Western Planner and The Tribal & Indigenous Planning Division
by Loras Rauch, AICP
Background
Western Planner (WP) has been around since 1979, helping to connect, inform and empower planners across the broad expanses of the West. With our leadership (Western Planner Resources Board of Directors) comprised of representatives from the planning organizations for each of the 13 states in the West and the Tribal & Indigenous Planning Division, we focus on supporting rural, county, Tribal and small town professional and citizen planners. At WP we recognize that 75% of Western counties are rural and Tribal nations are foundational to the fabric of the West.
Did you know that members of Western Planner have been involved in the Tribal & Indigenous Interest Group of APA since its beginning and several of our WP Board of Directors were instrumental in helping to relaunch the Tribal & Indigenous Planning Division of APA?
Panel presentation at the 2018 Fort Hall Conference
Between Then and Now
In 2018, Western Planner teamed with the Tribal & Indigenous Interest Group to organize and successfully hold a Tribal planning-focused conference on Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho. At the Fort Hall conference, the Interest Group’s Tribal Planning 101 session was expanded into two well-received components to provide Tribal and non-tribal planners with more history on Tribal law.
Sherwin Racehorse at the 2019 Western Planner Conference. Sherwin was a strong advocate for Tribal planning and served on the Western Planner board until his passing in 2023.
In September 2019, the Tribal and Indigenous Interest Group gathered at the Western Planner Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the Santa Fe gathering, members once again successfully delivered a Tribal Planning 101 session to conference participants and conducted a business meeting where they formed a Steering Committee and established a related work plan. This steering committee was co-chaired by Sherwin Racehorse and Shelly Wade; both WP Board of Directors. For the next year this steering committee held monthly strategic planning meetings, finalized and approved the groups 2020-2023 Strategic Plan which identified the group mission, vision, values, core functions, goals and strategic priorities.
The 2021 WP/AZ Conference held in Scottsdale, Arizona had more Tribal lead sessions than ever before for either an AZ APA Conference or a WP Conference! Again, there was an evening event for socializing as well as a business meeting for the Tribal and Indigenous Planning Interest Group.
Then in 2022, the Tribal & Indigenous Planning Interest Group’s perseverance and work with APA paid off and the Tribal & Indigenous Planning Division (TIPD) of APA was officially reestablished. Serving as the Interim Co-Chairs for this new APA Division once again were WP Board of Directors Sherwin Racehorse and Shelly Wade.
In the fall of 2022, the Western Planner Board of Directors made changes to our organizational bylaws and formally added the TIPD as a participating organization and added a TIPD representative position on our Board of Directors. Currently Jennifer Woods is serving on the WP Board of Directors as the TIPD Representative. Both Jennifer and Shelly Wade (AK Representative on the WP Board) also serve on the TIPD Board of Directors as Chair and Vice-Chair respectively while several other WP Board members are simply members of the division.
In 2023 WP established the Tribal & Emerging Planner Conference Scholarship which was set up to support and encourage students entering the field of planning to gain a better understanding and appreciation of Tribal, small town, rural, county and regional-planning issues. The scholarship provides a free registration for the annual Western Planner conference, and receive up to $250 for attendance costs.
Coming Next
Western Planner is a 501 C.3 organization, with a Candid Platinum Level Certification, that would use the financial support from foundations, organizations, and individuals to continue providing our valuable services to planners and planner advocates in rural and Tribal communities across the West.
We are excited to announce that beginning in the spring of 2026 WP will roll out our newest program the Western Matters Rural Summit! Western Matters Rural Summit is a one to one and a half day tightly curated workshop. The intent is to provide better regional support for rural, county, small town and tribal community planners and related stakeholders. Speakers and panels will be by invitation, and the idea is to take a “deep dive” into a specific topic and create a vital platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and capacity building. We envision inclusive discussions that honor indigenous perspectives, respect cultural heritage, and empower local decision-makers. The first Western Matters Rural Summit will be in Durango, April 2026 in the shadow of Dibé Ntsaa - one of the Diné sacred mountains, and at the door of the Southern Ute reservation and cultural center.
Western Planner also continues to work with our annual WP fall conference partners to ensure Tribal inclusion in all of our conferences be it sessions, panelists, keynote speakers, mobile tours, events, and gatherings/meetings!
This coming fall, our annual Western Planner conference will be a partnership between Oregon APA and the TIPD. Planned for October 15-17, 2025 in Bend Oregon, the 2025 WP/OAPA/TIPD Conference will be one you won’t want to miss! Make plans now to submit a session, consider submitting a project/person for one of the WP Awards, and then plan to attend this Tribal and Indigenous Planning Division conference. Watch the Western Planner website: https://www.westernplanner.org for updates on the 2025 Conference and the first Western Matters Rural Summit.
Western Planner will be at NPC25 in Denver (booth #806) - stop by and visit with us!