Future

April 8, 2026 • Creative Placemaking and Creative Economy • 10-11am PT/11-12 MT

Join us to talk about how rural places can leverage creativity and the arts to build community and support the local economy. We’re still juggling things to line up a kick-off speaker, but no matter WHO that is, this will be a great opportunity to learn about rural-friendly approaches from communities across the West.​

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How is your community bringing creativity, arts and inspiration to life? Bring your ideas, questions, and stories to share.

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May 13, 2026 • Continue the conversation from the May 6 Outdoor Recreation & Rural Tourism Solutions Roundtable.

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June 10, 2026 • Learning About Your Community Through Community Reviews • 10-11am PT/11-12 MT

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Past

March 11, 2026 • Understanding the Impact of Investing in Rural Outdoor Recreation • 10-11am PT/11-12 MT

This conversation focused on how we can understand and demonstrate the impact of investing in outdoor recreation. What changes do we see in our communities and states when we focus on outdoor rec? WeCAN’s Lorie Higgins and Michele Archie shared recent ripple effects mapping results, and other tools. (Video recording coming soon!)

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Weds., Feb. 11, 2026 • Outdoor Recreation as a Tourism Strategy

Hailey Sorg, Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality Extension Educator with the Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute at the University of Wyoming kicked off our conversation about what communities are doing, what’s working, pitfalls and how to address or avoid them. 

 

See Hailey's presentation to the left.

Resources Hailey shared:

2025 Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Report

Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Knowledge Exchange webinars

2025-26 Ready, Set, Explore! family outdoor adventures program book

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December 10, 2025 • Continuing the Conversation About Accessible Rural Communities

We continued the conversation about advancing accessibility in rural communities that the Nov. 18 Solutions Roundtable started, talking about outdoor recreation, housing, neurodiversity and more.

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October 8, 2025 • Building Collaborations for Trails, Outdoor Recreation & Community Health

Jamie Cottom, (Beaverhead Trails Coalition, Dillon, MT) kicked off a conversation about the care and feeding of community collaborations. BTC promotes healthy lifestyles through an impressive range of partnerships, volunteers and in-kind donations—and Jamie had loads of insights to start our exploration. 

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September 10, 2025 • Collaborative Planning for the November Accessible Rural Communities Solutions Roundtable

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June 2025 • Dealing with Federal Government Changes

This was a candid, tactical conversation about how rural communities, leaders and organizations that serve them are responding to changes and uncertainty about federal funding, policy and agencies and moving forward with the work of doing good things in and for rural communities.

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May 2025 • Building Resilience Through Community Funding (recording here) 

Resources from the session will be uploaded soon!

We explored how communities are investing in themselves, and organizations are tapping community funding to create more stability, resilience and connection. Kathleen Minogue from Crowdfund Better helped set the stage for a conversation about community support and funding approaches (and stories!) that leverage community assets and resources and help communities gain more control over what gets made, who makes it, and who benefits. Kathleen even did a mini-consultation with a participant looking for crowdfunding advice.

Weds., May 14, 2025 • 10-11am PT/11-12 MT

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April 2025 • Community Events — Ideas, Inspiration & What Works

This was a wide-ranging discussion about events that engage, connect and energize communities. From Valier's (MT) free picnic that brought together newcomers and long-time residents, to Hands Across the Capital (Idaho's every-five-years celebration of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act), to Artability (Moscow, Idaho's annual jam-packed art showcase for artists with developmental disabilities), we talked about what worked and why, and covered a lot of other ground, too!

4/9/25 

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March 2025 • Arts, Culture, Creativity & Community

Paige Olsen (Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation, Kellogg, Idaho) kicked off a conversation about about engaging arts, culture & creativity to strengthen community, talking about projects happening in Kellogg, Idaho, and beyond.

3/12/25

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February 2025 • Mental Health "Potluck" (recording here)

This was an open-forum followup to the Feb. 2024 Mental Health Solutions Roundtable and the peer learning sessions that followed. Our session focused on prevention, with some great stories, program examples and conversation about working with youth and families, about our own experiences, and about the power of breathwork and meditation. Stay tuned for notes about resources that were shared and requested.

2/12/25

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January 2025 • Accessible Communities "Potluck" (recording here)

We wrapped up our focus on accessible communities with an open forum to talk about questions and insights, share resources and think ahead to what a Solutions Roundtable on this topic might look like.

1/8/25

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December 2024 Buildings for Everyone (recording of Lorraine's presentation here, minus the beginning part, which we forgot to record!)

Lorraine Woodward, founder & CEO of the accessible short-term rental platform, Becoming rentABLE, kicked off our conversation about how to put the principals of universal or inclusive design to work in our communities, homes and lodging accommodations. Lorraine provided some background on Becoming rentABLE and took us on a detailed, virtual walkthrough of her Little Yellow House property in Conroy, Arkansas. This was Part 3 of our focus on accessible, livable communities. 

12/11/24

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October 2024 Outdoor Recreation for Everyone

(link to recording here)

With help from our friends at the Idaho Access Project, we explored resources, ideas, innovations, challenges & successes related to accessible outdoor recreation and adventure. This was Part 2 of our focus on accessible, livable communities as we plan for the Winter 2025 Solutions Roundtable. 

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September 2024 Open Conversation: Creating Accessible, Livable Communities

We explored issues, experiences and ideas related to community accessibility and livability. What makes a community livable for everyone? This session kickstarted planning for the Winter 2025 Solutions Roundtable. 

9/11/24

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June 2024 Farm Stress

(recording of Gracia's presentation here and a list of resources shared here)

The rural mental health conversation continued with Gracia Puerto (Washington State University Skagit County Extension) starting off a conversation about "farm stress," ways of working with agricultural producers, their families, and communities, and baseline data collected by WSU Extension.

6/12/24

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May 2024 Rural Mental Health: Engaging Youth and Communities

(recording of Brenda's presentation here)

Brenda Richey (MT State University - Flathead Reservation Tribal Extension Program) kicked off an exchange about mentoring and other ways to engage youth to build a stronger sense of belonging and support at school and within the broader community, in part by bringing the community TO youth.

5/8/24

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April 2024 How to Support Friends and Neighbors Before a Mental Health 

(recording of Maret and Jack's presentation here, COMET overview here, and upcoming virtual trainings here)

Crisis. Maret Felzien and Jack Westfall, co-creators of the COMET (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) rural community training, kicked off an exchange about how to personally support friends and neighbors when we are concerned about their well-being. 

4/10/24 

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March 2024 Rural Mental Health Resilience

(recording of Chuck's presentation here) 

Chuck Strand from Rural Minds shared information and resources about the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program, a partnership between Rural Minds and the National Grange. 

3/13/24 

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February 2024 Mental Health Solutions Roundtable "After Party."

The conversation continued from the Feb. 8 roundtable, focusing on community events and mental health fairs. We drilled more deeply into the Silver Valley (ID) community mental health and back-to-school fair that Paige Olsen introduced during the Solutions Roundtable.

2/14/24 

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January 2024 (recording and resource links below)

Supporting Local and Regional Food Systems and Businesses. Colette DePhelps (University of Idaho Extension) gave us an overview of the new Northwest and Rocky Mountains Regional Food Business Center. This is a USDA-funded initiative to support a more resilient, competitive and diverse food system. We learned about opportunities for support for local ag and food businesses and food system projects, and opened it up to a broader conversation about local and regional food systems.

See the recording • Download the slides • Download the NWRM Regional Food Business Center flyer

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December 2023 

Community-Led Projects: How to Help One Thing Lead to Another. 

Vaughn Zenko (Baker, MT) talked about how the Baker Arts & Culture Council grew out of small steps and a $500 minigrant. Lorie Higgins reviewed the Ripple Effects Map that came out of a recent session in Troy, MT, which focused on what the community has accomplished since its Community Review in 2020. Afterward, we talked as a group about how to foster momentum and positive ripple effects in community projects and toward community goals.

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October 2023

RAIN Catalysts CEO, Caroline Cummings, talked about how to support entrepreneurship in rural communities. RAIN Catalysts is a global nonprofit that focuses on engaging entrepreneurs as leaders in building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation economies. Caroline shared some underpinnings of how RAIN works to help us think about how to support entrepreneurship in our own places. She also offered resources, including the book Startup Communities by Brad Feld (search online for a free PDF version) and an adaptation of the Lean Canvas business planning tool for community projects, along with an accompanying video overview of how to use it.