LEARNING SERIES

Practical insights and effective steps for building a destination stewardship framework.

Created for resort, rural, recreation, and gateway communities, the IDEAL Learning Series supports destination leaders as they tackle pressing challenges including: housing and visitor pressure to strained infrastructure, under-resourced public lands, and environmental conservation.

The new Cohort Learning Series is a Destination Stewardship Master Class specifically designed for small DMOs. Each session includes focused content on stewardship governance, asset inventories, responsible travel communications, funding, and more. Participants choose from a menu of core modules, receive pre-session questionnaires, and end the course with a 1:1 consultation and custom action plan.

Through webinars, guest speaker sessions, peer discussions, and one-on-one mentoring, participants gain access to globally recognized best practices and practical tools to build local momentum. The Learning Series helps participants learn to identify key challenges in outdoor recreation communities, understand the role of sustainable tourism in destination planning, and explore how stewardship, conservation, and responsible travel intersect. They’ll apply lessons from real-world case studies, use IDEAL tools to guide planning, and outline actionable next steps for funding, advocacy, and stakeholder alignment.

 



Moderator & Guest Speakers 2022

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Donald Leadbetter
Panelist, Gateway Community Partnerships

Tourism Program Manager, Nat. Park Service

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Andrew Leary
Panelist, Visitor Education

Dir. Sustainable Tourism, Leave No Trace

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Jeremy Sampson
Panelist, Climate Action

CEO, The Travel Foundation

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Dawnielle Tehama
Panelist, Regenerative Tourism
Ex. Dir., Willamette Valley Visitor Assoc.
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Robert (Bobby) Chappell
Moderator

Sr. Destination Advisor & Program Architect, Mountain Ideal

President, Tourism Impact Services

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Melissa Kirr
Learning Series Support

Sr. Programs Director of Sustainability, Walking Mountains Science Center