Trainings

The Institute has developed a number of trainings to help Utah residents and communities learn about important topics. Check them out below!

Online Courses

Navigating Utah River Access (Coming Soon!)

Navigating Utah River Access is a research-based training project that will create a free, statewide online course to clarify Utah’s river access laws while respecting both private property rights and public use of rivers. This training is designed to be legally grounded, politically neutral, and practical for people who must work across disagreements on access and ownership by providing balanced education on Utah’s river access laws and practical tools for conflict resolution.

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Planning for Resilient Communities (Coming Soon!)

This course was made for gateway community leaders, planners, and anyone seeking solutions for rising disaster risks and the impact they have on communities. Our goal is to equip participants with foundational knowledge for understanding wildfire and flood risks while highlighting strategies and policies used by real-world communities across the West to minimize risk, reduce insurance costs, and support sustainable growth.

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Understanding & Managing Short-Term Rentals

This course was designed to help gateway community leaders learn about the short-term rental (STR) industry, its trends, and how to navigate the development of balanced policies and regulations to reach outcomes their community wants. Whether you’re a community planner working on a general plan update, an elected official working on updating your local regulations, or you’re just a concerned or curious community member trying to understand what short-term rentals (STRs) are.

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Gateway Community Leadership 101

This course consists of seven lessons, each of which introduces key concepts and principles that are important for anyone who wants to exercise leadership to help gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities effectively navigate challenges and thrive. The lessons in this course stem from our research on GNAR communities, as well as our experience living in and working with these places. They also highlight experiences and resources from specific GNAR communities.

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Webinar Series

The Institute has hosted a number of webinar series over the years for outdoor recreation, tourism, and community leaders. All previously recorded webinars are available to be watched on the Institute's YouTube channel. You can learn more about past series below.

The Red Emerald Resilience Series (2022)

Helping Utah's tourism industry withstand the shocks from the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Colorado Plateua Dark Sky Cooperative Quarterly Connections Series

Hosted by the Dark Sky Cooperative, "protecting the highest concentration of accredited dark skies in the world."

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Planning for a GNARly Future (2023)

Reimagining community planning to empower your gateway community

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How to Shred GNARly Problems (2021)

Tools, Techniques, & Resources to Help Address Epic Housing Challenges

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Western Night Skies Council Series (2021)

Dark skies of the West - the Final Frontier
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Boom Town (2020)

Amenity migratino in the West, and the rise of the Zoom town.

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