RESOURCES FOR THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY RELEVANT TO THE 2020 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Please use the resources below with the understanding that the situation is rapidly evolving and as soon as material is produced, it is already outdated to an extent. We are curating what we can here for our members and our industry.

If you have resource suggestions we should consider, please direct them via email to Kate Pojeta, AORE Director of Programs and Technology.

DISCLAIMER: While most of these articles and websites are provided to our members from trusted and verified sources, a few are articles of interest from the private sector or lead to trusted websites linking to unaffiliated sites.  We encourage members to ALWAYS do their due diligence when taking in information and/or following recommendations and guidelines from both public and private entities.

Documents and Information Related to Reopening

• Guidance for the Use of NFS lands including the Operation of Recreation Sites and Services - shared by the National Forest Service 

• Outdoor Adventures - Plan to Reopen, shared by Robert Jones M.S., Senior Manager, Campus Recreation Services - Outdoor Adventures, University of Utah

• Safe Meetings in Michigan - Michigan Society of Association Executives; while "local" to Michigan, tackles how the events and meetings industry is handling gatherings throughout this time, precautions to take, data to track, and more.  updated 6.15.2020

Articles and Websites of Interest:

From the Outdoor Industry

• AORE Access Committee - Links to Federal Public Land Management amid COVID-19

• American Camp Association - COVID-19 Resource Center for Camps

• American Canoe Association - COVID-19 Resources  updated 6.15.2020

• American Mountain Guides Association - COVID-19 Resources  |  AMGA Certification Extension Process

• Camber has developed a COVID-19 Reading Room on their website (free to access); they are also supporting nonprofits and entrepreneurs with FREE membership at this time.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Information regarding Parks Access

• Climbing Wall Association has a COVID-19 Resource page for climbing gyms as well as a recorded webinar; CWA has also posted articles related to gym closures and the impact of the Families First Coronavirus on indoor climibing gyms.

• Eldorado - Cleaning and Disinfecting Walls, Holds, Flooring, Ropes and Auto Belays  

• Families First Coronavirus Response Act

• International Mountain Biking Association - Resources for COVID-19

• International Union for Conservation of Nature - Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group

• Leave No Trace - Recommendations for Getting Outside 

• National Park Service on modifying operations and access

• National Park and Recreation Association on safe use of parks and trails

• NIRSA - Reopening Considerations for Campus Recreation Programs   *added 7/1/20

• Outdoor Industry Association has curated an extensive list of resources from federal and state agencies as well as personal outdoor recreation resources.

• Responder Alliance Resources for COVID-19 

• The Alliance Collaborative Resources for COVID-19  *added 7/1/20

• The Outbound Collective on Adventuring Responsibly in the time of COVID-19 

• The River Management Society - listing of public launch site closures at rivers across US   

• Travel and Tourism Research Association COVID-19 resources

• US Travel Association CARES Act Relief Resources

• Viristar COVID-19 Risk Management for Outdoor Programs *added 11/6/20

• Wilderness Medical Associates COVID-19 Updates 

• Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative COVID-19 Resources - includes certification extension information and links to WMEC member pages relevant to this information.

Additional Articles of Interest

• COVID-19 Cleaning Recommendations from Recreation Resource Management

• How to stay active outdoors during shelter-in-place - from the San Francisco Chronicle

• Webinars on Working Remotely, Facilitating Virtual Meetings and more

• Online Outdoor Education is Popping Up - from 5280 Denver's Mile High Magazine

• Teresa Baker on DEI Efforts During the Pandemic - from SNEWS

Industry Event Updates and Cancellations:

• NIRSA - has been cancelled.

• Climbing Wall Summit - has been cancelled.

• NORC - National Outdoor Recreation Conference (hosted by SORP - Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals) in person has ben cancelled - they are working to go virtual this fall. updated 6.19.20

• Outdoor Retailer is going online  July 21-23, 2020. updated 7.9.20

• The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Connect show, scheduled for early June, has not yet been cancelled, but organizers are actively working on a virtual event contingency plan.

• Outdoor Retailer Online scheduled for July 21-23. updated 6.17.20

AORE Annual Conference 2020 - Redesigned for Virtual
Come gather around the campfire from wherever you are! 

Online Course Resources:

• AIM Adventure U

• American Canoe Association (ACA)

• American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) - Public and Member-Only Tech Videos

• Avid4 Adventure Virtual Summer Camps for Kids

• Course - Outdoor Fundamentals: Everything You Need to Know to Stay Safe (Elizabeth Andre); available on The Great Courses website - free trial for unlimited streaming can provide easy access to start

• NC State - pending connection/link

Association Chats - Key Takeaways Related to Coronavirus + COVID-19 Challenges

Digital Teambuilding Tools & Resources Guide [from Lauren Stover, NC State University] added 6.18.20

Tips for Managing Virtual Meetings [pdf]

Managing students and colleagues across time zones - scheduling virtual meeting times

• Doodle.com - best used when you want to provide a very limited number of days/times for a group to pick from

• when2meet.com - best sued when you are looking at a single day of open time slots or multiple days and need to see best overlaps from the group

Virtual Meeting Platforms

• Microsoft Teams (limited as to how many you can see in one view (4)

• Zoom (user friendly, easier platform for all users on all devices)

• WebEx (advanced options; not quite as user-friendly as Zoom)

• GoToMeeting (advanced options; not quite as user-friendly as Zoom)

• freeconferencecall.com (for audio only AND video)

• GoogleHangouts (if your company uses G Suite)

What Do We Teach Now? - article recommended by Dr. Elizabeth Andre related to current situation and courses

Teaching Tools

• FlipGrid: blog and discussion platform

• Explain Everything: collaborative whiteboard platform

Be mindful of:
One thing to think about it being mindful of students privacy with all the online Zooms and hangouts. Screenshots of virtual meetings should NOT be put on social media. They disclose information about the students in a course, living environments, etc.

Advice...lead before you are led!

No matter how you like to get outside, we are all united by the love we share for our parks, trails, and waterways. The need to #RecreateResponsibly will continue even after the pandemic is behind us. We have a shared responsibility to care for one another and these places to ensure they remain for future generations to enjoy.

Learn more:  https://www.recreateresponsibly.org/ #RecreateResponsibly  #RecrearResponsablemente

Past Webinar Recordings

All Association Chat recordings are available in our Online Learning portal, available to members and non-members.

Sign-in is required (non-members can request access/sign-in privileges) to access the past recordings - free to members; $5 for non-members. Once signed in, go to RESOURCES > ONLINE LEARNING.

• [03.16.2020] AORE Coronavirus Webinar with Steve Smith from Experiential Consulting

• [03.25.2020] AORE Association Chat | Challenges During COVID-19: Pivoting to Online Learning

• [04.01.2020] AORE Association Chat | Coronavirus Pandemic - Climbing Walls + Equipment

• [04.06.2020] AORE Association Chat | Coronavirus Pandemic - Wilderness Medicine + Certifications

• [04.15.2020] AORE Association Chat | Land Management Panel

• [04.24.2020] AORE Association Chat | Managing People and Programs

• [04.30.2020] AORE Association Chat | Orientation Programs

• [05.06.2020] AORE Association Chat | Virtual Programming

• [05.21.2020] AORE Association Chat | Vendor Panel + Insights During COVID-19

• [06.01.2020] AORE Association Chat | Trip Leader Training

• [06.17.2020] AORE Association Chat | Virtual Teambuilding

• [06.30.2020]  AORE Association Chat | Reopening Your Challenge Course

• [07.01.2020] AORE Association Chat | Organizational Resilience

• [07.17.2020] AORE Association Chat | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• [08.19.2020] AORE Association Chat | DE&I In Action - AORE Members and Member Programs

•  [09.29.2020] AORE Association Chat | Virtual Learning Opportunities

• [11.09.2020] AORE Association Chat | Breaking Virtual Barriers

Upcoming Webinars

AORE continues to provide programming and opportunities for virtual forums. Below are some upcoming, live online learning events. Please view our complete calendar of events here: AORE Event Calendar.