Agenda Set for April Outdoor Recreation Summit

The agenda has been finalized for the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Summit Thursday-Saturday, April 18-20, in Casper. The program is packed with presentations, facilitated discussions and panels featuring topics that address many aspects of outdoor recreation in Wyoming.

The University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality Initiative and the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation are organizers of the three-day event at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center.

Highlights of the first day include a keynote address from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and the unveiling of the 2024-28 State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan for Wyoming. The first day will culminate with a happy hour and a poster session with UW students presenting their capstone work. An optional movie screening of “In the Dirt” also will be offered at a local movie theater in Casper. More information on this film can be found here.

The second day will feature a keynote address from Headwaters Economics focused on the “amenity trap” and a panel from the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Office on funding outdoor recreation efforts across the state. The second day will end at noon, with the rest of the day dedicated to optional Casper-based field trips for summit attendees.

Both days will feature presentations and breakout sessions involving volunteer organizations, government agencies and other groups.

The third day will focus on search and rescue programs and will feature panel discussions on a needs assessment for statewide search and rescue teams; protocol consistency; accessing state assets; and coordination between different agencies. Programming also includes breakout sessions on fundraising, tracking, recruitment and education for volunteers, and legal liability issues. 

“It’s really exciting to have the opportunity and the space to highlight all the good work that is occurring across the state,” says Taylor Kruger, coordinator of the summit. “We received such great proposal submissions through an open call; we know that these are the issues that people in Wyoming care about.”

The Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Summit is made possible by the support of sponsors that include Discover Carbon County, Casper College, SE Group, AllTrails, and Natrona County Weed and Pest.

Click here to view the complete agenda and to register for the event. Registration will remain open until Monday,  April 1, or until the cap of 220 participants is reached. There are already 76 people registered.