Elko Nevada Welcomes the 31st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Elko’s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is well known for its presentations of traditional and contemporary music and poetry from western ranching culture.

Less well known is that for more than 20 years, it has also been a place where people with differing viewpoints come together to discuss challenges faced by ranchers and others in the rural West, and to craft creative solutions and share successes.

At the 31st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, January 26-31, 2015, these conversations will continue. Gary Paul Nabhan, a nationally known western landscape history writer and food and farming activist, will deliver the keynote address, where he will discuss collaborative conservation efforts in the West over the last couple of decades, and their impact on ranching economies and ecosystem sustainability. He will also participate in a forum where ranchers and conservationists will share successful models of collaborations that are helping to protect ranchlands and biodiversity.

“The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is a great place to have these conversations,” explains David Roche, Executive Director of the Western Folklife Center, which produces the Gathering. “People can come together in a creative environment where they can listen to each other and build relationships. Our mission is to encourage the perpetuation of the traditions of ranching culture, to ensure their sustainability. Without the occupation there would be no cultural traditions, so it is important that we provide a forum for listening and problem-solving.”

Nabhan agrees. “If we don’t maintain wide open spaces and ranching as an economically viable livelihood, then the songs and stories become something of the past, not continuing into the present.” Nabhan has been involved as a participant and presenter at Elko Gatherings since the 1990s, and says these conversations at the Gathering have made a positive difference in keeping open lands as economical, productive, working landscapes. An increasing number of people understand the challenges that ranchers face and are more sympathetic which, Nabhan says, is helping bridge the so-called “urban-rural divide.”

At the 31st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Nabhan will participate with other scholars and ranchers in “Stitching The West Back Together: Collaborative Conservation On The Range,” an open discussion where they will share stories of collaborative, solution-based models that have evolved over the past two decades to conserve both biodiversity and working ranches. Participants include Nabhan; Richard Knight, professor of wildlife conservation at Colorado State University;Nevada ranchers Robin and Steve Boies; Thomas Sheridan, professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona; and Arizona rancher Richard Collins.

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is an annual celebration of the ranching and rural West. Through poetry, music, stories, films, dances, exhibitions, workshops and more, the Gathering showcases the beauty, humor, creativity and challenges of a life deeply connected to the earth and its bounty. Every year, thousands travel to rural Elko, Nevada, in the heart of winter, to listen, learn and share. More than 55 poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S., Canada, Australia and Mexico will perform on seven stages at four different venues. Visit westernfolklife.org for a full list of artists, bios and audio samples. Tickets to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering can be purchased online at westernfolklife.org, or by calling 888-880-5885.

The 31st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is supported by NV Energy, Newmont Mining Corporation, Barrick Gold of North America, Nevada Humanities, Nevada Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Elko Convention and Visitors Authority, the City of Elko, the Timken-Sturgis Foundation, Northeastern Nevada Stewardship Group and many more foundations, businesses and individuals.