Wyoming Governor Matt Mead will open The 2016 SHIFT Festival, it was announced today. Governor Mead’s introduction, which will occur at 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, at the Snow King Resort Hotel in Jackson, WY, will mark the start of The SHIFT Summit.
Following Governor Mead’s comments, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper will speak to the power of state offices of outdoor recreation. Colorado created its Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2015. Its Director, Luis Benitez, will close the 2016 SHIFT Summit.
“State offices of outdoor recreation offer Americans a win-win-win,” said Christian Beckwith, SHIFT’s Director. “They reinvigorate local economies, improve citizen health and protect America’s lands, waters and wildlife, all at the same time.
Preceding the governors’ remarks, SHIFT will host the country’s first workshop on State Offices of Outdoor Recreation from 8 a.m. — 12 p.m. at the Snow King Resort Hotel.
The workshop on State Offices of Outdoor Recreation will be led by Benitez and Tom Adams, the Directors of the state offices of outdoor recreation in Colorado and Utah, and Jon Snyder, Washington State’s Outdoor Recreation Policy Advisor. It will allow participants to create a playbook for the creation of state offices of outdoor recreation.
The workshop and The SHIFT Summit are both part of The 2016 SHIFT Festival, which explores the topic of outdoor rec and our public lands.
Running October 13-15, The 2016 SHIFT Festival, entitled “Outdoor Rec & Our Public Lands,” will bring leaders in outdoor recreation, communication, land management, conservation and youth engagement together to explore three main topics: the public land transfer movement; funding for public lands; and next-generation engagement and cultural relevancy.
At the forefront of this year’s Festival is The SHIFT Summit, an in-depth exploration of the opportunities and challenges at the nexus of outdoor recreation and conservation.
The SHIFT Summit, which will be held at the Snow King Resort Hotel, will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, breakout groups, and networking opportunities around the 2016 Festival’s three main topics.
The 2016 Festival’s evening entertainment, which will be held at the Center for the Arts, includes renowned author Terry Tempest Williams, Bronze Star for Merit recipient and the Director of The Sierra Club Outdoors Stacy Bare, and author, television host and modern-day hunter-gatherer Steven Rinella, who will close the 2016 Festival with SHIIFT’s popular celebreation of the local food system, The People’s Banquet.
