2025 Wilderness Risk Management Conference

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

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

*Schedule subject to change.

8:30am EDT

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

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

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

Speakers

Lach Zemp

Risk Management Council, Outward Bound

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

Mike Lucas

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

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

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Oxford / Somerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

Legal Fundamentals: Understanding How to Protect Your Organization

Wednesday October 1, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln

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

Speakers

Leah Corrigan

Managing Attorney, Recreation Law Group

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

Wednesday October 1, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Cumberland / Kennebec / Lincoln Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04122

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

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

Wednesday October 1, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Oxford / Somerset

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

Speakers

Frances Mock

Frances Turner Mock, Attorney

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

Paul Sanford

Director of Equitable Access Policy, The Wilderness Society

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

Wednesday October 1, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Oxford / Somerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

3:00pm EDT

Big Topics in Employment

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Oxford / Somerset

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

Speakers

Ann B. McCollum

Attorney, Recreation Law Group

Ann is Staff Attorney at the Recreation Law Group, a legal and risk management firm that advises and defends a wide variety of outdoor recreation businesses. Ann earned her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law, an M.Ed. in counseling from the University of Virginia... Read More →

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Oxford / Somerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

10:30am EDT

A flash flood, a fatality, a lawsuit. A case study in critical incident response and preparing to successfully defend a lawsuit.

Thursday October 2, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Oxford / Somerset

Join outdoor recreation attorney Leah Corrigan for a candid discussion of a river fatality in Grand Canyon on a commercial river trip. We will delve into risk management strategies that ultimately led to a favorable result in litigation. From risk management preparedness to immediate response and litigation, the session will explore tangible takeaways for managers and outdoor professionals.

Speakers

Leah Corrigan

Managing Attorney, Recreation Law Group

Thursday October 2, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Oxford / Somerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

1:00pm EDT

Understanding Contracts and Why You Need to Pay Attention to Those Clauses You Never Read!

Thursday October 2, 2025 1:00pm - 2:30pm EDT

Oxford / Somerset

Annually, your organization enters a wide range of relationships for services and products. You have a contract that reflects accurately what you have to pay (or be paid), a description of the services or products that will be provided, and a time-frame or duration of the services provided. What else is there and what’s the deal with all of those other terms and conditions you never talked or even thought about? In addition to the essential terms, a primary purpose of any contract is to spell-out risk allocation, or put another way: “who is responsible for the ‘what ifs.’” This presentation will review the important risk allocation terms to ensure that the most significant parts of the relationship have been considered and align with what you thought you were agreeing to.

Speakers

Doug Stevens

Attorney, Caplan & Ernest, LLC

Doug Stevens is a Boulder, Colorado attorney who has provided legal services to outdoor recreation and adventure travel organizations for many years. He has defended serious and high-profile personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. Doug frequently assists clients with all facets... Read More →

Lach Zemp

Risk Management Council, Outward Bound

Thursday October 2, 2025 1:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Oxford / Somerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Legal & Insurance, Breakout Session

2025 Wilderness Risk Management Conference

From $26.46

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