Commissioner Cindy Riegel, Devin Middlebrook from the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Dr. Aerin Jacobs from the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, Robert Liberty-  architect of Oregon’s land-use planning system, and several others. They will share their perspectives on options for creating a future that conserves our natural and cultural values, while also creating sustainable and equitable communities.

This is the second Sustaining the New West Conference. “The first,” according to Dennis Glick, “focused primarily on the impacts of growth, development, and climate change on the future of the region.”  At this gathering, individuals who have been deeply engaged in these issues in the Northern Rockies will offer alternative future scenarios for our communities, working rural landscapes, and wildlands. They will be followed by people from other regions sharing lessons they have learned while working on sustainability issues on a landscape, if not statewide, scale.

Glick guarantees that it will be, “A thought-provoking and provocative day that will help us to chart a course for a brighter future for this region.”  

For more information and to register visit www.future-west.org or contact Hannah Jaicks (Hannah@future-west.org).  Lunch is included and a reception will follow.