2026 Schedule

Day 1 – October 14
1:30 PM	Pre-Conference Mountain Bike Ride – Cedar Creek Trail (must register)
2:00 PM	Tour of Fort Stanton Historic Site (ADA Accessible)
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Star Gazing Welcome Reception at MCM Elegante Lodge and Resort (Next to the Convention Center) With Special Guest Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury 107 Sierra Blanca Dr, Ruidoso * Live Music by Skivi & the OG, bringing a tasty variety of music from soulful R&B, reggae, country, Latin, rock, and funk.

Day 2 – October 15
7:45 AM	Welcome Remarks Lynn Crawford, Mayor of Ruidoso Duane Duffy, President of the Mescalero Apache Tribe Jeff Steinborn, Executive Director of Outdoor New Mexico
8:00 – 8:25 AM	Breakfast Conversation with Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM	All Abilities Access Panel Dustin Berg, Founder and CEO of Global Opportunities Unlimited (GO Unlimited) Amy Bell, Co-Owner, Landscape Architecture and Planning Firm Anthropopulus Emily Stout, Capital Projects Program Manager, New Mexico State Parks Loren Bell, Executive Director, Enchanted Circle Trail Association Colleen Baker, Deputy Director, New Mexico State Parks (moderator)
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM	Deep Dive Session / Funding Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure in New Mexico Carl Colonius, Trails + Grant Program, New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division David Chené, Executive Director, Youth Conservation Corps
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM	Beyond Cultural Awareness: Building Stewardship, Respect, and Lasting Relationships (Breakout) Deborah Torres, Co-Owner, Passport to Pueblo Country
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Small Biz Programs to Help Your Community Isaac Romero, Deputy Secretary, New Mexico Economic Development Department Sam Collins, Senior Finance Manager, New Mexico Finance Authority Tavis Malcom, Executive Director, New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Business Alliance, Founder & CEO, Morrison Outdoors Karina Armijo, Director, New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division (presenter and moderator)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Hear it from the Pros: What Makes a Compelling Destination for Successful Outdoor Events Steve Andrus, Americas Tour Manager, XTERRA Sports Unlimited Todd Fitzgerald, Regional Director, IRONMAN Amanda Hamilton, Adventure Cyclist & Outdoor Vlogger Wiley Meade, Owner, “The Bike Shop,” Pro XTERRA Athlete Amanda Foster, Co-Owner, Happy Hiker (moderator)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM	Lunch Special Announcement About the 2027 Outdoor Economics Conference
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM	Outdoor Play Time Woodworking Workshop Plein Air Paint Your Own Souvenir Mountain Hike in the Cedar Creek Recreation Area (Shuttle Service Provided) Walk on the Links Fitness Trail (Next to the Convention Center)
12:40 PM – 1:40 PM	Jobs in the Outdoors, Youth Leadership Training Academy (Breakout)
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM	Deep Dive / Hands-on Training on New Mexico True Programs Lancing Adams, Secretary, New Mexico Department of Tourism
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM	Astro Tourism & Dark Skies (Breakout) Peter Lipscomb, Astro Tour Guide, Park Manager of Cerrillos Hills State Park, Vice-Chair – New Mexico Chapter of DarkSky International Gina Pearson, Former National Park Service Environmental Planner & Dark Skies Program Manager Marlon Magdalena, Instructional Coordinator Supervisor & Indigenous Astronomy Educator, Jemez Historic Site Shanna Sasser, Deputy Director, New Mexico Department of Tourism (moderator)
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM	Deep Dive Session / Tourism Marketing Intelligence Victoria Gregg, Research Director, New Mexico Department of Tourism
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM	Search & Rescue, New State Rules to Help Communities Save Lives (Breakout) Bob Rodgers, New Mexico Search & Rescue State Resource Officer, State Police Robert Garcia, President, New Mexico Search and Rescue Council
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	From Data to Decisions: Using Analytics to Shape the Outdoor Economy Kate Hanenberg, Senior Manager, Research and Market Intelligence, Visit Albuquerque Allison Long, Senior Planner & Project Manager, Sites Southwest Felix Diaz, Director of Advanced Technology, Dekker Architecture James Glover, Partner, Once a Day Marketing (moderator)
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM	Dinner Party at Inn of the Mountain Gods * Live Music by Sangre Gitana Trio, bringing a blend of Hispanic/ Mexican/ Gipsy cultures with a unique twist of Flamenco

Day 3 – October 16
7:45 AM	Welcome Remarks Remove the Plastic, Special Event Composting with the City of Las Cruces
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	Mescalero Apache Tribe – Balancing Stewardship, Culture, and Tourism Blue Shendo, Tribal Administrator, Mescalero Apache Tribe
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	Trails 101 – From Vision to Construction (Breakout) Annie Mcfarland, Founder & Director of Planning & Design, Pointe Strategies
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM	Wildlife Tourism, Ecosystems, And Corridor Development Matt Haverland, Environmental Coordinator and Wildlife Coordinator, New Mexico Department of Transportation Michael Dax, Western Programs Director, Wildlands Network Ben Shulman, Naturalist and Guide, Santa Fe Nature Guiding Andrés Esparza, Principal Associate, Pew Charitable Trust (moderator)
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM	Community Vitalization Through Youth Groups Stephanie Vargas, Executive Director, Doña Ana Village Association Marley Puanani Smith, Program Director, Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Ben Lewis, Citizen Science Team Member with “Wild Friends,” Student at Ruidoso High School Evan Pilling, Grants Coordinator, Outdoor Equity Grant Program (presenter & moderator)
11:30 PM	Box Lunches
11:40 AM	Winners of Exhibitor Passport Announced!
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM	Outdoor Tours Begin Ziplining at the Apache Eagle Ziprider Screaming Eagle Mountain Coaster Rides Horseback Lakeside Rides at Inn of the Mountain Gods Paddleboard Rides, 2-seat and 4-seat boats Grindstone Lake Xterra Course Mountain Bike Ride Hike at Grindstone Lake Lincoln Historic Site (ADA Accessible) Live Search and Rescue (SAR) Training Mission – Becoming a SAR Responder for a Day!