In June of 1996 Kaibab Industries, a Garfield County employer of 30 years, cut its last log at its saw mill in Panguitch. Shuttering the mill, which had employed 400 people during its heyday, was devastating to the local economy, says Lowell Mecham, mayor of Tropic, a small, rural town nestled along Scenic Highway 12 in south central Utah.

Tourism has been the mainstay since then, as travelers navigate Highway 12 on their way from Bryce Canyon National Park to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and on to Capitol Reef National Park. Still, building a rural economy is a tough premise, especially in a recession. Tropic has survived nonetheless, and its successes will be recognized this week at the Utah Rural Summit in Cedar City, Aug. 5-7, where the town will receive a Rural Honors Award. The Moab area will also be honored as well, in recognition of the many individuals that have had a significant role in getting the federal government to move the radioactive mill tailings stored near the Colorado River.

"We try to recognize and praise people for their local actions, especially for their support of entrepreneurship, business expansion and retention," says Wesley Curtis, vice president for government relations & regional services in the Southern Utah University Office of Regional Services. This is the 22nd year for the summit, which will be held at the R. Haze Hunter Conference Center on the campus of Southern Utah University (SUU). The theme is "Smart Strategies for Tough Times".

"We are at a critical juncture in how we address issues such as energy development and energy policies, public lands management policies, and how we educate our rural workforce," Curtis says. "Each of these issues will have a profound impact on Utah's rural economy." Federal officials, state government and rural leaders from across the state will grapple with these and many other rural issues during the three-day summit, which begins Wednesday with a field trip tour of two significant Utah renewable energy projects: Raser Technologies' geothermal power plant and First Wind's Milford Wind farm, both located in Beaver County. "I think rural Utah is quite hopeful there will be some economic development opportunities in their communities through renewable energy," Curtis adds.

Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert, a long-time supporter of the Rural Summit, will officially open the conference with an address on Thursday morning. "Local living" guru Michael Shuman and community success strategist David Ivan will offer the summit's keynote addresses, while Utah Speaker of the House of Representatives David Clark will close the summit with an address covering legislative issues, including the state budget and health care.

Shuman, who serves as senior partner in Local Economy Associates and vice president for enterprise development at the Training & Development Corporation of Washington D.C., will anchor the summit by sharing proven strategies for building local economies through a "local living" approach. He is the author of "The Small-Mart Revolution," which explains how consumers, investors, policymakers and organizers can effectively revitalize their own communities by supporting local businesses.

Friday's morning session will feature a "Small Town Success Strategies" presentation by Ivan, a nationally renowned speaker who has personally visited 250 best-practice communities in 10 states.

In addition to Herbert, Clark, Shuman and Ivan, other presenters will include Dianne R. Nielson, the governor's energy advisor, and Jeff Packer, chairman of the Utah Rural Development Council. Nielson will discuss state energy policy and topics such as the Western Climate Initiative, Utah renewable energy projects and energy transmission across rural Utah, while Packer will report on the activities of the Governor's Rural Partnership Board.

"Of particular importance to many rural counties will be a breakout session discussing the lessons learned from the Washington County Lands Bill process, and what other counties can expect to encounter as they pursue their own lands bill legislation," says Curtis. "This panel will feature staff from Senator Bob Bennett's Washington D.C. office, as well as other key players involved in the creation and passage of the bill."

A special public lands panel consisting of the state director of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service's Intermountain Region's Deputy Regional Forester, and the Utah State Coordinator of the National Park Service will be also be a highlight of the summit.

EDCUtah President & CEO Jeff Edwards and Paul Larsen, with the Utah Alliance for Economic Development, will lead a breakout session covering rural economic development. "We are very interested in helping grow Utah's rural economies," says Edwards. Other breakout sessions will focus on Utah agriculture issues and state and federal agriculture resources, public lands management and use, growth and development planning resources for rural communities, the creative and arts economy, non-profits' roles across rural Utah, tourism and recreation, rural economic development assistance, and small town success stories.

"Our whole focus is dealing with the tough economy. Rural areas are generally the hardest hit in a recession and we are hoping to provide some ideas for people to latch on to, that will help them improve their local economies," Curtis says.

Mayor Mecham has been involved with the summit for a number of years and "is a big advocate," he says. "The information and programs are always beneficial."

The summit is sponsored by SUU's Office of Regional Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development office, USU Extension Services, USTAR and Rocky Mountain Power. "We certainly couldn't do this without the sponsorship support we receive, which covers the expenses of the summit," Curtis adds. "Rocky Mountain Power has been a sponsor for 22 years. We are also grateful to USU, which has become a partner as well as a sponsor. USDA Rural Development is another long-time sponsor and usually also a presenter. We are also happy this year to have USTAR as one of our sponsors. USTAR is also a partner is some of our economic development activities."