Rural development helps provide social and economic opportunities to residents in rural communities to improve quality of life and livability. But how can you use rural development as a tool to support rural communities and advance conservation opportunity? In this workshop, we will learn what rural development is, how it can be tied to recreation and conservation opportunity and hear about multiple case studies from Western Montana and Idaho. We will then have an interactive session with participants to explore how this work could be used as a tool for land trusts beyond the West.