This week, Supervisors Kevin Cann (Mariposa) and Lee Adams (Sierra) joined RCRC staff at the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Western Interstate Region (WIR) 2019 Conference in Spokane County, Washington.  Supervisor Cann serves as First Vice President of WIR, and Supervisor Adams serves as RCRC’s WIR representative. 

WIR is dedicated to the promotion of western state interests, and the WIR Conference brings together county officials, federal, state, and regional policymakers to focus on unique pressing issues affecting rural communities.  This year’s conference included tours of the Grant Coulee Dam and the Colville National Forest.   Attendees learned about the A-to-Z Forestry Project, a timber sale and forest restoration project that involves a private timber company thinning and restoring 54,000 acres of the 1.1 million-acre forest.  

A key panel discussion at this year’s Conference was led by Mono County Supervisor Stacy Corless, who also serves as 2nd Vice Chair of RCRC.  Supervisor Corless led a discussion entitled “Engaging with Federal Partners to Grow a Sustainable Outdoor Recreation Economy,” which featured panelists from the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, a Mammoth Lakes Town Council member and a representative from Washington state’s Outdoor Recreation Office.  The point of this discussion focused on building a sustainable recreation program in rural counties based on activities in federally-owned lands – a point which requires partnership and planning between state, local and federal agencies.

Each year, the WIR Conference is hosted by a county within the fifteen Western states and provides attendees with the opportunity to interact with federal, state and regional policymakers, participate in educational sessions and take home tools to address challenges.  Due to RCRC, the California State Association of Counties, and Mariposa County’s joint efforts to bring the NACO’s WIR Conference to California, next year’s conference will be hosted at the world renowned Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite.