On April 5-7, 2013, Ozarks Outdoors will host the second annual Arkansas Adventure Programming Conference, a student-oriented weekend dedicated to connecting outdoor/adventure programming enthusiasts from across the state.
Ozarks Outdoors, which integrates outdoor recreational and academic opportunities for the Ozarks campus, sent members to the first conference in April and were happy to host the second annual gathering this coming spring at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Jasper, Ark.
Clayton Rodgers, a freshman psychology major from West Fork, Ark., and Darby White, a freshman business major from Fort Smith, Ark, are both program assistants with Ozarks Outdoors and have been put in charge of organizing the event.
"This far in advance, our main goal has been to coordinate with Horseshoe Canyon Ranch to make sure we had equipment, etc. available for the entire weekend," Rodgers explained.
"Our next step is to line up all the presenters," he said. "We’ll release a concrete schedule of events a little closer to conference time, but there will be rock climbing demonstrations, leave-no-trace presentations, and networking opportunities for outdoor/adventure programmers."
"We’ll also have a lot of big name sponsors for the conference, including Uncle Sam’s Safari Outfitters out of Fayetteville," Rodgers stated.
Rodgers admits that coordinating such a large event as a freshman was intimidating at first, but he understands how valuable the experience is.
"This is definitely a student-oriented conference. They want the events to be organized by students for students. It is a great opportunity to meet other outdoor professionals in Arkansas," he said.
For more information about the 2013 Arkansas Adventure Programming Conference, visit http://www.outdoors.ozarks.edu/ARAP.aspx or contact Jamie Hedges at 479-979-1386.
Topics: Outdoors