We also are supporting and preparing to be a platform for sharing the results of several re - search projects focused on better understanding the relationship between housing and transporta - tion in western gateway communities. How could you help develop Cooperative Extension’s reputation as an expert in the tourism economy? A gateway community isn’t made up of just the amenities that draw the tourists. It is a living, evolving organism made up of people, schools, infrastructure, and landscapes that are affected, positively and negatively, through our visitation. Often the communities themselves lack a voice at the tourism economy table.
What kinds of university and community partnerships are important to the work GNAR does and why? Partnerships are the core of the GNAR Initiative. There are many players working in the gateway community field, however there was no com - mon place where information was shared across disciplines, geographies, and institutions. The GNAR Initiative is that common hub, and it’s guided by a group of public land managers, state agencies, non profit organizations, and universi - ties. This group feeds the GNAR Initiative current challenges and helps distribute opportunities and resources through their networks. They are a key sounding board for any strategic step the initia - tive wants to take.
The GNAR online learning series is one of the initiative’s most visible
products, drawing hundreds of
attendees from up to 30 states and provinces.
Upcoming Sessions
“ One of the guiding principles of the GNAR Initiative has always been to “diagnose before intervening.”
REENGAGE: Mobilizing Your Community Through Proactive Engagement
REIMAGINE: Planning, Not Plans
REDEFINE: Solutions Beyond Boundaries
Gateway communities are as different as their names, however, there are commonalities among their challenges and unique solutions that we work to under - stand and then share. Each community part -
The GNAR Initiative wants to provide a space where more traditional aspects of Extension— such as agriculture, tour - ism, and economic de - velopment—can include community concerns in
From GNAR to NET Webinar series promotes peer-to-peer learning
their research, outreach, and service efforts. We have observed that when we get people interject - ing tourism into their Extension roles, it tends to change their perspective to a more outward focus, and then they realize how much they have to share with visitors. Extension can be catalytic in inspiring those we work with to open up, share what they have, and engage with visitors. Our initial focus was gateway communities in Utah, and we quickly realized that there were lessons to be learned and shared throughout the west. Now we see participants joining our events from Canada, the east coast, and we have even had people from Australia join because they are dealing with very similar challenges and have something to learn.
ner and the story of their community and the challenges they face are important to our under - standing of the larger tapestry of western gateway communities.
What are your plans for expanding and promoting GNAR?
In September 2021, with COVID’s impacts on iconic outdoor spaces and gateway communities still fresh in the minds of tourism professionals nationwide, Powell offered a deep dive into the GNAR initiative during a webinar hosted by National Extension Tourism (NET) webinar committee, on which he serves. Titled “Thriving or Surviving? Exploring GNAR(ly) Challenges Occur- ring in Western Gateway Communities,” it provided an opportunity for other Extension and tourism professionals to learn from Powell’s experience—best practices, les- sons learned, and resources for carrying out the work.
That’s what the NET webinar series is all about: providing a platform for Extension, Sea Grant, and other tourism professionals to share with and learn from one another. The series, which launched in 2020, has since delivered seventeen webinars on topics ranging from aquaculture tourism to customer-service training programs to “Craft Beer and Extension.” With more than 1,800 registrations to date (averaging 100 registrations and 62 live attend- ees per event), it is clearly meeting a need. In addition to Powell, the NET webinar committee includes Doug Arbogast, Kristen Devlin, Bryan Fluech, and Miles Phillips.
We are developing a training series that invites participants to fully participate in interactive webinars, peer-to-peer learning sessions, and follow-up content to help GNAR communities reimagine planning as a vehicle to empower the community to take hold of their collective future. Community-focused planning works best when a community comes together to identify what is important and then creates plans and policies that sustain that vision.
54 The NET Effect | Extension Foundation/NTAE
Extension Foundation/NTAE | The NET Effect 55
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