Steph Bertaina

Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Steph Bertaina is a Senior Policy Analyst with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Community Revitalization in Washington, D.C., where she works with rural communities and small towns to build vibrant, healthy, sustainable, and inclusive neighborhoods and downtowns. Steph coordinates the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program, which is partnering with rural communities across the country to help them leverage the power of outdoor recreation to diversify local economies and revitalize main streets. Steph received an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan and Bachelor degrees from Westmont College.

Abstract

This session will share lessons learned from the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program, a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the USDA Forest Service, and the Northern Border Regional Commission. The RERC program provides planning assistance to small towns and rural communities across the U.S. to help them leverage growing interest in outdoor recreation to diversify local economies and revitalize main streets. The session will feature stories from Thompson Falls, Montana, which received RERC planning assistance in the pilot round of the program. Thompson Falls has focused on marketing and branding their natural assets and outdoor recreation opportunities, leveraging these assets to draw visitors and to engage local community members, and implementing strategies to connect outdoor recreation to their downtown.