Yucca Valley, Calif. — Western Governors meeting in California, adopted policy resolutions aimed at tourism-related job creation and boosting the economy throughout the West. They also called for the creation of a youth conservation corps and visa reform.
The governors discussed with local business owners and elected officials in Yucca Valley the important role tourism and recreation play in small rural communities.
“One of the bright spots in the Western economy the past few years has been the tourism and recreation industries,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire (Wash.), Chair of the Western Governors‘ Association.
The governors also talked with local students about ways to encourage more young people and families to spend time in the West’s great outdoor spaces – parks, forests, deserts, mountains and beaches – and how the outdoors can be used as a teaching tool for science and math projects.
The meeting concluded with the governors visiting Joshua Tree National Park to observe and talk with high school students from Cathedral City High School who collect data on select desert plants and take measurements to determine their age.
