NORC (national outdoor recreation conference)

GNARs (Gateway and Natural Amenity Regions) are an integral part of visitor's experiences and the outdoor recreation and tourism economy. Visitors passing through and staying in GNARs often perceive these places mainly as a source of lodging, groceries, fuel, guides, and gift shops.

However, behind these amenities is a community many people call home. As many of these communities are "discovered," housing prices increase, the availability of housing for seasonal workers dwindles, land use becomes an increasingly contentious issue, municipal and county services are stressed, transportation infrastructure becomes overwhelmed, and concerns over the loss of community character increase. Many gateway community leaders and staff lack basic planning training and are unfortunately overwhelmed with increases in visitation. This session details the work of the Gateway and Natural Amenity Initiative to better prepare gateway community leaders for growth. The session details examples of how the Initiative is working with gateway communities across North America to prepare for and respond to the "big city" challenges that come with being a gateway community.

This session highlights how this work has been curated into the GNAR Academy, an online training program available to gateway community leaders across North America.

Learning Objectives:

• How to establish a values based community vision 
• How to inventory and develop unique community assets 
• How to enable meaningful community engagement 
• How to collaborate with public lands managers