Stewardship

What NOLS is Doing

We work to conserve wild landscapes and ensure we can sustainably operate in these places

We work proactively to engage on issues that affect the school’s operations, whether that is local land management policies or bills in the U.S. Congress. We work to conserve the landscapes our courses explore, and ensure that NOLS can sustainably operate in these wild places. It is the wilderness experience that makes the NOLS experience truly powerful and unique. It is our responsibility to make sure that future generations can have the same wilderness experiences.

We collaborate with many like-minded organizations and work diligently to build relationships and support other initiatives as they relate to wilderness education and outdoor recreation around the world

Preserving Wilderness Landscapes

We work diligently to protect and preserve the integrity of public lands in which we operate, which include vast expanses of public lands in the West, throughout the United States, and around the world.

Public Lands in Public Hands
A small but vocal group of elected officials in the western U.S. are pushing to transfer federally-owned lands to the states, potentially compromising public access and NOLS’ ability to run courses. We are staunch advocates for keeping public lands in public hands. Transferring ownership or management of federal public lands is bad for business, bad for communities, and bad for the true owners of these lands--every citizen of the United States. We are working with diverse outdoor businesses and organizations to counter this land grab and build public awareness and value of these incredible resources that belong to all of us.

Keeping Wild Places Wild
Preserving the wild qualities of our outdoor classrooms will always be the top priority: that’s stewardship in the most literal form. We weigh in when there is an opportunity to engage public land management agencies in future management of our national parks, national forests, and BLM lands. We oppose industrial development that would degrade the wilderness qualities of our classrooms. We advocate for the preservation of threatened landscapes with diverse partners, businesses, and conservation organizations.

Access for All to America’s Public Lands

While NOLS is a nonprofit educational institution and the single largest holder of commercial operating permits on U.S. public lands, our mission and work make us conservation-minded outdoor recreation advocates. Preserving access and promoting outdoor recreation are central to our policy work.

Maintaining NOLS’ Access to the Outdoor Classroom
We are actively working to preserve and grow the school’s permits and authorizations to offer courses on public lands. We are working on regional and national initiatives to improve the public lands permitting systems. Building strong partnerships with agency personnel at local, regional, and national levels of government ensures that the industry sector that NOLS represents is well-considered in any revisions to permit requirements and regulations.

Promoting Equitable Access and Outdoor Opportunities for Youth and Underserved Populations
Through the NOLS scholarship program, hundreds of individuals from underserved populations have the opportunity to have a NOLS experience that would otherwise be out of reach. By working with Gateway Partners, we strive to identify the students that would most benefit from a course. In addition, by partnering with numerous operators to promote permit-streaming and access-creating solutions on public lands, NOLS ensures that today’s youth have more access to programs like ours regardless of their location, economic status, or background.

Thinking Globally

We work closely with our international locations to engage on issues of access, red tape, development, and classroom and environmental integrity.

Baja Coastal Development
The wild beauty of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula provides for outstanding sea kayaking and sailing courses from NOLS Mexico, but also draws the interest of real estate developers looking to cash in on this coastline. Development is a direct threat to NOLS operations, taking away key camping locations and compromising wilderness qualities. NOLS is working with local partners to pursue solutions and preserve more of this coastline’s integrity.

Salmon Farming in Coastal Patagonia
Industrial salmon farming is a growing and under-regulated industry in southern coastal Patagonia. Salmon farms are in the open sea, and present numerous challenges. These operations can significantly affect NOLS Patagonia sea kayaking courses and degrade the wilderness quality of the coastline. Furthermore, they can negatively impact marine ecosystems, human health, and social justice and economic stability in local communities. NOLS works to monitor impacts in the region and works with communities that are chipping away at some of the problems around salmon farming, such as free-floating debris from damaged or abandoned operations.

Mining Threats on the Yukon’s Peel River
The Peel River’s watershed is largely pristine and undeveloped and is an important classroom for NOLS Yukon students. Recent land use planning in the region threatened to open the door to industrial mining and development that could bring lasting harm to the river’s wild nature and ecology, as well as degrade sacred and important indigenous lands of First Nation peoples. Fortunately, a 2015 court decision sent the planning process back to the drawing board. NOLS will continue to monitor the situation, engage strategically as needed, and educate students about these threats.

Who We Work With

Leaving only footprints

NOLS is the largest backcountry permit holder in the nation, something the school upholds with a great deal of responsibility. By practicing and instilling Leave No Trace habits, NOLS is able to leave minimal impact on our classrooms in the following areas.

National Parks, National Monuments, and Wildlife Refuges

NOLS operates in:

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Bears Ears National Monument
Big Bend National Park
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Canyonlands National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
City of Rocks National Reserve
Crooked River National Grassland
Denali National Park and Preserve
Devils Tower National Monument (NOLS follows voluntary June rock climbing closure).
Dinosaur National Monument
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Jewel Cave National Monument
Joshua Tree National Park
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rushmore National Monument
Noatak National Preserve
North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park
Saguaro National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Yellowstone National Park
Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge

Bureau of Land Management

Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Nevada
New Mexico
Oregon
Utah
Wyoming

U.S. Forest Service

Ashley National Forest
Bighorn National Forest
Black Hills National Forest
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Chugach National Forest
Coronado National Forest
Custer National Forest
Deerlodge-Beaverhead National Forest
Dixie National Forest
Gallatin National Forest
Gila National Forest
Lincoln National Forest
Manti-Lasal National Forest
Medicine Bow National Forest
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Okanogan National Forest
Salmon-Challis National Forest
San Bernadino National Forest
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Shoshone National Forest
Tongass National Forest
Tonto National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest

International

Aberdare National Park
Baja California
Baja California Sur
British Columbia Provincial Parks
British Columbia Crown Lands
Drysdale River National Park
Hells Gate National Park
India Himalaya
Kiunga Marine Reserve
Lake Borgoria Game Reserve
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lauca National Park
Loita Hills
Parque Conservación Patagonia
Parque Nacional Bernardo O'Higgins
Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael
Parque Marino Nacional Bahía de Loreto
Parque Nacional Queolat
Parque Nacional San Pedro Mártir
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine
Reserva del Biósfero Vizcaíno
Reserva del Biósfero la Laguna
Reserva del Biósfero Islas del Alto Golfo
Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo
Reserva Nacional Jeinimeni
Reserva National Río Claro
Reserva Nacional Tamango
Tombstone Territorial Park (Yukon)

Others (State Parks, Partners, etc.)

Adirondack Park
Alaska State Parks
AHTNA Corporation
Anacortes Park and Recreation
Australia Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)
Autónoma de Baja California Sur
Bardi Aboriginal Community, Chenega Corporation
Chugach Alaska Native Corporation
Colorado Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Custer State Park
Indian Mountaineering Foundation
New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC)
Secretaría de Desarrollo Social Universidad
Sinks Canyon State Park
Smith Rock State Park
The Tahltan Nation
Tyonek Native Corporation
Utah Division of State Lands and Forestry
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Yukon Territory
Yukon Territorial Parks