Western governors begin conference in Whitefish
Members of the Western Governors’ Association gather for a group photo at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake Monday. Front row, from left, David Ige, Hawaii; Ralph Torres, commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; back row, Doug Burgum, North Dakota; Matt Mead, Wyoming; Butch Otter, Idaho; Steve Bullock, Montana; Dennis Daugaard, South Dakota; John Hickenlooper, Colorado; and Brian Sandoval, Nevada.
Holding up a bumper sticker that said “bipartisanship happens,” Montana Gov. Steve Bullock kicked off a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in Whitefish Monday.
At a brief press conference Monday, Bullock said the association is a “shining example and role model of how government is supposed to work.”
There are disagreements, of course.
But “we disagree respectfully and civilly,” said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said. “We’re deliberate about that.”
The association covers all the states and the U.S. territories west of the Mississippi, but the gathering in Whitefish had a Great Plains-Mountain States feel, as big states like Texas, California and Washington didn’t attend.
The conference, which ran through Wednesday morning, examined a host of issues facing the West including endangered species, cybersecurity, forest and range management and even beer — at least how microwbreweries are helping western states.
Secretary of Interior and Whitefish native Ryan Zinke was also on the agenda.
While the politics is all well and good, the private speakers were the ones to likely draw the crowds — noted climber Conrad Anker was scheduled to speak, as was part-time Montana resident Jeff Bridges.
Bridges is best known for the film “The Big Lebowski,” the Cohen brothers’ cult classic in which he played “The Dude.”
Bridges wasn’t coming to talk Hollywood, however, but will speak about the No Kid Hungry campaign, a program that looks to end childhood hunger across the U.S.
Bullock said it was expected to be the largest conference ever, with more than 500 attendees.
Full coverage of the conference will appear in the July 5 edition of the Pilot and online at www.whitefishpilot.com.