DESCRIPTION

Mountain towns and rural areas surrounded by public land are not just important to residents, businesses, land use planners, tourists, and elected officials, but also to the youth. These young people seek out these towns for recreation, to attend college, and to someday live and contribute to the community. Yet, youth are not often engaged in helping shape policy decisions that affect the future of these mountain towns and the open space that surrounds them. A Gunnison County public planning initiative to guide development in open space provided an opportunity to create a model for youth engagement and input. The County is creating guidelines for development along the Highway 135 corridor between Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte. Youth are an important stakeholder, especially because of Western Colorado University in Gunnison. In response, a unique collaboration was formed between a former Gunnison County Commissioner, a university professor and expert in public land management and water policy, and a youth leader in the department of Environment & Sustainability. Working together, they built youth capacity to engage in the public process ancommunicate student priorities for open space conservation. Using this Gunnison County initiative as an example, this conference session will inform the audience on how to build similar collaborations in their home areas. In addition, results of a focus group and survey of students on their priorities for Gunnison County open space development will be presented and discussed. Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of youth perspectives and how to empower young people to engage and have their voices heard.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

EXPERIENCE LEVEL:

Entry Level/Early Career, Intermediate, or Expert