Workshop on Forest Health Collaboration
Set for May 19 – 20 in Casper, Wyo.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2005

Contact: Jay Jensen or Paul Orbuch at (303) 623-9378

DENVER -- The Western Governors' Association, a national leader in developing policies for improving forest health and wildland fire management, will hold a three-state Workshop on Forest Health Collaboration May 19 - 20 in Casper, Wyoming.

Meeting cosponsors include WGA, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Association of Counties, International Association of Fire Chiefs, The Wilderness Society and the Council of Western State Foresters.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming will kick off the workshop with a keynote address to participants from the states of Wyoming, Colorado and South Dakota.

"Many of our states and forests are once again facing dangerously dry conditions and the likelihood of a severe wildfire season," Freudenthal said. "And once again, drought reminds us that forest health and wildfire issues are larger than any one entity can tackle alone."

"This three-state, collaborative workshop - the first of its kind in the nation - will allow people to consider how best to collaborate on forest health issues in each of their states."

Community leaders, state and federal land managers, individual landowners, conservationists and firefighters will share their experiences and determine how they can best work together on existing forest health projects and initiate new collaborative efforts.

Western governors have been actively involved in developing policies and strategies that rely on collaboration to reduce hazardous fuels and to restore forests.

"The groundwork has been laid through WGA's 10-Year Strategy and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act for these collaborative efforts to grow and succeed," said Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado, WGA Chairman. "This workshop will help local groups, states and federal agencies in the central Rocky Mountains improve on their efforts, and it will serve as a model for other efforts across the West and the Nation."

Gov. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said, "WGA's work to increase collaboration on forest health projects should be of great benefit to our fire-prone Black Hills, because of its complicated land ownership patterns where folks must work together to make real progress."

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn what is working around the West and what the challenges are in developing successful collaborative efforts in their communities and states. A technical session will be held on: community wildfire protection plans; processes for selecting fuel reduction projects; grants and available resources; and stewardship contracting, amongst other items.

A meeting agenda, hotel and registration information are available on the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

The Western Governors’ Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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