Testing 2026 Conference: Full Schedule

Main Conference: Tuesday, September 30 - Thursday, October 2, 2025

Preconference: Monday September 29 - Tuesday, October 30, 2025

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7:00am EDT

Breakfast (Meal Plan only)

Friday July 11, 2025 7:00am - 8:30am EDT

Casco Bay

Friday July 11, 2025 7:00am - 8:30am EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Meal

8:30am EDT

Contemporary Critical Incident Management Planning (CORE)

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

New Hampshire

Effective critical incident management requires extraordinary capabilities precisely when organizations are most vulnerable. Research consistently demonstrates that during crises, decision-making quality deteriorates significantly compared to normal operations. The paradox is clear: our need for adaptability, clear judgment, and leadership from both the field and the office peaks exactly when these qualities become most difficult to maintain.This workshop delivers a practical, evidence-informed framework for developing robust critical incident management systems for outdoor and adventure programs. Participants will engage with realistic scenarios that highlight the cognitive and operational challenges that emerge during critical incidents, while exploring proven planning methodologies that address these challenges and support the needs of a wide range of stakeholders.The session emphasizes that effective response begins with systematic preparation. Attendees will receive practical tools and templates for immediate implementation, enabling the development of customized critical incident management plans appropriate to their specific operational contexts.By workshop conclusion, participants will have the knowledge and resources needed to thoroughly assess and strengthen their organization's capacity to manage critical incidents compassionately and effectively.

Speakers

Deb Ajango

SafetyEd

Deb Ajango has written two books on safety-related topics and has presented nationally and internationally on risk management, emergency action planning, and wilderness medicine. She received WRMC's Charles (Reb) Gregg Award in 2012, and in 2014, she was awarded the Paul K. Petzoldt... Read More →

Clare Dallat

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
New Hampshire Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Emergency Planning & Crisis Response, Breakout Session

8:30am EDT

Strength-Based Risk Engagement & You Can Too

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Conneticut / Rhode Island

Our attitudes towards risk in this field are evolving. By now, many of us would likely identify risk as a fundamental aspect of our outdoor pursuits. It contributes profoundly to the value and meaning of our experiences. How can this perspective shift inform our practices and relationship to risk? Is risk something for us to manage, as we might manage a waterway with a dam? Or is it something we might be able to engage and cultivate relationship with? Perhaps both....
An overview of multi-level risk engagement strategies that support an environment of empowerment and improved outcomes, described in the context of a community-based outdoor behavioral health nonprofit.

Speakers

Misty Blakesley

Emergence and Therapeutic Adventure Program Manager, The Mountain Center

Misty Blakesley works at the Mountain Center in Tewa Territories with Native American communities, survivors of violence, folks in recovery, people in the juvenile justice system and others. She encourages healing and growth through connection with the natural world. She is a mentor... Read More →

Tony Dixon

Executive Director, The Mountain Center

Juan Antonio (Tony) Dixon, MBA, has been working in the field of Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Adventure for twenty years and serves as the Executive Director for The Mountain Center (TMC) located in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he oversees and supports leadership, risk management... Read More →

Ellie Mullin

Course Manager, The Mountain Center

Ellie Mullin has been a Therapeutic Adventure Coordinator for four years with The Mountain Center. Ellie is passionate about learning and providing opportunities for others to learn both about themselves and the natural world around them. In her free time Ellie enjoys running and... Read More →

Christian Sommer

Therapeutic Adventure Program Manager, The Mountain Center

Christian has worked in The Mountain Center’s Therapeutic Adventure Program for over 12 years. His role includes program oversight, staff training and development, coordinating the organization’s Risk Management Committee, and advising in policy development. He is deeply invested... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Conneticut / Rhode Island Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Field Practices Staff Training Decision Making, Breakout Session

8:30am EDT

Insurance 101: Have you got it covered? (CORE)

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Oxford / Sommerset

Employee injury - Field Accident - Sexual Misconduct - Vehicle Accident - Wrongful Termination - International Evacuation – Data Breach....what do these exposures have in common? If not properly managed and insured, an incident involving any of these can quickly lead an organization into a deep financial and legal quagmire. Are you confident your insurance program is adequately designed to cover your organization's risk profile? Do you understand what is required of you, the insured, to trigger coverage. Participants in this session will learn the design basis and structure of a comprehensive insurance program; and through a series of scenarios and will learn how a properly designed program responds to the complexities of a variety of real-life claims examples.

Speakers

Mike Lucas

Outdoor + Adventure Practice EVP, Assured Partners, Fred C. Church

Mike is one of the founders and leaders of the Outdoor + Adventure Practice at Fred C. Church Insurance. He has been in the insurance industry for over 35 years holding positions as a Fire Protection Consultant, Risk Control Manager, Safety Engineer and Broker. Working with a variety... Read More →

Lach Zemp

Risk Management Council, Outward Bound

Lach (pronounced “Lash”) serves as Risk Management Counsel at Outward Bound, overseeing a range of risk management issues and claims for the Outward Bound Schools. Before joining Outward Bound, Lach practiced law for 30 years defending clients, including summer camps and employers... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Oxford / Sommerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

8:30am EDT

Debunking Mental Health Myths

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Vermont

With approximately 20% of people worldwide experiencing a mental illness at any given moment, including rising numbers of mental health concerns across adolescents and young adults, it is vital for programs to be knowledgeable about and prepared to support participants with mental health conditions. Misinformation is a barrier to knowledge and to the ability to effectively provide support, and unfortunately runs rampant with respect to mental health conditions– what they are, and what they mean for the participant, as well as for program staff. Harmful misinformation about mental health conditions also breeds stigma, which in turn often leads to elevated fear that the impacted person will become unpredictable or dangerous, and an inclination to keep a distance from that person or to treat them differently rather than as an equal to others on the program. Conversely, accurate knowledge and empathy best position us to meaningfully connect with our program participants, contributing to an optimally successful program experience for participants and staff alike. In this session, Michelle Lange, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, will debunk common mental health myths and misconceptions, providing you with knowledge and skills to confidently and empathically work with program participants who experience common mental health challenges.

Speakers

Michelle Lange

Senior Lecturer, Christopher Newport University

Michelle Lange, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She is a Senior Lecturer at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, a therapist in private practice, and has consulted in the travel industry. She has over 15 years of experience working in the areas of college student... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Vermont Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Mental Social Emotional Health, Breakout Session

8:30am EDT

Don’t Wait - Learn from everyday work using Human & Organizational Performance (HOP)

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln

When an incident occurs, a traditional approach is to investigate, starting with the event and working backwards to identify causes (or “root causes.”) This approach, while common, may miss significant context for the incident, or it may trap us into waiting for incidents to occur in order to learn. Drawing from work in Human and Occupational Performance (HOP), Operational Learning is a process of learning from everyday work, not waiting for incidents to occur, providing us with strategies to look forward rather than backwards. In this workshop we will explore the theory and practice of operational learning, apply it to outdoor and experiential education programs, and identify useful questions to create a psychologically safe space for operational learning to occur.

Speakers

Steve Smith

Consultant, Experiential Consulting, LLC

Steve Smith (he/him/his) is the founder of Experiential Consulting, LLC, specializing in risk management for outdoor programs and the lead author/editor of Beneficial Risks: The Evolution of Risk Management for Outdoor and Experiential Education Programs (2021). After taking a NOLS... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04122

Program Administration, Breakout Session

10:00am EDT

Snack Break & Exhibitor Hall Open

Friday July 11, 2025 10:00am - 10:30am EDT

Casco Bay

Friday July 11, 2025 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Meal

10:30am EDT

Crisis Management Case Study: NOLS' Pre-plan in Action

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

New Hampshire

Responding to a crisis, such as a participant fatality, is complex. A crisis has the potential to overwhelm an organization's staff and resource, and threaten the ability to run programs in the short or long-term. It can be stressful and chaotic. Having a response plan in place that addresses foreseeable needs allows the people in your organization to focus on inevitable surprises and lays the foundation for a thorough and compassionate response. This workshop will provide a starting point for creating a crisis management plan. We will use a NOLS case study to illustrate one approach to crisis planning and response, and will also identify potential modifications for smaller organizations.

Speakers

Katie Baum Mettenbrink

Risk Management Director, NOLS

Katie has worked in outdoor education since 1999. Today she is the risk management director at NOLS. Over two decades, she has held a variety of administrative roles at NOLS, chaired the WRMC Steering Committee, co-authored Risk Management for Outdoor Leaders, and spent more than... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
New Hampshire Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Emergency Planning & Crisis Response, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

Keep Your Team's Wilderness Medicine Training Sharp

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Conneticut / Rhode Island

This workshop will provide program managers, rescue team leaders, and others with the tools needed to keep their staff's wilderness medical skills well-tuned and accessible. Wilderness Medicine training is an important part of risk management for outdoor programs and rescue teams. Regardless of the duration of a certification, wilderness medicine schools recommend that program managers and team leaders facilitate periodic review sessions with their team, equipment, and environment. This workshop will apply the concepts of spaced learning, in situ practice, and cognitive offloading to help program managers help their staff transfer lessons from their wilderness medical training courses to the parameters and scope of the program they serve. This workshop will serve Search and Rescue Teams, Ski Patrollers, outing clubs, college and professional outdoor programs, professional guide services, military recreation departments, summer camps with tripping programs, etc.

Speakers

Nadia Kimmel

Executive Director, Desert Mountain Medicine

Nadia founded Desert Mountain Medicine (DMM) in 1998 under the premise that wilderness medicine education should not be limited to an traditional classroom. She is an active contributor to the field of wilderness medicine education both as an instructor and curriculum writer and... Read More →

Abby Rowe

President, Wilderness Medical Associates International

Abby is the owner and president of Wilderness Medical Associates international and works as an Advanced EMT in coastal and western Maine. In a previous life, Abby was a full-time Outdoor Educator for more than twenty years, leading expeditions and teaching both outdoor leadership... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Conneticut / Rhode Island Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Field Practices Staff Training Decision Making, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

Legal Fundamentals: Understanding How to Protect Your Organization

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln

How well do you understand the myriad legal issues that outdoor recreation organizations face? This presentation provides an overview of the fundamental legal issues all owners and program managers need to understand: The do's and don't of collecting medical information, how to satisfy your duty to appropriately inform and warn participants, common errors in marketing materials, important considerations with waiver and assumption of risk forms, contract basics (including indemnity), insurance, and critical incident response.

Speakers

Leah Corrigan

Managing Attorney, Recreation Law Group

Leah Corrigan is the Managing Attorney of Recreation Law Group, a legal and risk management firm that advises and defends a wide variety of outdoor recreation businesses and organizations. Leah is an experienced litigator who has represented outdoor industry clients in serious personal... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04122

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

Now You Can! Recent legislation allows the use of liability release agreements on federal lands

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Oxford / Sommerset

Has a federal land manager (like the NPS or Forest Service) said you can’t use liability release agreements or that you have to use the VAR? Recently enacted federal legislation called the SOAR Act changes the rules. It also eliminates the requirement for state entities to provide indemnity and more. The National Park Service has issued a memo with several revisions to its policies. Come hear from two attorneys about what has changed, who the new law applies to, and what you can and should do now.

Speakers

Frances Mock

Frances Turner Mock, Attorney

Frances Mock is an attorney specializing in risk management and claims management for wilderness and experiential education programs She is counsel to NOLS, SCA, LL Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School, and other organizations, providing advice about: responding to incidents (deaths... Read More →

Paul Sanford

Director of Equitable Access Policy, The Wilderness Society

Paul Sanford is the Director of Equitable Access Policy at The Wilderness Society, where he advocates for policies that ensure everyone benefits equitably from nature and public lands. Paul has been an attorney and public policy advocate at the federal level since 1991. He has extensive... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Oxford / Sommerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

Partnering with Purpose: Building Strong Alignment Between Ground Operators and Educational Institutions

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Vermont

When educational institutions and ground operators partner effectively, there are great opportunities for creating impactful programming for students. Each side of the partnership contributes its own unique experience and perspectives informed by their institutional history, internal risk tolerance, and regulations or policy that dictate the scope of their operations. To build strong partnerships, it is essential to have processes in place to recognize these potential divides and find common ground that leads to well-aligned expectations and execution. This session will focus on the unique proactive and reactive risk management considerations of running programs alongside partner organizations. Through a series of real world case studies, we will share tools that both organizations can use to create well-aligned, successful, long-lasting relationships.

Speakers

Dave Haffeman

Risk Management Director, Where There Be Dragons

Dave has worked as field staff and an administrator in outdoor and international settings since 2005. Dave began his tenure at Where There Be Dragons in 2015 as a South America semester instructor. Over the years he has gathered valuable knowledge of Dragons programming while holding... Read More →

Kevin Porter

Partnership Program Director, Where There Be Dragons

Early in his career, Kevin moved to Kenya to consult for various NGOs, completing projects such as developing an inventory system for pharmacies and conducting needs assessments in remote communities. Kevin spent a decade with Rustic Pathways as their director of Global Program Operations... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Vermont Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Program Administration, Breakout Session

12:00pm EDT

Lunch (all attendees)

Friday July 11, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT

Casco Bay

Friday July 11, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Meal

1:00pm EDT

Community Recognition Award Ceremony

Friday July 11, 2025 1:00pm - 1:30pm EDT

Casco Bay

Friday July 11, 2025 1:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Networking Event, General Session

1:30pm EDT

How SAR Works In The US

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

New Hampshire

Someone is missing from your family, your group, your life. How do you activate Search And Rescue, what will they do, will it cost anything, do you need to wait 24 hours ? We explain how SAR works in the US and what to expect just in case.

Speakers

Chistopher Boyer

Executive Director, NASAR

Chris Boyer is an experienced domestic and international emergency professional with roots in law enforcement, search and rescue and technology. Chris is the Executive Director for The National Association For Search And Rescue (NASAR). He has managed hundreds of SAR events and... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
New Hampshire Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Emergency Planning & Crisis Response, Breakout Session

1:30pm EDT

Beyond Boundaries: SafeSport Principles for Youth in Outdoor Programs

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln

The isolated nature of wilderness programs creates unique risks for maltreatment in Gen Z participants. This session applies SafeSport's internationally-recognized prevention framework—developed by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and adopted by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committees—to outdoor education contexts. Participants will explore how this evidence-based system, used by sporting organizations worldwide, translates to wilderness settings. We'll examine practical protocols tailored to Gen Z's communication styles, boundary expectations, and reporting preferences. Leave with generation-specific tools to create safer environments that respect their heightened awareness of boundaries and consent without compromising the transformative wilderness experience they seek.

Speakers

Alicia Heyburn

Executive Director, Teens to Trails

Alicia Heyburn is the Executive Director of Teens to Trails, a Maine nonprofit dedicated to connecting teens to life-changing outdoor experiences, working with over 60 middle and high schools and 3500 students per year. With 20 years of nonprofit & outdoor leadership experience, she's... Read More →

Michele LaBotz

Associate Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine

Dr. Michele LaBotz brings 25+ years of pediatric sports medicine expertise to the critical issue of youth safety in outdoor programs. As an Associate Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and senior author on the upcoming American Academy of Pediatrics' policy on preventing... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04122

Field Practices Staff Training Decision Making, Breakout Session

1:30pm EDT

Risk, Rapport & Reflection: Making the Daily Debrief Worth the Squeeze

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Oxford / Sommerset

If debriefing every field day is an important tool for risk management, program improvement, client and employee retention, and personal skill development, why do we so often skip it? Perhaps we aren’t asking the right questions. Kristin Arnold and Sheldon Kerr will host an interactive lecture to beef up your debriefing skills. Pulling from their experiences and misadventures as IFMGA guides, avalanche forecasters, AIARE Instructor Trainers, owners of Moxie Mountain Guides, and AMGA Instructor Team Members, they will guide participants to construct a scalable debrief process that makes the juice worth the squeeze. Participants in this presentation need to be able to:

Speakers

Kristin Arnold

Moxie

Kristin Arnold (she/her) is an IFMGA mountain guide and co-owner of Moxie Mountain Guides, specializing in technical skiing/climbing, instructional coaching, and inclusion as risk management consulting. A former pro soccer player, she has led 30+ Alaskan expeditions, guided ski descents... Read More →

Sheldon Kerr

Moxie

Sheldon Kerr (she/her) is an IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Colorado with a degree in Feminist and Gender Studies from Colorado College. She has guided on five continents and worked as an avalanche forecaster, inclusion consultant, ski patroller, AIARE instructor trainer, and AMGA... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Oxford / Sommerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Field Practices Staff Training Decision Making, Breakout Session

1:30pm EDT

How to prepare your employees to act in emergencies big and small

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Vermont

Many outdoor educators are lay medical providers who get their wilderness medicine certification, but have no real-world experience. You wouldn’t hire a climbing guide without any climbing experience, or a raft guide who has never been down a rapid, but we routinely hire folks into roles where they need their WFR, but have no real medical experience. In this workshop, we’ll discuss ways to enhance your staff’s wilderness medicine training and help create a culture of learning. We’ll talk about what you can do as an employer to ensure your staff are ready to act in emergencies big and small.

Speakers

Robin Larson

Education Director, NOLS Wilderness Medicine

Robin Larson is the Education Director at NOLS Wilderness Medicine. She has spent the last two decades working in the outdoor education field and has been instructing for NOLS Wilderness Medicine and Expeditions since 2008. Robin is a WEMT, BSN/RN, has her FAWM, and a master’s in... Read More →

Josh McNeary

Staffing & Development Director, NOLS Wilderness Medicine

Josh McNary is the Faculty, Staffing, and Development Director at NOLS Wilderness Medicine. He has been working for NOLS since 2002 and is a long time wilderness medicine and expeditions instructor at NOLS. Josh holds a BA in Public Policy, an MA in International Development, and... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Vermont Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Program Administration, Breakout Session

1:30pm EDT

What does colonialism have to do with this? The development of a risk management microcredential for Indigenous Land Based Program practitioners

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Conneticut / Rhode Island

Through the development of a risk management micro-credential for Indigenous Land Based practitioners, two former outdoor educators turned academics critically examine mainstream wilderness risk management practices through a decolonial lens. This workshop will provide a snapshot of the micro-credential developed through Lakehead University’s school of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism, and an overview of the Indigenous land based programming context in Canada and the US. Next, we will explore our positionality as white settler Canadians working in consultation with Indigenous partners and colleagues and provide some advice and encouragement for other allies seeking to decolonize their risk management practice. Finally, through examples from our work and audience engagement, we will share what we learned, how we applied that learning, and why this work matters.

Speakers

Julie Bremner

School of Outdoor Recreation Parks and Tourism, Lakehead University

Julie’s doctoral interests stem from her long career as a field instructor for NOLS, Where There Be Dragons and similar programs in Canada. Her current work weaves a passion for supporting experiential educators to foster just, equitable, diverse, inclusive learning communities... Read More →

Gail Kuhl

Assistant Professor, Lakehead University

Gail Kuhl (she/her/they) is a settler Canadian who resides in Thunder Bay, ON, the traditional territory of the Anishnawbe people and the treaty Territory of Fort William First Nation, signatories to the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850. Gail is an assistant professor in the School... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Conneticut / Rhode Island Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Program Administration, Breakout Session

2:30pm EDT

Snack Break & Exhibitor Hall Open

Friday July 11, 2025 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT

Casco Bay

Friday July 11, 2025 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Meal

3:00pm EDT

When Good Programs Get Bad Press: Managing Incidents and Media in Real Time

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln

When a serious incident occurs, how an organization responds in the first critical hours can shape its reputation and impact those involved. This interactive session will walk participants through a real-world crisis scenario, following the response from the initial incident report to the immediate actions taken by leadership. Through a hands-on breakout discussion, attendees will explore key decision points and next steps before engaging with an expert panel featuring a Senior Director of Communications, a Risk & Safety Director, and an Attorney at Law. Panelists will share insights on crisis communication, legal considerations, media relations, and risk management—helping organizations navigate complex situations like fatalities, natural disasters, and security threats. Join us for a dynamic discussion that will equip you with practical strategies to manage incidents effectively, protect your organization’s reputation, and communicate with key stakeholders during a crisis.

Speakers

Emily Ten Eyck

Senior Risk Management Officer, The SCA

Sarah Hoye

Frances Mock

Frances Turner Mock, Attorney

Anne Morrison

Director Risk & Safety Management, The SCA

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04122

Emergency Planning & Crisis Response, Breakout Session

3:00pm EDT

Accidents in Outdoor Pursuits - Their Causes and Cures (CORE)

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Conneticut / Rhode Island

Accidents happen in outdoor pursuits and will continue to do so because risk is always involved. Looking into ways of preventing life-threatening or disabling injures is a skill all participants and leaders seek to hone. Through this workshop, attendees will learn how to use a prevention matrix to help design self and staff training that will help reduce field incidents and analyze accidents.

Speakers

Jed Williamson

Risk Management Consultant, President Emeritus - Sterling College

Jed is President Emeritus of Sterling College (VT) and one of the founders of the Wilderness Risk Managers Conference. My life's work has been as a practioner of wilderness and experiential education. Served on many boards, including NOLS. Editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Conneticut / Rhode Island Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Field Practices Staff Training Decision Making, Breakout Session

3:00pm EDT

Big Topics in Employment

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Oxford / Sommerset

This session will address frequently asked questions and common issues in employment law for wilderness recreation and experiential education providers. These issues include employment termination and severance agreements; employment agreements; social media and employee speech; sexual harassment in the workplace; wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); and remote workers. We’ll highlight the issues you might want to consider as you update your employee policies over the winter.

Speakers

Ann McCollum

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Oxford / Sommerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

3:00pm EDT

Stress Injury Awareness: Tools for Early Recognition in Your Staff and Yourself (CORE)

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Vermont

Stress in outdoor and wilderness education is inevitable. Stress injury doesn’t have to be. This interactive session guides the individual instructor, manager, or administrator through a set of awareness skills and supportive tools for the mitigation of stress injuries. Now more than ever, we need resilience plans and structures to support our staff and our participants. Attendees will leave this session with: (1) A shared and effective language to communicate about stress injuries, (2) Two tools to support proactive stress injury prevention, and (3) Increased resilience.

Speakers

Josie McKee

Director of Operations & Communications, Responder Alliance

Over the past two decades, Josie’s career in the outdoor industry has included guiding and personal climbing expeditions around the globe, working on the Yosemite Search & Rescue team and teaching wilderness medicine. Stress exposure throughout this career gave her personal insight... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Vermont Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Mental Social Emotional Health, Breakout Session

3:00pm EDT

BRAINS - their differences, their needs, and how to support them

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

New Hampshire

If you are looking for a workshop to update your understanding, awareness, and ability to support groups of neurodiverse people, look no further. We will dive into brain science and a brief history of neurodivergent diagnosis, we will look at best practices to support all brains in thriving in an outdoor or wilderness setting, and we will encourage participants to reflect on the ways they are supporting their participants and staff in addressing their own needs when growing our brains' capacity to tolerating and managing risk.

Speakers

Teresa Jennings

Mental Health Advisor, Cornerstone Safety Group

Teresa Jennings, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Durango, CO. She serves as the Substance Abuse Program Manager for the Durango School District and a Mental Health Advisor for Cornerstone Safety Group. With over a decade in public education and a background in... Read More →

Margaret Kelso

Risk Management Advisor, Cornerstone Safety Group

Margaret, along with her role with Cornerstone Safety Group, is the Executive Director of Talisman Programs, a non-profit camp in Western North Carolina serving adolescents and young adults with ADHD and on the Autism spectrum. She also currently serves on the Association of Experiential... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
New Hampshire Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Program Administration, Breakout Session

4:45pm EDT

Structured Networking

Friday July 11, 2025 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT

Casco Bay

Join peers for engaging and information conversations, and hear how like-organizations manage similar challenges. Hosted by WRMC Steering Committee members, topics are provided and volunteers facilitate small group discussions. The goal is to provide a venue for conference attendees to connect and network, and share similar challenges and ideas to help improve their programs.

Friday July 11, 2025 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Networking Event

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