Garden County Visioning Retreat

Release Date:

01/05/2009

Contact(s):

Kathie Starkweather, Center for Rural Affairs, Phone: (402) 438-8496

LYONS, NE – Grow Garden County will host an all-ages community town hall meeting in Oshkosh on Tuesday, January 13. The community group is working with the HomeTown Competitiveness program to gather ideas for the future of Garden County and to refine priorities for community and economic development. The meeting will be held at the City Auditorium beginning with a light supper at 5:00 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m.

Ecotourism will figure highly in the discussion, building on a state report showing ecotourism to be an undeveloped resource for the county. Staff from the Center for Rural Affairs will lead discussion on community and business development opportunities for tourism related to the scenery, history and wildlife of the area.

Grow Garden County organizers also invite all county residents to help define a county vision statement to guide county development activities. Other topics to be discussed include Engaging Youth and Entrepreneurship Education, Connecting with and Recruiting Young Adults, Developing and Transitioning Small Businesses, and Increasing Charitable Giving to Sustain Garden County Activities.

Several grants are funding this planning process. Grow Garden County has received five grants for town meetings and follow up activities. The Center for Rural Affairs involvement is funded by the Nebraska based Grassland Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund Northern Great Plains program to work with landowners to develop ecotourism businesses.

For more information contact Kathie Starkweather, kathies@cfra.org, (402) 438-8496.

For more information visit: www.cfra.org.

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The Center for Rural Affairs is a private nonprofit specializing in strengthening small businesses, rural communities, and family farms and ranches.

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