John Freemas Student Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
Boise State University faculty, students, and staff attended the 6th Annual John Freemus Student Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in October. This biennial program recruits 25 students from across the country to spend a week learning about specific public lands issues and potential career paths. It is organized by a partnership of the Andrus Public Policy Center, the Public Land Foundation, and the National Forest Service Retirees Association.
Stephanie Lenhart, Clinical Associate Research Professor, Energy Policy Institute and School of the Environment
Participants toured public land-based solar farms in the Las Vegas area and learned from active agency practitioners, tribal leaders, and private developers. Grants from the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service contributed more than $80,000 toward the cost of the conference, and an array of volunteers provided more than 500 hours of volunteer expertise. The students, drawn from 19 different universities across the country, spent one week developing policy recommendations for the agency to be submitted to the agency’s headquarters in spring 2025.
Boise State University students Yasaman Jafari and Sierra Santosuosso, faculty members Emily Wakild, Stephanie Lenhart and Sophia Borgias, and Andrus Center employee Lindsey Virgin attended.
