ILWA brings in Natalie Gouchnor in collaboration with QCNR speaker series.

On November 1, the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources hosted Natalie Gouchner at a speaking event at Utah State University. The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air collaborated with the event.

Gouchner, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and associate dean of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, is one of the biggest advocates in the state for giving research universities a voice for change. She has previously worked closely with the institute on the Great Salt Lake strike team.

Gouchner was invited to present in part because of her perspective on how economics and policy relate to natural resources, which enables her to connect policy with natural resources, an effort that aligns with the directives of the Institute for Land, Water, and Air.

In her talk, titled, “The New Utah, Keepers of the Flame,” Gouchner shared many statistics on how Utah is changing demographically, economically, and culturally, ultimately shifting it into a new version of itself. Those statistics naturally led to some strategic questions: “How do we grow and maintain the distinctive features Utahns value?” and “How do we remain prosperous and help all Utahns thrive?”

She identified ways that individuals and universities can answer those questions, including keeping an open mind, being prepared to change, listening more, unifying, and dignifying.

Gouchner also took time to answer questions about her speech and about policy in general from students and faculty in attendance. Some questions asked were, “How do we deal with economic externalities?”, “What other perspectives can we look at these problems from?”, “Where do we look to solve problems on land ownership?”, and “How should regulations on land be dealt with?”