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Newsletter from the Wilderness Education Association

National Office WEA — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:06:34 GMT

Happy New Year [firstname]!

With the aughts behind us, Mary Jessie and I have been busy tackling some exciting developments at the National Office and breaking into the new decade with a truckload of enthusiasm. That said, there are several good things coming to you in our first newsletter of the decade!

First, the National Office has successfully moved across campus into our plush new offices alongside Indiana University Outdoor Adventures. We have beautiful new office donning expansive windows, handmade upcycled office furnishings, and a storage space that is the envy of even the most content non-profit administrator. Click on the link to the press release that has all the details.

Attention DIYer's, Hobbyists, and consumers tired of paying way too much money on outdoor gear and clothing- we have just the news for you. Our DIY Custom Equipment Pre Conference Workshop is back again this year. And they're ready to tackle the most intimidating projects with some thread, a handful of sewing machines, and guidance from our knowledgeable instructors. We need to meet the minimum numbers of registration by February 1st, so don't hesitate to sign up!

Are you in need of a room or rideshare for the 2010 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. If so, you might want to check out the discussion board we have created on the website just for this purpose!

Conference Info and Reminders:

Register for Pre-Conference workshops today (Workshops Must reach minimum enrollment by Feb 1 to ensure that they are able to go!)

Pre Conference Workshops (1 day)

Ice Climbing

Winter Travel Skills for Outdoor Educators

Worst Case Survival Skills: What To Do When Technology Fails

Pre Conference Workshops (2 day)

WEA Instructor Training Clinic
DIY Custom Equipment
Interactive Course Area Guides

Have a great week and a the start of a great decade!

Mallory, Mary and Jessie!

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13-Jan-10 12:06 PM

Conference Updates!

National Office WEA — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Hello [firstname]!

The holiday season is up on us as we prepare for the upcoming 2010 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. Co-hosted by the Wilderness Education Association and the Professional Ropes Course Association for the 2nd year in a row, it promises to be another great event! We've included a few reminders about some important dates as well as links to registration for the regular conference and pre-conference workshops.

We look forward to seeing you in Estes Park!

Tentative Conference Schedule Now Available

[Presentation List Coming Soon]

Early Registration Deadline is December 18^th[that is this Friday!]

Register Online Today!

[Please contact the WEA National Office if you need to pay with a check, register multiple people or obtain an invoice]

Pre-Conference Workshops are Posted

1 Day Workshops:

Ice Climbing

Winter Travel Skills for Outdoor Educators

Worst Case Survival Skills: What to do When Technology Fails

2 Day Workshops:

WEA Instructor Training Clinic

DIY Equipment

Interactive course Area Guides

We've got several sponsors signed on in support of the conference and donations for the Kitty Dury Auction and Raffle are coming in daily. Check them out today!

Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available - contact Jessie at the National Office or visit the sponsor page on the website for more information.

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16-Dec-09 2:00 PM

Empowering Partnerships and Wilderness Advocacy

Jennifer Sublett — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:00 GMT

In the heat of late summer 2007, word came to the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois that the nationally known service organization AmeriCorps *NCCC had accepted their proposal for a six week volunteer service project. The project would take place in the Bald Knob/Clear Springs Wilderness on the Shawnee. It would consist of rerouting a dilapidated portion of the River to River Trail, which spans approximately 162 miles from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River. Corps members would work and live alongside Forest Service and University of Illinois Extension representatives for the duration. Backcountry living skills like setting up a tent, digging a cat hole, practicing Leave No Trace, or cooking one-pot meals would be learned and practiced by everyone at the backcountry site. The goal was for each member to learn the ropes of backcountry living and the skills needed to build a section of beautiful trail. The service project would serve the purpose of protecting the integrity of the trail, watershed, and the wilderness experience.

The venture was a success on number of levels. One result was the construction of an impressive full bench cut trail that has since been noted as one of the most awesome aspects of the trail along its span through the Bald Knob/Clear Springs Wilderness. Hikers and equestrians alike appreciate the ease of movement through the switchbacks and climbing turns and the views afforded of the surrounding deep gullies and nearby Hutchins Creek—a designated wild and scenic river candidate.

The six week service project was also successful because it involved a partnering of local volunteer groups.   One significant group is the Southern Illinois Back Country Horsemen (SBCH). Members of the SBCH dedicated their time and resources to the pack-in, restocking of water, and pack-out. While Corps members carried most essential backpacking items on their backs, SBCH utilized their packstock to haul in tents, kitchen items, trail building tools, and storage containers to keep away critters. It was truly a sight to witness the Corps members meet a pack string at the designated campsite and eagerly assist with the unpacking and distribution of camp items—skills that Corps members never expected they would gain before this wilderness experience. Throughout the duration of the service project, SBCH members and Corps members gained knowledge and appreciation for the work and dedication each put into the completion of this wilderness rehabilitation project.

The skills and knowledge that Corps members learned read like a semester-long college course in real life. While these eleven young adults (Corps members) lived and worked in the Bald Knob/Clear Springs Wilderness, they learned the full gamut of back country living skills, the cultural history of the area before it became wilderness in the 1990s, and a new appreciation and understanding of what it means to have a wilderness experience. Specifically, Corps members gained hands-on experience in using a map and compass; hanging a bear rope (not that bears frequent Illinois); survival skills like shelter-building, collecting nuts, taking out small game for food, the rule of threes for basic survival; and environmental education about the immediate area. Additionally, a local volunteer spent time talking with them about the history of the area and what impacts farming and timber harvesting had upon the land. This newly acquired wilderness knowledge fostered a sense of resourcefulness and self-sufficiency. While not every person on that crew loved hard core backcountry living, each embraced it for what it was—an empowering learning experience to be had for the sake of having done it.

Since this first group of AmeriCorps *NCCC visited and made a huge impact on the Shawnee National Forest, a second round of Corps members came to the Shawnee to live and work on another section of the River to River Trail through the Bald Knob/Clear Springs Wilderness in the fall of 2008. The Corps members were different; but the goal remained the same: to be an advocate for the land, live the simple life in a backcountry tent, learn skills and knowledge transferable to other areas of their lives, and take away memories from a once in a lifetime experience.

The Shawnee National Forest and its local partners look forward to a third round with AmeriCorps *NCCC in spring of 2009. Corps members will work in the Lusk Creek Wilderness. Empowerment through partnerships and building a case for wilderness advocacy will continue to be a guiding force.

9-Nov-09 3:00 PM

Journal of the Wilderness Education Association; Volume 21, No 1

National Office WEA — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Tendenci Newsletter

Volume 21, Issue No. 1

Editor, Briget Eastep

WEA Mission:

The mission of the WEA is to promote the professionalism

of outdoor leadership through establishment of national standards, curriculum design, implementation, advocacy, and research driven initiatives.

Board of Trustees:

Executive Committee

President:

Chris Pelchat (cpelchat@ithaca.edu)

Vice President:

Mike McGowan (ml-mcgowan@wiu.edu)

Treasurer:

Jackson Wilson (jadwilso@indiana.edu)

Secretary:

Whitney Ward

(wward@siu.edu)

Affiliate Representative: Ivan Bartha (ilbartha@stcloudstate.edu)

Members at Large/Committee Chairs

Ricky Haro Standards Committee (rvharo@gmail.com)

Scott Jordan

Curriculum Committee

(jordans@okstate.edu)

Rachel Collins

Research Committee

(rhcollins@gmail.com)

Kim Collins

Events Committee (kacollin@indiana.edu)

23rd Annual

National Conference

on Outdoor Leadership

February 17-20, 2010

"Risk and Reward:

Protecting What We Value"

Conference Co-hosts:

Presentation Proposals:

Due Nov 16

Outdoor Leadership Research Symposium Abstracts

Due Nov 15

Early Registration Deadline:

December 18th

Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

Keynote Speaker:

Will Gadd

Pre-Conference Workshops: Feb 17-18

Welcome Social:

Feb 18

Main Conference:

Feb 19-20

We'll see you in

Estes Park!

WEA Members:

Check out your membership benefits!

Not a member?

Become one today!

We are pleased to present you with the first online edition of the Journal of the Wilderness Education Association (JWEA). Enjoy!

Volume 21, Issue No.1

JWEA Online: A place to publish for education and inspiration

Author: Briget Eastep

The Journal of the Wilderness Education Association has gone through some significant changes in the past six months. All the changes made are intended to continue serving WEA members in a more efficient and productive manner. In the next few paragraphs I'd like to review the changes as well as remind WEA member of the JWEA's purpose, and how it's a great opportunity for publishing your experiences and ideas. To begin, as you may have noticed, the JWEA is now online. This changes the... [Read Complete Article]

Presidents Report

Author: Chris Pelchat

Hello Affiliates and WEA members, I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful fall. Things have been very busy within the association. The Board of Trustees has been sailing through the WEA strategic plan for two years now and are very pleased about the progress that is being made. http://www.weainfo.org/attachments/wysiwyg/1/WEAStrategicPlan.pdf There are many changes they are getting ready implement within the association starting January 1st , 2010. We are extremely excited about the how... [Read Complete Article]

National Office Update

Author: Mary Williams

Fall is in full gear here in beautiful Bloomington, IN! The trees are in full color right now with red, yellow and orange firing up the streets and trails. With days in the high 50's it is hard to be spending the day in the office. Thank goodness for the weekends! September marked the beginning of Mallory's second year working in the National Office. We are lucky to have such a dedicated hard working individual doing so much good work for the WEA! We are glad to have her around for... [Read Complete Article]

Heroes, Wilderness Medicine, and a Heartfelt Requiem

Author: Steve Spencer

It is a funny thing how our perceptions are oftentimes influenced as we move through life’s journey. People that may seem totally alien to you become friends, mentors, and/or heroes. Exposure to a diverse society makes for a smorgasbord of opportunity and enlivens our journey. In hindsight, I know now that this was why my parents allowed me to choose to attend an inner-city high school. Diversity After spending the previous eight years of schooling in an upper-middleclass and higher... [Read Complete Article]

Towards True Sustainability: Overcoming the Effects of Consumerism in the Outdoor Field, Part III

Author: Paul Van Horn

In the introduction to his iconic work in ecopsychology, Nature and Madness, Paul Shepard asks the question: Why do men persist in destroying their habitat? Although Shephard peered into the deep recesses of the human mind, I’d like approach the issue from the standpoint of more easily accessed mental processes. Two previous articles in this series have addressed the issue of how to reduce impacts related to consumerism in outdoor pursuits. While ideas for how to make changes and an... [Read Complete Article]

Giardia Myth-Buster: How Hearsay and Anecdotal Evidence has Created a False Industry Standard

Author: Erik Schlimmer

There are many things outdoor educators agree on. For example, a warm meal feels great at the end of the day. Cotton fabrics take forever to dry in the field and should thus be avoided. Most small groups generate less impact than large groups do. Mosquitoes and black flies come straight from hell. And, all backcountry water must be treated due to the presence of Giardia, a protozoan that has infested water sources throughout the United States, causing the debilitating gastrointestinal illness... [Read Complete Article]

Just Another Day in Class

Author: Kristen McClay

California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo has a very well known motto, learn by doing. Classes at Cal Poly take a hands on approach to get students involved in their majors; they literally and physically become active within their field of study. The Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration Department offers a very unique class, RPTA 112: Parks and Outdoor Recreation. This class has two hours of lab and three hours of lecture each week. However, the lab is not a... [Read Complete Article]

Talking out loud. [Review of Outdoor experiential leadership: Scenarios describing incidents, dilemmas, and opportunities.]

Author: Dene Berman

Outdoor leadership as a field of study is part of the legacy left by Paul Petzoldt (Wagstaff & Cashel, 2001). In the early 1960s, when Paul was the chief instructor for Outward Bound in the United States, he testified at a congressional hearing concerning the Wilderness Act, calling for an educational component of the act (Cassidy, 1995). Although this dream never reached fruition, his goal of teaching outdoor leadership did. In reaching this goal, Petzoldt went on to be a founder of the...[Read Complete Article]

Teton Dreams

Author: Jack Drury

In 1978 a group of aspiring outdoor leaders gathered in Driggs, Idaho to take part in a five-week experiment with legendary wilderness education pioneer Paul Petzoldt. Petzoldt had enticed these young men and women to join him in the first full summer of courses offered by the newly formed Wilderness Use Education Association (WUEA). Among those attending were Gary Anderson an aspiring community college instructor in southern California, Jack Drury an aspiring community college... [Read Complete Article]

If you have an idea for an article or review, check out the submission guidelines and check out past issues of the JWEA!

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2-Nov-09 2:00 PM

Heroes, Wilderness Medicine, and a Heartfelt Requiem

Steve Spencer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

It is a funny thing how our perceptions are oftentimes influenced as we move through life’s journey. People that may seem totally alien to you become friends, mentors, and/or heroes. Exposure to a diverse society makes for a smorgasbord of opportunity and enlivens our journey. In hindsight, I know now that this was why my parents allowed me to choose to attend an inner-city high school.

Diversity

After spending the previous eight years of schooling in an upper-middleclass and higher

socio-economic school district, I chose to attend Central High school. There was really no allure to encourage students to attend Central High. This was before the era of Magnet Schools and the athletic programs were average. In fact this was in a time when racial tensions were at an all time high in our community (school days were missed due to race riots) and most families were trying to get out of the CHS district. Great academicians or athletes never moved into the CHS school district. This was indeed a diverse, novel, and foreign setting to me. At Central High a high academic intellect was not the norm. The dropout rate was quite high. Based upon my freshman to senior class matriculation, I would estimate 30% failed to graduate. In a good year, 10% of the student body might have enrolled in college right out of high school. Why, one might ask, would a relatively intelligent (future professor) make such a choice? For me there was never any doubt and the reasoning was simple: I wanted to play football for my foremost hero, the head football coach at CHS: my father.

Upon enrollment, I was immediately named “the cake-eater” by my fellow students. This

Marie Antoinette reference took a while for me to understand, after all, my family was not rich as my parents were both teachers. However, as my friends put it, I had moved from the “rich” side of town and my parents both had jobs. Indeed, this was a different educational setting.

To compound matters, going to a school where your parent is your teacher, mentor, and coach

might best be described as “living in a fishbowl”. I literally could do nothing without my father knowing about it… whether he wanted to or not. For all of the seemingly negative things previously stated, I would not change my choice. The diverse culture allowed me to meet and befriend some great folks and share in numerous experiences that shaped me into what I am and made me mentally tougher. However, my mental toughness was nothing compared to one of my heroes that I met through athletics. This story is really about his survival.

Heroes

Any public high school experience forces a mixing of personalities and cultures. With my

exposure it was obviously the same. One meets and befriends students, teachers, and coaches that all help shape what you become. I look on these people who have impacted my life as mentors or strong influencing factors as heroes. While this might not be a dictionary definition of hero, it works for me. It defines a high school friend that influenced me and has followed an amazing journey as he continues to influence and be successful in virtually every area of his life. His life is a hero’s journey.

It has sometimes been said that opposites attract. Such was the case of one of my high school

friends who evolved into one of my heroes. Mike came from a relatively solid home life by CHS standards. His parents were still together and they had five children. Mike and his two brothers shared a bedroom in a two bedroom apartment with one sister sleeping in the hall, and I believe the other sister was out of the home.

Mike was probably the toughest person, both physically and mentally I have ever met. That is saying quite a lot. You had to be tough to make it in an inner city school in the early 70’s. During my lifetime, I had the pleasure of coaching football for 12 years in programs that sent over 20 football players to the professional ranks and not one of them has ever impressed me with their intestinal fortitude as did Mike. Please allow a few examples.

When Mike was junior in high school, a group of us were camping at a nearby lake. We

separated one evening when Mike met up with a girlfriend. As good friends, the rest of us faded into the sunset so Mike might be alone. The next morning, parents of some of the other group members arrived and asked us where Mike was. We did not know and assumed he had… well, you know what we assumed. It turned out Mike had been in a powerboat wreck. His girlfriend was severely injured, suffering brain damage and Mike had his nose torn off of his face. He still managed to maintain consciousness and aid the rescue of his girlfriend from the sinking boat as well as two other people in the boat. This was four weeks prior to the start of the football season. Mike required extensive plastic surgery to rebuild his face. He recovered and played in the first game, six weeks later! He was a good enough athlete to start on both offense and defense for CHS. However, during the first half of this game, he broke his leg. This was but a minor setback for Mike. Five games later, he had recovered and was able to play the remainder the season. To my knowledge, that was the only injury he ever received in organized athletics.

Mike went on to wrestle in the High School state tournaments and was perhaps the best

wrestler CHS ever had. While in the Navy he represented his brigade and eventually captained his University wrestling team while doing exceptionally well academically. He continued to build his professional resume and completed an MBA at the University of Colorado. Approximately 25 years later, Mike broke his back while snow skiing in whiteout conditions. Of course he healed

up in time to ski before all of the snow had melted. I make reference to Mike’s experiences while “making a long story longer” to illustrate the fact that this guy is no mere mortal. He was ultra tough, both physically and mentally and this same toughness probably saved his life. Does that peak your curiosity to read further?

At one point in his life, I thought Mike was the closest thing to a sociopath I had ever met. His

tough, self-centered attitude and focus on getting ahead seemed very anti-social. He seemed to live by the conceited credo: “If it did not benefit him it was unimportant”. In hindsight, I know I was quick to form opinions and this was one impression that has proved through time to be a poor assessment. Mike’s background and our school community influences shaped him just as they shaped me. His upbringing forced him to be mentally tough and this same mental toughness that drove him to succeed was probably misinterpreted by me. This toughness was not common to his brothers who have struggled with life’s challenges. Throughout his life this drive to succeed and mental toughness has served him well.

Mike has become a very successful businessman. He is the CEO of a multinational software

company and commands a significant salary. An interesting sidelight he shared with me about his success and the people he has hired illustrates his firm belief in mental toughness and how he perceived it is shaped. He searches for employees that have participated in extracurricular activities like intercollegiate athletics as a shaper of mental toughness. Mike looks for and gives preference to college graduates who have had experiences and challenges when hiring. A vast number of his employees competed in intercollegiate athletics and he usually gives those extra curricular experiences greater consideration when hiring. His justification for this stance is that employees who competed in college athletics have been knocked around, chewed out, won, lost, and got back up to continue the pursuit of success. While this opinion is not shared by all, I would expect nothing less from Mike.

Simply put: Mike is one of my heroes. The final segment of this story relates a fascinating

adventure he recently survived. But first, some background on wilderness medicine, outdoor leadership training and how it relates to this story.

Wilderness Medicine & Leadership Training

Outdoor Leadership Experiences provide an excellent laboratory to shape leaders through challenge and the development of mature judgment. The evolving field can be traced through Outward Bound (OB), National Outdoor School (NOLS), and the Wilderness Education Association (WEA) as the leading associations providing this training. The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) certifies and trains outdoor professionals in higher education. The WEA follows a standardized curriculum for training and education of students desiring careers in Outdoor Leadership. This program focuses on the hows and whys of teaching in outdoor settings and is Experiential Education at its finest. A similar provider of outdoor learning with more of a commercial focus is the National Outdoor School (NOLS). Programs with NOLS are not focused so much on teaching but on skill development. Outward Bound, the oldest of the three organizations, focuses on participant teamwork in problem solving for the overall success of the group.

All three organizations (NOLS, OB, WEA) require and provide for nationally recognized Wilderness Medicine courses for their instructors. The primary course is the Wilderness First Responder (WFR). This is a nationally standardized curriculum that focuses on backcountry medicine. The Wilderness First Responder is provided for people who may be employed in outdoor settings where the Golden Hour associated with normal emergency care may become a Golden Day due to the remoteness of location. Leadership positions in outdoor adventure programming activities like backpacking, canoeing, climbing, etc. all require current professionals to have this training. Training is intense and involves multiple scenarios and is truly experiential education.

Wilderness medicine providers are national in scope. Often a wilderness leadership program

will partner with a national wilderness (backcountry) medicine provider for courses. These wilderness medicine providers are nationally recognized entities like Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) and Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA). Another national provider, presented in the final segment of this document is the Wilderness Medical Institute (WMI) associated with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

The WFR was developed as result of a need by backcountry participants and has evolved with

the times and research into the expanding field. Backcountry medicine primarily involves minor problems like blisters, poison ivy and sunburn. However, when an emergency occurs, WFR trained students are able to respond and provide aid when needed. In the story that follows, Mike’s son Nick had recently completed the WFR training.

A Heartfelt Requiem

At this point you might ask, “How does all of the above tie together?" It is an eclectic mix and I think the best way to clarify this is illustrated by the letter below from Mike. Mike shared this letter with the author and gave permission for its use, while not really knowing how it would be utilized. After pondering the best way to present his letter, the present document resulted. I felt this was necessary to help the reader understand that this was not “just another climbing story”.

Dear Gary (NOLS Administrator),

Do you ever wonder how many of the skills that get taught in a NOLS course get put into practical use? Well in our case the “payback” was quick.

But first, thank you for your August 18 letter about my son Nick. It was gratifying to hear that he excelled in the NOLS 16 and 17 year old Rock Climbing in the Wind Rivers course. He came back really excited about the course, the staff, fellow climbers and even the food. He had the time of his life and said he would go back in a minute.

We encouraged Nick to attend the course for several reasons. We had always heard good feedback about NOLS and the positive impact a NOLS course can have on a young person’s life. We were most interested in Nick maturing and expanding his teamwork and leadership ability. I was also interested in Nick developing safe climbing skills. I am 53 and have been a recreational climber for over 25 years and in the last few years I have found true joy in being able to go out and climb with my son. Even though my skills have diminished over the years, being out on the rock is still a unique and rewarding experience. It was clear to me that Nick would soon be a much stronger and more aggressive climber then me, and that he needed good instruction in order to remain a safe climber.

What I didn’t anticipate was that the skills he learned in his climbing course would save my life less then 2 weeks after Nick returned from Lander.

Here is the story.

Shortly after Nick returned we planned a Sunday morning outing in Eldorado Canyon. We arrived early at Eldo on August 10^th wanting to get ahead of the weekend crowds and the threatening weather. Our goal was to climb an old favorite, The Bastille Crack, then if the weather held bag another classic. Because we were early we had the crack to ourselves but we were concerned about the dark clouds building to the west. Nick led the first 60 foot pitch and we decided to stop there and set a top rope and practice on a harder route, the Northcutt Start (10d), just to the East of the Bastille Crack while we assessed the weather. We each took a couple of turns top roping on The Northcutt then decided to climb the Bastille Crack despite the still unsettled weather. Nick was climbing better then I had ever seen and he was excited to climb a classic Boulder traditional route.

Nick took the first lead and as planned strung the first two pitches, about 165 feet, of the Bastille Crack together stopping at the 2^nd belay station where there is a good ledge to stand on and an old but solid fixed protection location to belay from. As always, I had “butterflies” in my stomach watching Nick lead. There has always been an internal debate for me about teaching my son to climb...do the many positive aspects of climbing outweigh the risks? Despite the slight reservation I loved to see him gracefully move up the steep classic crack. He looked down a couple of times with that big climber grin we get when every move is clicking and we feel invincible. “Yeah, I own this pitch”.

As I followed his lead I was pleased that Nick’s protection was well placed and had all stayed where he positioned it. I could tell the NOLS training had improved his protection placement skills. When I got to the belay point I was also satisfied to find Nick had clipped into the fixed protection but had also backed up the piton with a solid nut on one side, a solid cam on the other side and equalized all three with a cordellete. The belay anchor looked good and I complimented Nick on a job well done. He looked relaxed and confident.

We discussed whether I would lead the next pitch or let Nick continue to lead. I remember feeling tired and thinking maybe I should just let Nick carry on leading. Maybe I was tired from the top roping or just generally not in good shape. I hadn’t been climbing or training much that summer. But, I remember thinking this is only 5.7 and I had climbed this route many times so it shouldn’t be a problem even if I wasn’t in good form. Also I am sure in the back of my mind I didn’t want my 16 year old son to think the old man was losing his “mojo”. Anyway after a little good natured father son banter he passed me the rack and put me on belay.

I started up the next pitch and got a good piece of protection in about 6 or 8 feet above Nick. Then I moved up the vertical crack another 6 or 8 feet and put a small tri-cam in a horizontal crack. I remember thinking I didn’t like the way the piece looked but I already had my eye on another better placement another few feet up so I didn’t take the time to readjust, replace or backup the piece. I climbed another short section of the crack struggling a little but still focused on getting a good piece in since I was now 15 to 20 feet above Nick. As I was trying to place the new piece I was struggling to keep my left foot sticking on a good sized but down sloping ledge. I thought to myself be careful here that last piece wasn’t very good…”you can’t fall,” I told myself.

On the drive up to Boulder we were talking about the NOLS course Nick had just taken and I asked him what they said about taking a leader fall. He explained, they told him to fall “like a cat”. The last thing I remember before falling was yelling down to Nick to “watch me”. He responded back “don’t worry, I’ve got you dad”. Apparently I didn’t fall like a cat; but I still don’t remember anything about the fall. I must have come off the rock very awkwardly because the next thing I remember is regaining consciousness while lying upside down on the slab 10 feet below the belay ledge. I was looking straight down so the ground 160 feet below looked a long way down. I thought, “So this is what it is like to take a long leader fall”. The top piece did not hold but the first piece held, so I fell past Nick on the belay ledge and hit the deck after a 25-30 foot drop. Nick told me that he had yanked in a handful of rope and braced himself, when I fell, according to his NOLS instruction.

I heard Nick asking if I was alright and as soon as I had caught my breath and got some semblance of a clear head I started working to get myself right side up. My left arm and leg were not cooperating but I managed to hook the rope with my right arm and get myself upright. With help from Nick winching on the rope I got back up to the belay ledge.

Despite being rocked by catching my fall and nervous at seeing me hanging upside down, unconscious and bleeding from my head and arm wounds, Nick didn’t panic. He kept himself safe, and then he helped me get upright and safely back to the belay ledge where he tied me in securely. Step 1 was complete but we were still a long way from the ground and I was obviously injured.

We were discussing our rescue options when a local climber arrived to help. This was very useful because I had dropped the rack in my semi-conscience state, making gear limited. Nick administered some basic first aid. We knew that my arm was broken and I had been unconscious but we felt I was lucid enough to rappel down using the assisting climber’s rope with a back up belay on our rope. I put a good effort into the repel using my uninjured right hand but effectively Nick lowered me 165 feet to a waiting ambulance.

To say I am proud of Nick would be an understatement. His calmness, training and determination saved the day (and our lives). It should also be noted that despite this being planned as an easy outing we did have appropriate safety gear and were both wearing helmets (during the fall my helmet took a hard impact that certainly would have been devastating to me without a helmet). The outcome would have been much worse if Nick had not remembered his training, set up his belay properly and braced himself for the impact. Without Nick it would have been a fatal accident. He was a hero that day but credit also goes to Boulder climbing guide, Jack Roberts who had helped train Nick, his NOLS instructors and other climbers who have taught us safety and technique.

I had surgery that Sunday night at Avista Hospital in Boulder to repair an open fracture on my left arm. Monday afternoon I was transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver which has a world class orthopedic trauma unit. On Wednesday evening I had a 3 hour operation to repair multiple fractures of my pelvis (acetabulum). The operation installed a plate and 8 screws in the front of my pelvis and seems to have been a success. The following morning I was sitting up and eating breakfast.

However during the procedure surgeons detected another crack in the back of the pelvis that was inaccessible from the front side incision so I had to undergo another surgery Saturday morning to repair that fracture. In a CT scan post op it was discovered that there was a problem with the 2^nd pelvis repair so on Sunday night August 17 they reopened the rear incision to do a third surgery and installed a second and hopefully more solid plate.

So 4 surgeries under general anesthetic in 7 days is a new record for me, which I hope none of you will ever challenge. I expect a full recovery from all injuries and will be skiing this winter and doing some easy climbing next summer.

I hope this story is encouraging to the organizational leadership and course leaders of NOLS. I believe your training made a big difference on that day and will serve Nick well in the future. He later commented that more emphasis on rescue would be a good addition to the course. Please contact me if you would like additional information.

Mike

Conclusion and Author’s note

Just to clarify: As a result of the fall, Mike suffered a concussion and was unconscious for over five minutes. He suffered a compound lower arm fracture. He also had suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis (which eventually had to be rebuilt through the numerous surgeries). Upon regaining consciousness, he repelled 165 feet down a cliff face. One month after his surgeries, Mike suffered through a staff infection which set back his recovery. The fall happened in August of 2008. Mike was snow skiing again before years end, less than five months after the fall. Mike’s mental toughness undoubtedly helped him to survive and continues to be an inspiration. However, his son Nick’s training with both the Wilderness First Responder course and his experiential leadership training with NOLS probably saved his father’s life.

2-Nov-09 10:00 AM

JWEA Online: A place to publish for education and inspiration

briget eastep — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 GMT

The Journal of the Wilderness Education Association has gone through some significant changes in the past six months. All the changes made are intended to continue serving WEA members in a more efficient and productive manner. In the next few paragraphs I'd like to review the changes as well as remind WEA member of the JWEA's purpose, and how it's a great opportunity for publishing your experiences and ideas.

To begin, as you may have noticed, the JWEA is now online. This changes the process of submitting articles, but it also puts all articles into a searchable format on the WEA website. Instead of the editor collecting articles and then formatting them into the JWEA three times a year to be sent out to WEA members and constituents, the process is simpler and more immediate. To submit an article, go to JWEA on WEA's website and simply follow the posted directions under "click here to learn more about online submission". Once you submit an article a JWEA editor will edit it, determine its fit, and "activate" it, putting it live under "Current JWEA Articles." Twice a year articles will be digested into two editions: Fall (Deadline October 1) and Spring (Deadline April 1). A month before these deadlines solicitations for articles will occur - so be ready to share your experiences and knowledge. Moving the JWEA to this format will allow for more up to date articles and will make all articles available in topic searches.

Second, JWEA is now part of ERIC's bibliographic database. ERIC is under the Department of Education and will make JWEA articles available in ERIC's searchable database. This will increase the exposure and utility of JWEA and its authors. The Fall edition, Volume 21 Number 1, will be the first edition submitted to ERIC.

With these changes comes a responsibility for our members. Please contribute high quality articles that will benefit WEA's membership and the field of Outdoor Education. Articles can be educational and/or entertaining. The President and the National Office will continue to contribute their updates , but the meat of JWEA is the articles generated from our members and their students. In the Fall edition, we have articles to inspire us to think about what we do and how we do it. Paul Van Horn completes his three part sustainability series, Kristen McClay shares her experience as a student at Cal-Poly San Luis Ibispo, Erik Schlimmer challenges the industry's water treatment standard, and Jack Drury shares his Teton Dreams. All of these articles work to inspire us, challenge us to consider our practices, or add to our knowledge base. Ultimately, the JWEA is a non-peer reviewed opportunity for WEA members and students to contribute to our field's bibliographic record. Please contribute so that the JWEA may continue educate, challenge, and inspire. To those who have contributed, thank you.

30-Oct-09 12:00 PM

Towards True Sustainability: Overcoming the Effects of Consumerism in the Outdoor Field, Part III

Paul Van Horn — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:00:00 GMT

In the introduction to his iconic work in ecopsychology, Nature and Madness, Paul Shepard asks the question: “Why do men persist in destroying their habitat?” Although Shephard peered into the deep recesses of the human mind, I’d like approach the issue from the standpoint of more easily accessed mental processes. Two previous articles in this series have addressed the issue of how to reduce impacts related to consumerism in outdoor pursuits. While ideas for how to make changes and an understanding of the barriers to progress are critical to addressing the issue, actually making the commitment will require a serious look at our own motivations and thought processes. I’d like to suggest we consider some critical paradigm shifts that may help us think differently about the impacts we have on the planet.

Paradigm Shift #1: From Me to We. In other words, get over yourself. We must learn to temper our own desires with the knowledge that everything we do affects the broader ecosphere. This idea forms the basis of many foundational ideas in the sustainability movement, including the Hannover Principles and the Deep Ecology movement (Edwards, 2005). Yes, we should attend to our physical and mental health, and learn to love nature, but we have to do so with constant, rigorous attention to minimizing the impacts we create, and alter our behaviors accordingly.

Paradigm Shift #2: From Them to Me. We must learn to take direct responsibility for the impacts we create instead of trusting a faceless corporation to be green for us so we can conveniently continue business (and shopping) as usual. Make your gear, shop local, do without. If the piles of trash, toxic waste and petroleum (or even “earth-friendly” wind generators) we create through the outsourcing of our impacts began to accumulate in our yards, we’d likely begin to make changes fast.

Paradigm Shift #3: From More to Enough. Cultivate an attitude that what we need in life is abundant, and already at hand rather than an attitude of scarcity and endless desires. As Dan Hoffman, a student at Northland College points out, we must learn to get the job done with greater application of skill rather than more gadgets.

Paradigm Shift #4: From Consumer to Conserver and Producer. Learn to be a producer, or at least a “conserver” instead! Nothing else in a balanced system is merely a “consumer”. Junk and castoff or broken items should be seen as resources and opportunities. Make, give, conserve. Only take when necessary.

Paradigm Shift #5: From Hip to Enduring (or Even Classic!). Take pride in wearing old stuff and resist fashion trends. Today’s cool (or “hip”, “tight”, etc) gear will one day be a source of mirth and amusement, so why even try? Stick with what works!

Only by seriously rethinking our material approach to the outdoors (and everything else in our lives for that matter) will we truly begin to lessen our impact on the planet. We can’t buy our way out of environmental crisis, but we just might be able to think and act our way out. This will of course take discipline and effort to achieve. Laura and Guy Waterman offer this bit of encouragement:

“It is a dismal view of the public to say that we do not have the intelligence and the good conscience to adjust our consumption patterns to what are, in the long-term, the best interests of the human community and the biosphere on which it rests.”

They make it a point to place the responsibility for action squarely in the lap of the public:

“We shall get nowhere in this troubled world as long as we blame our troubles on the tiny minority of corporation executives, whose control over markets I grossly exaggerated, instead of recognizing the responsibility of the entire community to shape its consumption patterns in more environmentally responsible ways…Those who perceive the problem and are roused to do something about it bear a special responsibility. They are the ones who can rouse public consciousness, initiate the needed dialogue, and argue in the public debate for a more rational policy in the long-term, balanced best interests of all concerned. It is they who can speak for the trees” (Waterman, 1993).

It’s time to get serious about reducing our impact on this earth. We work hard to “leave no trace” on the trail. Isn’t it about time we give the same attention to the larger world? So cancel your next trip to the gear store, dust off that wool shirt from the 1970s, resole those leather boots, and hit the nearest trail. After all, the experience is what it’s really about!

References
Edwards, Andres. The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. New Society Publishers, Gabriola, Canada. 2005.

Hoffman, Dan. Personal Communication, December 5th, 2008.

Shepard, Paul. Nature and Madness. University of Georgia Press: Athens, Georgia. 1982.

Waterman, Laura and Guy. Wilderness Ethics: Preserving the Spirit of Wildness. The Countryman Press: Woodstock, VT. 1993

29-Oct-09 4:00 PM

Just Another Day in Class

Kristen McClay — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:00:00 GMT

California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo has a very well known motto, learn by doing. Classes at Cal Poly take a hands on approach to get students involved in their majors; they literally and physically become active within their field of study. The Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration Department offers a very unique class, RPTA 112: Parks and Outdoor Recreation. This class has two hours of lab and three hours of lecture each week. However, the lab is not a “typical” college science lab. Each week, the class of twenty-one students goes to a different park or outdoor setting to learn about a variety of activities. They learn about the outdoor area and activity by actually participating in the activity, like rock climbing, kayaking or trail maintenance. The class also learns about the company or park hosting the event.

Sea Kayaking Anyone?

Loading up my truck with my wetsuit and life jacket, my husband asked me, “Where are you going with that gear, I thought you had class?”

“I am going to class, but not at school. Today we’re going kayaking at San Simeon State Park,” I happily responded.

As I drove up the Pacific Coastal Highway to our class’s meeting point, I couldn’t help but notice the foreboding, grey rain clouds above. Oh well, we’re going to be getting wet anyways.

Our class was going on a kayaking tour with Todd from Sea for Yourself Kayaks at William R. Hearst Memorial State Beach. There were about twelve other students and our teacher, Dr. Goldenberg going on the excursion. Todd made sure everybody was properly outfitted with a life jacket and wetsuit. We all helped each other out, pulling up wetsuits and zipping up the backs. Then, we picked our boats and Todd spent a few minutes going over safety issues and the layout of the tour. We also learned about his business and the partnership he has with the state park.

Some of us were in tandem kayaks, while the rest were in singles. We all carried our kayaks down to the water and Todd helped us push through the surf. Everybody successfully made it through the waves; we were off on our journey!

We navigated around the pilings from the pier; a few accidentally tipped their kayaks over. We looked for sea otters, had splash fights, and talked about the amazing cove.

Then, it began to rain. And it continued to rain throughout the rest of our journey. The wonderful thing was nobody cared. We were too enthralled with paddling through caves, learning about the former whaling harbor, and watching the cormorants and pelicans dive bomb into the water looking for food. We sat in the rain watching the seals, feeling slightly nervous at their large, yellow teeth.

We concluded our trip by riding a wave in, surfing with our kayaks. Boats and paddles went everywhere. Luckily, the waves were small and the water was only knee deep. The rain kept coming down as we changed on shore into our dry clothes. But everybody couldn’t quit smiling as we splashed through the muddy parking lot to our cars. What a great day in class, I wish we could do this every week. Oh wait, we do!

29-Oct-09 2:00 PM

Presidents Report

CHRIS PELCHAT — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Hello Affiliates and WEA members,

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful fall. Things have been very busy within the association. The Board of Trustees has been sailing through the WEA strategic plan for two years now and are very pleased about the progress that is being made.

http://www.weainfo.org/attachments/wysiwyg/1/WEAStrategicPlan.pdf

There are many changes they are getting ready implement within the association starting January 1^st , 2010. We are extremely excited about the how these initiatives will mold the association and our profession.

It is important as members of the WEA to be abreast of these changes and inform yourself to how these impacts will affect you as a Certified Outdoor Leader, an Instructor, and an Affiliate. This is the time to take the initiative to read all the documents thoroughly and ask questions to better clarify the direction we are moving.

Some of the critical changes are below:

The WEA is no longer a course provider

As a WEA member it is important to note that the standard language of WEW, WSP, NSP, PSC, etc. no longer exists. What is still in place is Outdoor Leader Certification. The Board believes that this move will allow for more academic freedom for organizations to build better Outdoor Leader preparation programs giving the association a more diverse constituency from which we can draw best practices from. Affiliates will no longer be bound by specific course structures but by student learning outcomes.

The WEA is now the Accreditation body for Outdoor Leadership Preparation Programs

Although accreditation is not new to the WEA, the way in which we conduct the accreditation process is. We are now requiring a thorough pre-application, which will be reviewed by the Accreditation Counsel for accreditation suitability. Upon acceptance the applicant will conduct a thorough self study. Once the self study is complete it will be reviewed by the Accreditation Counsel. At that point the Counsel will determine the applicants accreditation status. Affiliates will submit annual reports and be reviewed every five years. After the first five year period a site visit will be part of the review. This will be the only mandatory site visit during the accreditation period unless the Counsel request additional visits. For more information on this process and to be apart of the Accreditation Manual review visit (http://www.weainfo.org/member-benefits-details/). We currently have several affiliates going through this process to pilot the manual and provide feedback to the association.

The move to this style of accreditation frees the affiliates from having to submit the majority to the course paperwork to the association. Affiliates will be responsible for quarterly rosters and the rest of the course paperwork will be kept in house for possible review in a style that is suitable for the Affiliate. This also frees up the National Office. Currently more than 50% of the National Office time is spent on course paperwork, which generates no positive revenue for the association. This time will now be allocated to member retention in the hopes to bolster our revenue.

This move was also encouraged by our legal counsel that we sought over the past year. The IU Non-Profit Legal Clinic spent a few months reviewing the operations of the association and the intent to become and accreditating body. They looked at all aspects of the association and did a comparative analysis of comparable organizations to look at the association’s liability exposure. They determined that our current strategic plan was in our best interest and gave us some points to consider as we move forward. This was a very helpful analysis and the IU Non-Profit Legal Clinic should be commended for their work.

The Accreditation process was designed using the standards set forth by the US Department of Education’s guidelines for Specialized Accrediting Agencies. Our hope is to apply for recognition by the US Department of Education within a few years. We believe that this status will greatly assist our non-academic organizations to provide financial assistance to the students in their programs.

Certification is now provided by the Affiliate

This is a very important change. Outdoor Leadership Certification is now awarded through the affiliate. The certification will have the WEA accredited seal on the certification. Once the certification is awarded by the affiliate it is then handed over to the association for continued maintenance via the International Registry of Outdoor Leaders (IROL). The National Office will then begin to track Continuing Education for our Certified Outdoor Leaders in the IROL. The intent of this change is to provide a service to WEA members that is valuable to them as emerging and current professionals and will bolster member retention. In the coming months a Certification Manual is going to be produced and put up for review by the membership. This manual will more thoroughly outline this process.

The road to Certification has changed

Certification has historically been offered at the end of a course to successful graduates. While this is still an option for affiliates the structure has been modified to allow for greater flexibility. Certification is now awarded based on the evaluation of a student portfolio of collected assessments. The Board is currently working with an E portfolio provider to build a system from which these evaluations can happen. This now means that students can work towards Outdoor Leader Certification over an extended period of time and even work with multiple Affiliates to complete different Core Competencies.

The Board believes that this will greatly expand the types of course offerings Affiliates will be able to provide and will encourage students to seek a more diverse experience. It will also allow non traditional students the possibility to work at smaller pieces of it at a time rather than devoting a month straight in the field.

The route to become an Instructor has Changed

Instead of apprenticing a single WEA course and applying for Instructorship to the Standards Committee, the road to becoming listed as an Instructor in the IROL will be shifting. To be listed as an Instructor in the IROL you have to be able to demonstrate several things. The first is acquisition of professional work experience in the field. The second is training and competency in assessment and evaluation of each of the six core competencies. The training and assessment of instructors including their recommendation for Instructor status in the IROLwill be provided by Affiliates that are accredited to our newly developed Instructor Accreditation tier. This new process will also include a path for folks with past experience to challenge their experience against the certification standards and be assessed with out having to go through the traditional instructor training hoops that are often redundant and costly.

The Board believes that these changes are critical for the WEA to provide a platform from which to continue professionalizing the outdoor leadership industry. From the individual portfolios in the IROL, to providing flexible opportunities for curriculum coverage and field time at the Institutional Level, the pieces of the puzzle fit together to allow the future outdoor leadership professionals a more identifiable path to become involved with the WEA, and ultimately begin sustainable accredited programs in a more effectively and comprehensively than we have been able to do in the past.

It is critical that you as a member stay abreast of the changes in the association on multiple fronts. First it will help you stay current with what the association is doing. The WEA has been moving quite well over the past few years and we hope to keep the ball rolling. The second and most important reason to stay breast of the changes is because we would like as much feedback as possible. It is important for the board and the association to hear the questions of the membership so please post to our forums as they come up and let us know what your thinking. Thanks for your time and patience as we make these transitions.

Chris Pelchat

Wilderness Education Association, President

28-Oct-09 4:00 PM

National Office Update

National Office WEA — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:00:00 GMT

September marked the beginning of Mallory's second year working in the National Office. We are lucky to have such a dedicated hard working individual doing so much good work for the WEA! We are glad to have her around for another year to provide support for our organization. This fall marked the beginning of my fifth year working for the WEA. It has been an amazing journey and I have watched the Association come a long way. I am excited to continue to be a part of where the WEA is going in the coming year.

There are always more projects and ideas running around this office than we have time to do, so I'll share with you some of the most recent developments.

You may have read in the most recent Member Access News that the WEA National Office is moving. It sounds very dramatic, but we are only moving across campus. We're packing up our office and unpacking in Eigenmann Hall where we will have a new, larger office space in conjunction with the brand new (and HUGE) space that IU Outdoor Adventures has acquired. We aren't sure when the move will happen, and we don't know what our new address will be, but we will post it on the website as soon as we know more!
The Inaugural issue of the JOREL is available. Subscribe today! (Members, don't forget, you get a subscription discount!)
Membership Welcome letters are also going to be seeing a facelift. We are constantly making efforts to reduce our use of paper in the National Office. Now when you renew your membership with the WEA you will recieve a postcard heralding the news of your recently renewed membership along with how to access all of your membership benefits on the website.
We also consolodated the membership pages on the website. Now you can access news, discounts and information all in one place. If you are a member, access the new membership information page today (and let us know what you think)!
Regarding the conference, the Professional Ropes Course Association has teamed up with the WEA for the 2nd year in a row to Co-host the 2010 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. We are excited to be offering a wide variety of workshops and presentations to folks in February. With Estes Park, CO as our backdrop, we are looking forward to a great event! Details are being added to the website almost daily!
If you are interested in where the WEA Accreditation is moving, we encourage you to review the Accreditation Manual and provide feedback. The document and discussion forum are currently open so check them out (available to members only). The first six Affiliates are moving through the Self Study program right now and we are looking forward to brining more Affiliates through the program in 2010.
Call for Proposals for the conference is open till November 16th. Be sure to submit your workshop proposal for the conference soon!
Been doing research regarding Outdoor Leadership? Present at the 2010 Outdoor Leadership Research Symposium! Submissions are due November 1st!

This fall we will continue to make plans and arrangements for the conference in February. We look forward to seeing you all there! It will be a great place to learn about the WEA, the PRCA, get involved, learn, present, and network with professionals and students (they are the future you!)

Exciting things are happening and we are always looking for committed individuals to get involved. Feel free to drop the National Office a line if you are interested in joining a committee or would like to get involved in another way!

Happy Fall!

Mary Williams - Executive Director

PS. Mallory is currently training for her first ever marathon in December. Feel free to send her notes of encouragement, and virtual high fives because she is putting in some serious mileage!

26-Oct-09 3:00 PM

Talking out loud. [Review of Outdoor experiential leadership: Scenarios describing incidents, dilemmas, and opportunities.]

DENE BERMAN — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Talking Out Loud

BOOK REVIEW

Outdoor Experiential Leadership:

Scenarios Describing Incidents, Dilemmas, and Opportunities

Book Reviewed by Dene Berman

Smith, T. and Allison, P. (2006). Outdoor experiential leadership: Scenarios describing incidents, dilemmas, and opportunities. Tulsa, OK: Learning Unlimited Publications. 370 pages. ISBN 1-4276-0746-X

With the view that outdoor leaders are teachers, Petzoldt (1984) discussed the process of teaching outdoor leadership skills. To make quality judgments, Petzoldt stressed that students should be encouraged to learn the whys of outdoor pursuits by making decisions, asking and answering questions, and following “the teacher’s thought process” (Petzoldt, 1984, p. 54).

Consistent with Petzoldt’s approach to leadership training, Smith and Allison have compiled a compendium of 64 thought provoking outdoor scenarios that involve “value-based decisions, dilemmas, critical judgments, and interactions problems” (p. 4). An example is Scenario 18, “Frosty Trip” in which two outdoor leaders of an early winter canoe trip are unable to decide whether to cancel the trip or head off downstream.

All of the scenarios were sent out to reviewers for their comments and questions. The list of reviewers is an impressive array of leaders in outdoor education. Comments on “Frosty Trip” included thoughts concerning hypothermia, starting fires with wet wood, the goals of the trip, clothing selection, the weather, and the difficulties of co-leadership.

Similarly, each scenario is followed by a list of questions asked by the reviewers. For the “Frosty Trip” scenario, questions posed to the reader ranged from the practical (“Should a group always take some fuel-fed camp stoves along?”) to the theoretical (“On what basis can one line of action be considered as more ‘conservative’ than another?”). The beauty of this book is that one can reflect on these situations without having to have lived through them. Thus, one need not face hypothermia in order to reflect on the “Frosty Trip” scenario.

Two potential issues concerning this volume are noteworthy. The first concerns the intended audience for this volume. It is purportedly a training guide for classes, training programs, and group discussions. It is also intended to be a tool for individual reflection. To pose such questions as this book does: Is it best suited for classes or training programs? For groups or individuals? There is some contradiction, however, when the authors later state that the book is “to stimulate reflective thought and peer group discussion” (p. 6).

The second issue to be raised relates to the amount of experience that one needs in order to get the most out of these scenarios. As the authors state, there are no right or wrong answers for most of the scenarios and, furthermore, there are sometimes contradictory comments from different reviewers for the same scenario. To arrived at informed responses to these scenarios, readers should have at least a basic foundation in outdoor education to sort out their own resolution of the dilemmas. Thus, it would seem that at least some basic familiarity with the pursuits and experiences described will put readers in the best position to grow from considering the scenarios.

Combining these two issues, peer group discussion and individuals with at least minimal experience, leads to the recommendation that this volume will be of most value for training purposes, perhaps for students studying outdoor education. Further, in the footsteps of Paul Petzoldt, these scenarios are best considered in the presence of an experienced instructor who can help students see that while there may be no right answers, there are some answers that are better than others. The presence of such an experienced instructor allows students to ask their own questions to experts rather than only focusing on answering questions that experts have posed to them in this volume.

References

Cassidy, K. (1995). Introduction. In P. Petzoldt, Teton tales and other Petzoldt anecdotes. Merrillville, IN: ICS Books.

Petzoldt, P. (1984). The new wilderness handbook. New York, NY: Norton.

Wagstaff, M. & Cashel, C. (2001). Paul Petzoldt's perspective: The final 20 years. Journal of Experiential Education, 24 (3), 160-165.

Dene Berman, Ph.D., is a psychologist in practice at Lifespan Counseling Associates in Dayton, Ohio and a Clinical Professor at the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University. Email: dene.berman@wright.edu

16-Oct-09 9:00 AM

Teton Dreams

JACK DRURY — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Among those attending were Gary Anderson an aspiring community college instructor in southern California, Jack Drury an aspiring community college instructor from the Adirondack Park in New York State, Scott Lewis a recent graduate of Springfield College, Jeff Olson a soon to be graduate student at Western Illinois University, Mitch Sakofs a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado and Mark Webber a farmer from Iowa. This past summer this group planned a 30^th reunion back in Driggs. Due to last minute family issues Scott Lewis, now the Director of the Williams College Outing Club and Mark Webber were unable to make the trip.

So in early August Gary Anderson, Jeff Olson, Mitch Sakofs and I celebrated one of the first WEA courses at the Forest Service campground at the end of the Teton Canyon road not far from where we set up a tyrolean traverse 30 year earlier.

Gary, now a fifth grade teacher in Vista, CA, arrived early hauling a pop-up trailer. Mitch, Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State University and his son Kevin came in next and spent a couple of days exploring Yellowstone NP and Craters of the Moon. My wife Phyliss and I came in the night of August 6^th and on the 7^th the five of us took the Grand Targhee chairlift to the top of Fred’s Mountain. Phyliss took the chairlift down while the rest of us hiked the 8 miles back to camp exploring our old haunts.

Jeff, currently the Executive Director of Confidence Learning Center in Minnesota joined us the next day for a hike up towards Alaska Basin and the devil’s staircase. We saw three moose on the way and Jeff had an encounter with a bear. Evenings were spent around the campfire enjoying Phyliss’ cooking and catching up on our lives and reminiscing about our adventures 30 years earlier.

We put on lots of miles in the backcountry but also explored downtown Driggs. Driggs of course had changed more than the mountains. It has become quite the little tourist town and second home community. (With lots of mortgage defaults to go with it) We stopped by the old “Petzoldt” lodge which is now owned by a Thomas Sneed. (The old log cabin frame that was never finished is long gone.) Thomas is a fascinating guy. He is an avid outdoorsman (we saw Paul’s Teton Guidebook on the table) and professional musician. He played mandolin on the soundtracks to the movies, “Brother Where Art Thou” and “Cold Mountain”. He seemed genuinely pleased to hear our stories and to receive a CD of pictures we had of the lodge in 1978.

On our last day in Teton Canyon Jeff and Phyliss went to the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival while Gary and I hiked the 14 miles up to Table Top Mountain and back. We finally said our goodbyes to Gary and Phyliss, Jeff and I headed to Jackson while Gary headed home. We stayed two nights in a very nice cabin in downtown Jackson. Jeff left after the first night while Phyliss and I played tourist for a second night having a drink at the Cowboy Bar and dinner at Billy’s. Thoughts of what Jackson must have been like during the years that Paul Petzoldt made Jackson his home danced in our heads.

From there Phyliss and I headed up to Yellowstone NP to meet friends from Saranac Lake. We spent four days exploring Yellowstone (with many fond memories of a one-month long winter trip I took in Yellowstone in 1974) and then headed up to Montana where we spent 10 days retracing a portion of Lewis and Clark’s route on the Missouri River.

Little did those aspiring outdoor leaders know in 1978 that among them you would someday find; four WEA instructors with experience teaching courses from New York to Alaska and from Canada to Mexico, three former WEA Board Members, two community college instructors, one WEA President, a Director of Research and Education for Outward Bound National Headquarters, the Executive Director of one of the largest year-round outdoor education and recreation centers for persons of all ages with developmental disabilities, and a fifth grade school teacher. All of them with a passion for the outdoors and feeling lucky for the summer they got to spend with Paul Petzoldt.

15-Apr-09 9:00 AM

Giardia Myth-Buster: How Hearsay and Anecdotal Evidence has Created a False Industry Standard

Erik Schlimmer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Now, there is no denying hot meals are soothing, cotton kills, good things come in small packages, and camping during bug season is cruel and unusual punishment. But, has Giardia really infested our water sources? Ask this question to nearly any outdoor educator and you will receive a harried, "Oh, yes it has!" However, to the above question I calmly answer, "No, it has not." I teach a curriculum that embraces drinking straight from the source.

Why do I veer from the educators that teach an "industry standard" of treating literally every drop of backcountry water? Because I’ve done my homework (and they have not). The supporting evidence for not treating backcountry water breaks down into five logical, myth-busting arguments that will encourage educators to rewrite unproven curriculum.

Safety in (lack of) numbers

Despite popular belief in professional circles, water sources are not crawling with Giardia, as proven by a 1984 examination of nearly seventy Sierra Nevada water sources. This research project performed by the United States Geological Survey and California Department of Public Health drew two interesting conclusions.

First, data showed that more than 55 percent of high-use sources and nearly 85 percent of low-use sources had zero Giardia cysts.

Secondly, of those sources that did have cysts present, the amount was ridiculously low – nowhere near enough to make you sick (you need to ingest approximately twenty viable cysts to develop giardiasis). As a portion of this study nearly 1,000 gallons of water were filtered from ten different sources. Fewer than 150 Giardia cysts were found. On average, you would have to drink 132 gallons of untreated Sierra Nevada water in 24 hours to get giardiasis (assuming every cyst was viable, which is highly unlikely).

If you demand more recent research, look no further than Backpacker's "What's in the Water?" This nine-page assessment of backcountry sources appeared in their December 2003 issue. Using the services of Biovir Laboratories, Backpacker collected three samples from seven sources during the spring and summer of that same year. The results of their study follow.

Source Giardia found? Viable cysts found?

Greenwater River, WA No No

Renard Lake, WI No No

White Pine Lake, UT No No

Neversink River, NY Yes, one sample No

West Beaver Creek, AZ Yes, one sample No

Merced River, CA Yes, two samples No

Chattooga River, NC Yes, two samples Undetermined

Seventy-one percent of their samples were void of any Giardia cysts and the most polluted had only 0.8 per liter. Even in the extreme unlikelihood of all cysts being viable in this most-polluted sample, you would still have to drink more than one liter per hour for 24 hours to become a victim of giardiasis.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) maintains trends presented by these 1984 and 2003 studies. As part of their comprehensive Cryptosporidium and Giardia Monitoring Program, the DEP annually publishes results of their searches for Giardia. During their most recent testing, from January 7, 2008 to December 29, 2008, the DEP collected 164 fifty-liter samples of untreated water from the outlets of their Kensico and New Croton Reservoirs and examined these samples for Giardia. Their results are below.

Collection point Average Giardia cysts per fifty liters

Kensico Reservoir

CATLEFF 2.1

DEL18 1.7

New Croton Reservoir

CRO1B 2.5

CRO1T 1.2

CRO183 4.0

CROGH 0.2

Thirty percent of their samples had absolutely no Giardia cysts. When cysts were present, there were fewer than two per fifty liters. Consuming this average, you would have to drink 136 gallons to get giardiasis. Additionally, the DEP cautions that cysts were not necessarily viable. Referencing the Backpacker study above, it is likely that few, if any, cysts were viable in the DEP samples.

It is important to note DEP sampling did not take place in the backcountry – these reservoirs are about as frontcountry as you can get. New Croton Reservoir is 20 miles from New York City. Kensico Reservoir, 15 miles. Both are located in Westchester County, which has a population of nearly one million people and an average population density exceeding 800 residents per square mile.

Myth busted: Giardia is prevalent in backcountry water.

Are you sure it wasn’t the sushi?

On many occasions leaders have told me they acquired giardiasis on a backpacking trip. A fellow faculty member drank one cup of untreated water and attributed these scant eight ounces to her debilitating gastrointestinal cramps. Another colleague drank one quart of untreated water and blamed this for his nausea. With such self-diagnosis I usually ask, "So, your doctor told you you had giardiasis?" The answer invariably is, "No… I mean, I didn’t get tested – but I’m sure it was Giardia!" However, these people have no grounds for assuming they had giardiasis.

Time and time again self-diagnosis perpetuates the Giardia myth. Chris Townsend, famed European long-distance hiker and mountaineer, reveals in The Backpacker’s Handbook, "People who tend to get a gut disorder tend to blame Giardia in the water because they’ve been warned about it, even though the cause is probably not either Giardia or the water."

Robert Rockwell, Ph.D., in his "Giardia Lamblia and Giardiasis," agrees: "The diarrhea being blamed on Giardia from that climbing trip a week ago may instead be due to some spoiled food eaten last night or [bacteria] in undercooked chicken four days ago." Steven Zell, MD, FACP, feels the medical community is chronically misdiagnosing by "empirically treating [wilderness-acquired diarrhea] cases for giardiasis without demanding laboratory confirmation."

Myth busted: If you get sick after a backpacking trip, it’s because you have giardiasis.

Disregard nonobjective parties

One water filter company’s advertisement warns, "No water sources should be considered safe to drink without treatment." These companies have a vested interest in selling their products and only benefit from spreading unfounded rumor. Federal and state agencies fear the L word: lawsuit. Townsend, in The Backpacker’s Handbook, reports, "To cover themselves, land managers generally advise people that all water needs treating."

Dr. Thomas Welch, MD, a Wilderness Education Association instructor and Giardia expert, feels aggressive trailhead postings are uncalled for. In a 1997 issue of Adirondac, he writes, "Upon passing any of the busy entrances to the [Adirondack] High Peaks on a summer day, one could easily get the idea he or she was coming into an area whose water quality approximates that of Bangladesh."

Dr. Fred Darvill Jr., MD, agrees in Medicine for Mountaineering: "Frantic alarms about the perils of giardiasis have aroused exaggerated concern about this infestation. Governmental agencies, particularly the U.S. Park Service and the National Forest Service, have filtered hundreds of gallons of water, found one or two organisms (far less than enough to be infective), and erected garish signs proclaiming the water 'hazardous.'"

From coast-to-coast, hiking clubs have been duped by land managers, proclaiming drinking untreated water as dangerous as sword swallowing. With five simple words the Finger Lakes Trail Association makes their warning clear as a mountain stream: "Purify all water you use." Terrifyingly fit for a horror movie, the Adirondack Mountain Club foretells, "It's a disease you won't ever forget if you contract it, and, if you have, you won't want to undergo it a second time." The Tahoe Rim Trail Association recommends treating water that was proven safe by the 1984 study: "Be sure to avoid drinking any untreated water in the Sierra Nevada" because “water sources are not fit for human consumption…”

Outdoor education programs across the country blindly "manage risk" by preaching familiar caution: treat all your water or suffer the (gastrointestinal) consequences. However, an important question remains: what are they basing these warnings on? Though I have been looking since 2006, I have been unable to find a single study that shows backcountry water is unsafe for consumption.

Myth busted: Interested parties report the facts about Giardia.

The real culprits

Roland Mueser, author of Long Distance Hiking, completed a study that became the core of his book in 1989. He hiked the Appalachian Trail and during his pilgrimage he asked thru-hikers a smattering of questions, from how many miles-per-day they averaged to if they smoked. Two questions he asked that most pertain to this article were if the thru-hikers treated their water and if they experienced gastrointestinal illness during their hike.

Mueser made contact with 136 thru-hikers. Some of them boiled their water, some used a chemical treatment, some used a filter, and some did not treat their water at all. In each of these four groups, approximately one-quarter suffered gastrointestinal illness, no matter their treatment of choice (including no treatment at all). Mueser's data follows.

How often they treated their water Percent who became ill

Always 21%

Usually 28%

Sometimes 29%

Never 20%

As Mueser deduces in Long Distance Hiking, "It seems probable that some systematic explanation for gastrointestinal illness [lies] beyond the simple water-purification process…" Mueser was right: the thru-hikers were not getting sick from the water. Further literature reveals these backpackers suffered food-borne illnesses due to not properly washing their utensils and dishes. They also became infected with protozoan and bacterium by not washing their hands often.

Addressing hikers who commonly suffer food-borne illnesses, I recommend backpackers wash all utensils, pots, bowls, and mugs each day. Better yet, outdoor programs should adopt the "one pot system." My students each carry one pot, one lid, and one spoon into the field. That's it. Students choose meals that require boiling water. By boiling water in their pot each day and eating out of it rather than a bowl, they ensure their pot is disinfected most of the time.

To ensure you and your students do not become victims of a food-borne illness, adhere to the following ten golden rules of the backcountry kitchen.

1. Institute the one pot system.

2. Cook food thoroughly.

3. Choose meals that require boiling water.

4. Do not eat leftovers.

5. Dispose of spoiled food.

6. Wash all utensils, pots, bowls, and mugs often.

7. Let all in #6 air-dry completely.

8. Clean the threads of your water bottles.

9. Choose foods with long shelf lives.

10. Further educate yourself on food-borne illnesses.

Addressing hikers who do not wash their hands often, our hands are perhaps the most common vector for spreading disease in the backcountry. In The Backcountry Classroom, author Jack Drury, former director of North Country Community College’s Wilderness Recreational Leadership program and past president of the Wilderness Education Association, quotes Dr. Thomas Welch, reporting, "In the United States, the vast majority of cases of giardiasis are caused by hand-to-mouth spread… No studies have shown that consumption of backcountry water in North America is an important cause of this disease."

Contributing authors of The Backcountry Classroom offer a reminder in bold print as part of their Water Treatment chapter, announcing, "The number one priority in maintaining health in the outdoors (in case we haven’t made it clear yet): wash your hands – wash your hands – wash your hands." To remain disease-free in the backcountry, a bottle of hand sanitizer will always go further than a filter.

To ensure you do not spread – or become a victim of – sickness in the backcountry, employ these ten golden rules of personal hygiene.

1. If you are sick, let your campmates know.

2. If you are sick, stay out of the kitchen.

3. If you are very sick, tent and cook alone.

4. If you are wicked sick, go home.

5. If you cough or sneeze, do so into your elbow.

6. Do not reach into others’ food bags.

7. Do not share utensils, pots, bowls, or mugs.

8. Avoid outhouses if possible.

9. Keep your fingers out of your mouth.

10. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer often, especially after using the bathroom and

before food preparation.

Myth busted: Untreated water is the primary source of illness in the backcountry.

Lab rats don’t lie

Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Perhaps many of you are daring, "Well, Schlimmer, if the water is so safe, why don’t you go out there and drink a hundred quarts of untreated water?" I’m way ahead of you (and so are a lot of other hikers). In June 2006 I read the studies and firsthand accounts mentioned throughout this article. Since then I have not treated my water. Here is a chronicle of my experiences.

Location Quarts consumed

Adirondack Forest Preserve, NY 90

Catskill Forest Preserve, NY 60

Lake Tahoe Basin, CA/NV 30

Chugach National Forest, AK 20

Denali State Park, AK 20

White Mountain National Forest, NH 20

Paper company lands, ME 15

Great Smoky Mtns. National Park, NC 10

That’s 265 quarts (and counting) of untreated backcountry water. I have shown no signs of giardiasis. A correspondent with the hiking club Adirondack Forty-Sixers affirms I am just "extremely lucky;" by chance, picking scores of Giardia-free sources across seven states. If it is luck, it is luck unheard of considering most outdoor educators teach that one drop of untreated water will make you sick.

Others claim I possess a different form of luck. After reading I drank hundreds of quarts of untreated water, Tony Goodwin, director of Adirondack Trail Improvement Society and editor of Adirondack Trails: High Peaks Region, theorized I was "one of the lucky ones," assuming I was asymptomatic. His assumption was incorrect. In the mid-1990’s I was debilitated by giardiasis, confirmed by examination of a stool sample. Ironically, this was when I was treating all my water per industry standard (I was an impressionable outdoor education student at the time).

"So," you may ask, "how did Erik Schlimmer contract giardiasis in the 1990’s?" To quote Robert Rockwell: "The bad news: Giardia Lamblia is almost everywhere." Giardiasis infections have been traced to public swimming pools, day care centers, public restrooms, facilities that cater to mentally handicapped persons, unsafe sexual practices, municipal water sources, and food sources, among other sites and practices. No evidence suggests giardiasis blossoms from backcountry water.

Lastly, some claim that since I contracted giardiasis I have become "immune" to this illness. However, no study has proven hikers are able to build post-infection immunity, especially after one bout. Rockwell mentions in "Giardia Lamblia and Giardiasis" that merely "some evidence suggests that some people acquire a natural immunity to some strains."

Therefore, after experimenting on myself and becoming wholly convinced of Giardia’s absence in backcountry water, I empowered outdoor education students and instructors. Since May 2008 I have distributed articles cited above and let them decide: to treat or not to treat? So far, no student or instructor who has chosen to not treat their water has contracted giardiasis. Here is my data from field courses.

Date Location Participants Quarts consumed

May 2008 Adirondack Forest Preserve, NY 7 105

Sept. 2008 Adirondack Forest Preserve, NY 10 110

May 2009 Adirondack Forest Preserve, NY 6 60

July 2009 Denali State Park, AK 2 22

After witnessing the above 35 participants collectively drink 495 quarts of untreated water unscathed, I moved beyond the outdoor education community and posted an announcement on two popular Internet hiking forums, "seeking people who usually do not treat their backcountry water." There was no shortage of interest. One forum logged more than 1,600 views with 42 responses. The other forum recorded more than 3,100 views with 83 responses. I received no shortage of mail proving other people drink untreated water and remain healthy.

The first respondent was Tyler, a 20-year-old outdoor recreation student from Schenectady, NY. Tyler presented an organized list of more than thirty water sources throughout the Adirondack Forest Preserve that he drank from with no ill effects. "At least fifty gallons overall," he said, taken "from lowland lakes to high mountain springs." Tyler’s no-treat approach started as an experiment – paralleling my own experience – he and his father took on. "We were talking about how we thought it was B.S.; all the talk of Giardia," he recalled. Their experiment started by drinking "an entire [quart] of untreated water." Neither fell ill. They decided to continue their experiment and "haven't treated any water for the last two years." Tyler and his father feel just fine.

Bill, a 45-year-old hiker from Southwick, MA, reported, "I've been hunting and backpacking all over New England since I was old enough to tag along with my father. I have never treated my drinking water and never suffered any ill effects."

Ryman, a 31-year-old long-distance hiker and peakbagger from Jackson, NH, is a former U.S. Forest Service trail crew leader who finds the idea of not treating water "brilliant." In 2008 and 2009 Ryman completed more than a dozen day hikes and a half dozen camping trips in New England. He drank straight from streams and has shown no giardiasis symptoms.

New York City resident, Paul, wrote, "I've been hiking and backpacking in the Catskills regularly for more than 35 years and have never treated my water, nor do my three kids. And, we have never been sick." Paul’s friend, who uses a filter, never drinking straight from sources, theorized Paul was just "lucky." But Paul rhetorically asked, "For 35 years straight?"

Sue, from Colorado, feels Giardia has not infested American waters. She revealed, "Having hiked and backpacked lots over the past twenty years, including [traverses of] the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, Wonderland Trail, and the New Hampshire 48 4,000-footers twelve times, I have never been sick due to drinking untreated water."

34-year-old Paul, also from Colorado, figures he drank "at least 500 gallons" of untreated water during thru-hikes of the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails. He did not contract giardiasis.

Lastly, when a brief version of this article appeared I received an unsolicited note from Ray, a 58-year-old resident of Otsego County, New York State. Ray reported, "In all the hiking I did in the Catskills, I drank loads and loads of water from the mountain springs and I never got ill even once." In the township of Springfield, Ray had visited Crystal Spring most often. "I hauled about eight gallons a week for three years from that spring. I drank or cooked with all of it," he recalled. To spare you the calculation, Ray gathered 1,248 gallons (nearly 5,000 quarts!) and never got sick. However, Ray did boil some of that water. But even if he drank only forty percent of his Crystal Spring water straight, he managed to ingest 500 gallons and not get sick.

To summarize, I have chronicled the experiences of 46 individuals who have collectively drank well in excess of 2,000 gallons of untreated water and have not acquired giardiasis. If this is all luck, as some claim, it is an amazing 35-year-long stroke of luck, year-round, from Maine to California, mountain springs to enormous lakes, the 1960’s to present day, in individuals ranging from children to senior citizens who have, combined, covered literally tens of thousands of miles of terrain.

Myth busted: If you drink untreated water, you’ll get giardiasis.

Why?

The final issue is "Why?" Why should we rewrite curriculums that teach water sources are permeated with Giardia?

First, we can be doing better things with our classroom time. Instead of taking an entire period to discuss filters, purifiers, chemicals, and steripens in paranoid tones, that time can be used to discuss effective communication, for example, the most important skill a leader needs but the number one skill students lack.

Secondly, we can be doing better things with our field time. Instead of pumping gallons of water streamside each day, we can take those moments to discuss local flora and fauna, complete a map check, or care for our feet, all the while enjoying clean water straight from the source.

Thirdly, presenting rumor as fact undermines education and is unethical. We faculty are supposed to know our stuff – through this we serve as mentors. If we teach students that all water needs to be treated, and then they read articles that suggest otherwise, our reputations are damaged. We don’t want to look like fools, now do we?

Lastly, as educators we must stay up-to-date. We used to teach students to suck venom from snakebites. Now we teach them to wash the wound and seek medical care to avoid complications. We used to teach students to build trails straight uphill. Now we teach them to keep trails below a ten percent grade to conserve the resource and provide a better user experience. The time has come to teach our students that drinking untreated water is not a gamble, especially if they drink from admirable sources.

Students should seek springs as well as clear streams, lakes, and ponds. Though it may sound too simple, any source that looks, tastes, and smells good is good. They should avoid sources that look questionable. Excessive algae, discolored water, discolored shorelines, bad smells, completely stagnant water, a lack of aquatic growth and insects, or any combination thereof, are bad signs. It all comes down to common sense. It works for scores of people in this article and there is no reason to believe common sense will not work in outdoor education.

As educators we have the power to finally terminate this false industry standard. The overwhelming evidence is in your hands. With our community agreeing that hot meals are welcome and small groups preferred, and cotton and antagonistic insects must come from Lucifer himself, let us discuss our commonalities over a tall glass of untreated water, without a single concern for giardiasis.

– Erik Schlimmer is outdoor education faculty at Oneonta State University and field instructor for several wilderness leadership programs. More on his filter-free adventures can be found at ErikSchlimmer.com.

3-Apr-09 5:00 PM

Conference: Call for Proposals, Research Symposium, Goodsop & AORE

National Office — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:00:00 GMT

October 10, 2008 - Conference Updates from the WEA National Office

Conference Call for Proposals Due November 15th

The 2009 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership will be here in February and we are looking for fresh content that is relevant to the field of outdoor leadership. The deadline for proposal submission is November 15th. Additional information and the submission form are available online at: http://www.weainfo.org/conference/call1/. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be a dynamite presenter at the 2009 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership!

Outdoor Leadership Research Symposium Abstracts Due November 15th

The 2009 conference marks the first year for the WEA to incoroporate a peer reviewed research symposium into the conference mix. We are excited to provide this venue for members and non-members alike to share their research findings. As you know, research is an important part of the WEA and we look forward to making the OLRS a tradition within the context of the National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. Detailed information on submission is available at: http://www.weainfo.org/conference/proposals/. Please pass this information along to individuals currently doing or recently finished research related to outdoor leadership.

Goodshop your flight and rental car for the conference...

Did you know that if every conference attendee used www.goodshop.com to book flights to Indianapolis for the conference, the WEA could recieve a check for $1000 and it won't cost anyone a penny extra? Want to know how?

www.goodshop.com
enter Wilderness Education Association as the organization you Goodshop for
Select the Travel Category on the left
Shop! Simply select the travel vendor of your choice (Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Enterprise, Thrifty, Budget, Delta, Priceline, CheapTickets, etc) and you will be directed to their website. Shop as normal and a donation will be made to the WEA.

No coupons, no special codes, no fuss. We think this is pretty great and hope you do to. The best part - it is easy, it's free, and it's good.

AORE in San Diego

Will you be at the AORE conference coming up later this month in San Diego? If you are, stop by the WEA vendor booth and say hello. It is always wonderful to see familiar faces and to meet new folks. See you there!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Mary Williams

Interim Executive Director

National Conference on Outdoor Leadership - February 4-7, 2009 - Bloomington, IN

WEA National Office

900 E 7th St

Bloomington, IN 47405

P: 812.855.4095

F: 812.855.8697

E: wea@indiana.edu

W: www.weainfo.org

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10-Oct-08 10:00 AM

Board of Trustees Nominees & Elections

National Office — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:00:00 GMT

As a member of the WEA I would like to take a moment to introduce you to the nominees running for the Board of Trustees and invite you to take part in the elections in December. The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the WEA responsible for maintaining the vision of the organization and ensuring that what we do is in line with our mission.

There are four seats on the Board of Trustees that will be filled by the people that the WEA membership elects in December. The seven candidates are highly qualified individuals and are eager to serve this great organization. Please take a few moments to read the position statements and biographies of each of the seven candidates.

Elections will be open December 3-14. You will receive an email from the WEA National Office with instructions on the online voting procedure on December 3.

Voting in the Board of Trustees elections is one of the most important things that you can do as a member of the WEA. Below are the seven nominees. Please take some time to get to know them by clicking on their photos to read their position statements and bios.

	Eli Fierer
	Ricky Haro
	Jennifer Hazelrigs
	Mike McGowan
	Chris Pelchat
	Whitney Ward
	Jackson Wilson

Feel free to contact the National Office with any questions. This list is also available online.

Have a great day!

Mary Williams

National Office Manager

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13-Nov-07 11:00 AM