With support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Wilburforce Foundation, the Salazar Center hosted a half-day workshop, as part of its second annual International Symposium for Conservation Impact, for organizations seeking to improve the success of their conservation efforts in rural areas of the western United States.

The workshop convened participants to explore their interactions with rural communities and better prepare them to be successful in that work. Together, the group identified and unpacked the challenges and opportunities that are unique to conservation advocacy work in these areas, as well as the impact of other related factors—such as rural economic transitions, private lands, and human-wildlife conflict—on these efforts.

We highlighted powerful personal stories about rural community collaboration from a diversity of stakeholders, alongside research on environmental issues in rural western communities, including the Do’s and Don’ts of working on environmental issues in rural western communities and strategies for engagement, communications, issue framing, and relationship building.

You can view the complete agenda, as well as variety of recordings from the virtual workshop:

Recordings from the workshop include:

• Part 1, featuring Kendall Edmo (Blackfeet Tribe), Angelina Gonzalez-Aller (Center for Large Landscape Conservation), and Ben Alexander (Resources Legacy Fund)
• Part 2, featuring Teresa Martinez (Continental Divide Trail Coalition), Simon Sotelo (New Mexico Wild), and Dr. Robert Bonnie (Duke University)
• Part 3, highlighting lessons learned and common themes
• Check out the graphic recording of the event, as well as a timelapse, by Heartwood Visuals