In early October, Assistant Professor Jared Talley moderated a panel, “The Future of Conservation in a Crowded West,” at the Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Ketchum, Idaho. The panel discussion centered around the importance of both private and public lands, the role of agriculture in conservation and barriers to stewardship of these lands.
Panelists included farm and ranch owners, as well as representatives from the Western Landowners Alliance and USDA-ARS. Talley guided the discussion by asking the panelists to share their stories and provide insight about a number of topics, including the idea of “working landscapes,” dual stewardship of business and environment, community relationships as related to land conservation and the future of conservation in the West.
Talley closed the discussion with a call to action, saying, “I urge you to find those big thinkers that are working to steward our landscapes and see what you can do to support them…It’s time to figure out how to have these conversations and support each other in our efforts to steward and care for our landscapes and communities.”