The three-day event, hosted by Idaho Governor and Western Governors' Association (WGA) Chair Brad Little, will feature Governors Jared Polis (Colorado), Doug Ducey (Arizona), David Ige (Hawaii), Greg Gianforte (Montana), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Spencer Cox (Utah) and Mark Gordon (Wyoming) in cross-cutting dialogue about the most important issues facing the region.

Keynote addresses will be provided by the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough. Additional speakers will be announced as they are confirmed.

The 2022 Annual Meeting will also feature roundtable discussions between the Governors and regional experts about addressing wildfire risk, the growing threat of cyber-attacks, supply chain issues and the housing crisis.

Wildfire-specific sessions:

July 26 - 2:15 - 3:00 p.m.: Roundtable I: Sensing the Wildfire Threat. Early detection of wildfire is key to assessing fire behavior and understanding where and how to effectively respond to a wildfire threat. This panel will examine cutting-edge resources states and local governments are using to stay one step ahead of wildfire events and examine barriers to the adoption of these technologies across western landscapes.

July 27 - 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.: Roundtable IV: Restoring Burned Landscapes. Burned lands dramatically affect watershed quality, wildlife and fish habitat, and recreation and property values. Restoring these lands, however, can be difficult and is often not a high priority for land managers. The panel will look at how state and federal agencies can encourage additional investment in restoration activities on burned areas.