Out West (Presented by the Western Governors’ Association)

Leave it to Beaver: How Nature’s Engineers Help Mitigate Disasters

The history of the West has always been defined by water. Long before settlers arrived, Indigenous peoples designed complex water management systems to cultivate the arid land. In the 19th and 20th centuries, large-scale engineering projects redistributed water across the West, enabling the region’s rapid growth. Today, western water resources are stretched thin, and as rivers and streams dry up, so too does the environmental resiliency that’s provided by healthy riparian zones.  

To help address this issue, many western states are looking to beavers – long known as nature’s engineers – to ensure more water is retained on the landscape. New research shows that this will help restore biodiversity and mitigate the effects of prolonged drought, unexpected flooding, and catastrophic wildfires.    

In this episode of Out West, WGA policy advisors Jonah Seifer and Zach Nowak spoke with beaver experts from around the region about how these aquatic rodents can help us restore balance to the West’s water systems.  

For these discussions they were joined by Emily Fairfax, an ecohydrologist, beaver researcher, and Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota; Chris Jordon, a Fisheries Biologist with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Alexander Funk, the Director of Water Resources and Senior Counsel at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Marshall Wolf, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; and Jerry Altermatt, a habitat biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.        

Exploring Community Navigator Programs with USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Meryl Harrell

In the wake of natural disasters, navigating complicated bureaucratic systems can be extremely challenging – especially for those living in historically underserved communities. Community navigators can help raise awareness about available resources and provide technical assistance when applying for grants or other government aid. 

In this episode of Out West, WGA senior policy advisor Jonah Seifer speaks with Meryl Harrell, the Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They discuss the department’s newly formed community navigators program and how it can help disseminate funds more equitably and efficiently.  

Jonah also spoke with Jonathan Bruno and Thérèse d'Auria Ryley from Coalitions and Collaboratives, one of the USDA’s partners charged with enacting the community navigators program on the ground.    

Decarbonizing the West

Last year, as the Chair of WGA, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon launched the Decarbonizing the West initiative. It examined how methods of decarbonization can position Western states at the forefront of innovation and reduce the effects of carbon emissions on the environment.

The initiative explored a wide range of engineered decarbonization and natural sequestration strategies – everything from direct air capture and carbon credit markets to climate-smart agriculture and biofuel – all of which present enormous opportunities for western states.

In this episode of Out West, WGA policy advisor Abby Pelsmaeker speaks with some of the country's leading decarbonization experts about how these strategies have evolved in recent years and their prospects for the future. 

To learn more about these decarbonization strategies, including federal policy recommendations for advancing the industry, check out the Decarbonizing the West initiative report on WGA’s website.

Fighting Invasive Mussels in Western States with Idaho Governor Brad Little

In this episode of Out West, hear about the threat posed by invasive zebra and quagga mussels to western waterways, and understand the ongoing work to contain and eliminate this threat. 

We dive into recent detections of invasive mussels in the Snake River in Idaho and a stretch of the Colorado River in Colorado. Those detections sparked rapid and thorough responses to contain, monitor, and even eradicate these mussels. Over the course of the episode, WGA Policy Advisor Zach Nowak sits down with the experts and managers that are working to manage those detections and keep western lakes and rivers free of invasive mussels. 

You'll hear from Idaho Governor Brad Little, Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Chanel Tewalt, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Invasive Species Program Manager Robert Walters, National Invasive Species Council Executive Director Stas Burgiel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Barak Shemai, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Theresa Thom. 

Celebrating 40 Years of Bipartisanship the Western Governors' Assocation

The Western Governors' Association celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding by hosting an afternoon of programming that included fireside chats with current and former Western Governors.

Joining WGA's current chair, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, was former Governors - and former WGA Chairs - Steve Bullock of Montana, Gary Herbert of Utah, David Ige of Hawaii, Matt Mead of Wyoming, Bob Miller of Nevada, Butch Otter of Idaho, and Brian Sandoval of Nevada. 

Their discussions, which were moderated by Judy Woodruff, the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, focused on the importance of bipartisanship when dealing with many of the country's complex problems. 

Tune into their discussion by listening to the latest episode of WGA's Out West podcast. 

A Conversation with WGA Chair, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, and WGA Executive Director, Jack Waldorf

In this episode of Out West, Jack Waldorf, Executive Director of the Western Governors' Association (WGA), sits down with WGA's Chair, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, for a discussion about their experiences leading the Association. 

They speak about the importance of their bipartisan relationships with the other Governors, their aspirations for Governor Gordon's WGA Chair Initiative, Decarbonizing the West, as well as the Association’s upcoming 40th Anniversary celebrations and what they hope the next 40 years will bring for WGA.

Founding Celebrate the West with Christine Ogsbury

In this episode of Out West, Celebrate the West founder Christine Ogsbury discusses her inspiration behind starting the program and some of her most memorable moments.

The Heat Beneath Our Feet: Exploring the Potential of Geothermal Energy with Colorado Governor Jared Polis

The potential of geothermal energy in the West is vast and offers significant advantages in the effort to expand renewable energy resources. Advances in technology and increased interest in developing domestic sources of low-cost, reliable, clean energy have brought greater attention to the energy potential of the heat beneath our feet.

As Chair of the Western Governors’ Association in 2023, Colorado Governor Jared Polis launched The Heat Beneath Our Feet initiative to examine opportunities for and barriers to the accelerated development and deployment of geothermal energy technologies.

Through a rigorous stakeholder process that included four workshops, six tours, a public survey, and a webinar series, the Heat Beneath Our Feet initiative generated recommendations for increasing the development and deployment of geothermal energy in the West.

In this episode of Out West, Governor Polis shares some of his experiences from the initiative and discusses the policy recommendations outlined in the initiative report. You’ll also hear from Amanda Kolker, the laboratory program manager for geothermal at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Dr. Joseph Moore and Dr. John Mclennan, the Managing Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator at the Utah FORGE Laboratory; Nick Goodman, the CEO of Cyrq Energy, and Paul Thomsen, the Vice President of Business Development at Ormat Technologies Inc.

Out West (#38): Meet the Winners of the 2023 Celebrate the West high school art competition

The Western Governors' Foundation released a new podcast highlighting Emily Cooper, the overall first-place winner of the 2023 Celebrate the West art competition, an annual art competition hosted by the Western Governors' Foundations, which challenges high school students to create original works inspired by their state or otherwise evocative of the West. Listen here as Emily discusses her winning art and what the West means to her. 

Out West (#37) Fostering the Next Generation of Western Leaders

In this episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Anna Thielen, Manager of the Western Governors' Foundation, speaks with four Delegates from the 2023 Western Governors' Leadership Institute - Garrett Kelly from Arizona, Donya Sarrafian from California, Andee Baker from Montana, and Kaelan Reedy from North Dakota - about their experiences at the 2023 Western Governors' Leadership Institute where they had had chance to discuss the nuances of leadership with former and current Governors, including Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, Mark Gordon, Governor of Wyoming, Butch Otter, former Governor of Idaho, Matt Mead, former Governor of Wyoming, David Ice, former Governor of Hawaii, and Dennis Daugaard, former Governor of South Dakota.