We are pleased to announce
a new look for Rural Connections.
Watch for the September 2008 issue
dedicated to renewable energy research
in the western U.S.
Rural Connections is published twice a year by the WRDC.
Submit information for inclusion in a future issue. We welcome contributions from our stakeholders.
April 2008
Feature Topic: Wildfires
"In the last few years, wildfires in the western U.S. have caused hundreds
of millions of dollars in damage to homes, private property, and a loss of
habitat as well as grazing land for ranchers living adjacent to public lands
caused by wildfires."
Director's Column - John C. Allen
A Message from WRDC's Incoming Director - Don Albrecht
Gauging the Acceptability of Fuels Management - Mark Brunson
Wildfire Risk and Home Purchase Decisions - Patricia Champ, Geoffrey Donovan, Christopher Barth
Rangeland Fires and Cheatgrass: Values at Risk and Support for Preservation - MDR Evans and K Rollins
Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) - Summer Olsen
Wildfire Resources, Rural Resources, and Funding Opportunities
Updates from the Front: eCommerce Western Style: Montana and Idaho
Utah Legislature Funds War on Cheatgrass
Events Calendar - Highlighting upcoming events including SWMN Conference, River Rally, AEO's Rural Summit, and more!
November 2007
Feature Topic: Rural Entrepreneurship
"The future of the rural West and its quality of life may well depend on how
communities and entrepreneurs go about building community and economy for the future."
Read more...
April 2007
Feature Topic: Arts-Based Community Development and Sustainable Community Development
"Researchers on Western communities are finding that amenities, natural resources,
vistas, and cultural uniqueness are attracting new residents and visitors to these often
remote rural places."
Read more...
September 2006
Feature Topic: High-Amenity Public Lands
"As the 21st Century unfolds before us we are faced with the issue of
what the economic structure of rural places in the West will be and
what role public lands may hold in that new economy."
Read more...
May 2006
Feature Topic: Poverty in the Western U.S.
"The changing rural environment is impacting not only who lives
in rural areas but how well they are able to live in these communities."
Read more...
January 2006
Introductory Issue!
"Rural Development in the West has a long and varied history.
Natural resource extraction, industrial recruitment, and at times business
retention and expansion have been the key tactics used by communities
and states to enhance rural economies. Recently momentum has been
growing in the area of entrepreneurism as a core economic strategy."
Read more...