For those who live and work in gateway communities, the federal and tribal lands adjacent to them create as many opportunities as they do challenges. The millions of federal land visitors who pass through these communities are mainstays of the local economies. The federal lands offer majestic vistas and fulfilling experiences. It truly can be said that most of those in gateway communities would live nowhere else.

Yet some gateway communities may want to attract more of the federal land visitors into their communities, while other gateway communities want to learn how to cope with the seasonal demands that come with large numbers of visitors. For every community, there is the realization that they are deeply affected by many of the policies and actions of their federal neighbors. For every federal land agency, there is a realization that gateway policies and actions can affect their mission to preserve and protect the resource. That is why it is vital for federal, state, tribal and community leaders to work in cooperation and coordination.

This conference will address the challenges facing gateway communities and state and federal agencies. It will offer guidance on how better to communicate, collaborate and provide practical solutions to shared concerns. The conference will also provide significant opportunities to network and get acquainted.

PURPOSE       Back to Top

The purpose of this conference is to show how gateway communities and their federal and tribal partners can cooperate and find practical ways to enhance the economic and social vitality of local communities, while maintaining natural resource protection and historic preservation. The emphasis will be on how recreation and tourism can contribute to local economies and resource protection.

FORMAT       Back to Top

Following plenary sessions, which will set the stage, the conference is focused around topical "tracks" scheduled for the entire second day. Each track will have multiple focus sessions where local experts from gateway communities, federal and state agencies and the private sector will use actual cases to examine the ingredients of successful, productive partnerships. In addition, technical and policy guidance will be provided on how to create effective working partnerships with federal and state agencies and the private sector. Audience participation will be strongly encouraged to take advantage of as many different experiences and perspectives as possible. Track descriptions are listed on page 6. The conference will conclude on the third day with a "give and take" session featuring top federal land agency leaders discussing lessons learned and plans for the future.

GOAL       Back to Top

The goal is for federal, state government and community leaders, and conservation and tourism representatives to put the knowledge and experience gained during the conference to good use in their gateway communities as they work together to find innovative solutions to common problems.

AUDIENCE       Back to Top

• Business and economic development groups
• Community and county leaders
• Community planning and development groups
• Environmental groups
• Federal public land officials
• Historic preservation affiliates
• Landowners
• Local officials
• National, regional and local nongovernmental organizations
• Tourism organizations
• Partnership and "Friends" organizations
• Recreation users
• State and local tourism offices
• State officials
• State public land officials
• Tribal leaders

ATTIRE       Back to Top

Business casual

CONFERENCE TRACKS       Back to Top

On Wednesday, December 4, the program will consist of six conference tracks containing a total of 24 focus sessions. Brief descriptions of these tracks are listed below. Descriptions for each focus session are identified in the detailed program starting on page 7.

Do not despair. Even in tight fiscal times everywhere, there is help available for gateways with big ambitions and limited budgets. Whether the needs are transportation-related projects, wildlife-related projects, community development or other needs, there are public and private funds available. Under the right circumstances, gateways have also been able to turn to their federal agencies for technical assistance. This track will explore a number of options for gateways.

Get results for your Gateway Community by learning how to participate fully in federal planning processes. Two different and separate sessions will help you review the federal land agencies’ planning assumptions, requirements, goals and processes and help you to decide where your time is best spent when working with these plans. These will consist of:

They are coming! Maybe you want even more of them. For those communities that want to manage the impact of the thousands of visitors on their way to the federal lands, and for those communities that want to attract more visitors to stay in town longer, this track will be invaluable. Whether their visitors are coming by RVs, SUVs or motor coaches, and whether they are coming from the USA or from other countries, communities need to know what to expect from their guests and what their guests expect of them. There is so much to cover in this track and we expect it to be so popular that we have scheduled dual tracks for this topic.

A new day of diversity is at hand with rewards and benefits for all. With rich cultures and traditions, Indian tribes and other Native American groups have a great deal to offer visitors. When tribes and local communities collaborate, the results can be extraordinary. At the same time, tribes often are in the same situation as gateways in their relationships with the federal land agencies. This track will explore the challenges and the opportunities facing tribes as gateways and in cooperation with other gateways. Susan Guyette, Ph.D., Santa Fe Planning and Research, will participate in each session of this track. She has more than 25 years experience working nationally with more than 100 Native American and Native Hawaiian tribes in areas of tourism, cultural centers and economic development planning. She is author of Planning for Balanced Development: A Planning Guide for Native American and Rural Communities.

Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. This track will explore why some flourishing partnerships produce "win-win" outcomes for all parties, while others seem to languish and end in frustration. Come and learn how to make your partnerships stronger, more productive and longer lasting.

PLANNING COMMITTEE       Back to Top

Conference Co-Chairs

Kit Kimball, US Department of the Interior
Mark McDermott, WSTPC; Arizona Office of Tourism

Host Committee

Janet Green, Co-Chair, New Mexico State University
LaNelda Rolley, Co-Chair, WSTPC; New Mexico Department of Tourism
Cathy Martinez, New Mexico Department of Tourism

Program Committee

Vicki Dixon, Co-Chair, US Department of the Interior
Aubrey King, Co-Chair; King & Gorin

 

Sponsorship Chairs

QUESTIONS

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