CURRENT PROJECTS
Ongoing initiatives supporting rural communities across the WRDC Region
The Western Rural Development Center’s Current Projects highlight ongoing initiatives across the WRDC region, led in partnership with students, extension professionals, and Land-Grant Universities. These efforts address issues that matter most to rural communities, from economic development to natural resource stewardship.
Because projects evolve over time, this page offers a snapshot of what’s underway. To learn about ways to get involved, explore our current funding opportunities under Funding/Grants & Fellowships or connect with us on social media.
Graduate Assistance Program
2026-2027 Awardees
Shahriar Md Arifur Rahman
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Natural Resources and Society
University of Idaho
Project Title: From forecast to decision: How temporal distance and trip commitment shape recreationists’ behavior under wildfire smoke in Idaho.
Project Summary: Wildfire smoke is an increasingly persistent threat across the American West, affecting human health and the economic stability of rural communities dependent on outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism. Guided river recreation is particularly vulnerable because clients often make substantial financial and logistical commitments before smoke conditions are known. Yet, outfitters and managers lack empirical guidance on when changing AQI forecasts are most likely to trigger trip continuation, modification, rebooking, or cancellation, which impacts the health of clients, guides, and more broadly the rural outdoor economies throughout the West.
This project will develop a decision-relevant framework for guided river recreation using a case study on Lower Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho. Following Institutional Review Board approval, the study will use an online stated-choice experiment with approximately 500–550 adults who participated in guided river recreation in Idaho within the previous three to five years. A D-efficient design will vary AQI category, forecast horizon, travel distance, trip duration, prepaid cost, and cancellation policy across realistic trip scenarios. Survey links will be distributed through the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association to participating providers, outfitters, and guides for circulation to eligible former clients. Mixed logit models will estimate how smoke severity, forecast timing, and trip commitments jointly shape recreation decisions.
Expected outputs include a quality-controlled dataset, tested survey instrument, predictive model and AQI–lead-time reaction matrix. These products will support clearer smoke advisories, guide scheduling, safer trip alternatives, and transparent refund or rebooking policies. Findings will be disseminated through stakeholder presentations, WRDC communication channels, practitioner materials, a website or newsletter article, a conference presentation, and a peer-reviewed manuscript. The framework will be designed for later adaptation to other smoke-exposed rural recreation destinations across the West.
Project Collaborators: Dr. Chris Zajchowski and Dr. Ying-Chia Louise Hsu
Fellow Projects
2026-2027 Awardees
Dawn Thilmany
Professor
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Colorado State University
Project Title: Sustaining Western Food System Collaborations
Product: Western Food Business Collaborative – Regional Food Systems
Project Summary: The proposed project seeks to transition the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center into a Western Food System Collaborative that will sustain and expand regional partnerships, technical assistance, and capacity-building efforts established through the USDA Regional Food Business Centers program. Building on the relationships, resources, and institutional capacity developed between 2023 and 2025, the Collaborative will strengthen coordination among food system stakeholders across the Western United States and support the long-term resilience and development of regional food systems.
The project has three primary goals. First, it will maintain and strengthen connections among state-based programs and food system organizations across the West through a collaborative leadership team, quarterly stakeholder meetings, and regular communication. Second, it will expand access to technical assistance and capacity-building resources developed by the Food Business Centers through resource sharing, train-the-trainer programs, and collaborative grant development. Third, it will broaden regional coordination and outreach to ensure that food businesses, technical assistance providers, and other stakeholders have greater access to educational resources and support.
Irene Padasas
Community Nutrition and Health Advisor
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
University of California Cooperative Extension
Project Title: Strengthening Community Food System with the Tule River Indian Tribe
Project Summary: The project aims to strengthen the local food system of the Tule River Indian Tribe in California by improving access to healthy, culturally relevant foods and promoting sustainable food practices. The initiative responds to challenges of food insecurity, limited access to grocery stores, high poverty rates, and diet-related chronic diseases, particularly diabetes. Building on a February 2026 community listening session, the project will establish at least one community garden and deliver educational workshops on nutrition, gardening, healthy meal preparation, food preservation, and household food waste reduction. Through collaboration among the University of California Cooperative Extension, Tribal partners, and Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver volunteers, the project seeks to improve nutrition literacy, gardening knowledge, healthy eating behaviors, and food resource management skills. Project outcomes will be evaluated using participation records, questionnaires, and participant feedback. Expected benefits include increased access to locally grown produce, improved community capacity to maintain a sustainable food system, and stronger partnerships between Tribal communities and Extension programs. The project also intends to develop an implementation toolkit that can support similar initiatives in other Tribal and rural communities across the Western region.
Project Collaborators: Jasmin Smith, Community Nutrition and Health Advisor
Multi-State Projects
2026-2027 Awardees
Institutions: University of Hawai’i, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Project Title: Seaweed Supply Chain Mapping in Alaska and Hawai‘i
Principal Investigator
BRADLEY (KAI) FOX, PhD
Assistant Professor of Aquaculture
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR)
Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences
University of Hawai‘i
Project Team
DARREN OKIMOTO
Director for Extension; Sea Grant College Program
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
QUENTIN FONG
Marketing Specialist
Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center
University of Alaska Fairbanks
MELISSA GOOD
Mariculture Specialist
Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Project Summary: Commercial seaweed farming in Alaska and Hawaiʻi is an emerging sector with strong potential to build a diversified ocean economy, yet both states lack development plans for specific seaweed products. This project addresses critical supply chain gaps—such as production technology, workforce training, and environmental data—by conducting a comprehensive market assessment for food and high-value non-food applications like nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and bioplastics. Aligning with the Western Rural Development Center (WRDC) priority to advance the social and economic impacts of fishing and agricultural systems, this initiative will help rural, coastal, and tribal communities thrive. The integrated research and extension approach begins by forming State Advisory Committees composed of industry experts, academics, nongovernmental organizations, and tribal entities to guide product selection. The team will then review secondary market sources, develop a comprehensive directory of key supply chain participants (distributors, brokers, farmers, and processors), and conduct semistructured, targeted interviews to capture operational structures, product specifications, and pricing dynamics. Finally, a supply chain mapping exercise will analyze risks and opportunities, forming the foundation of a formalized seaweed development plan. To ensure long-term scalability and project sustainability, the results will be actively disseminated through extension publications, industry presentations, and facilitated stakeholder discussions aimed at building robust, domestic value-adding chains. These baseline seed-grant findings will ultimately be leveraged to secure larger external federal competitive grant funding.