Visitor Use Management Community of Practice - September 2026

Event Description

Join fellow visitor use management professionals for a casual conversation about the hot topics, emerging challenges, and current trends shaping visitor use management. This Community of Practice is an opportunity to connect with peers, share experiences and resources, ask questions, and learn from others working in the field. 

Learning Objectives (3-5):

• Identify emerging trends, challenges, and hot topics in visitor use management.
• Share experiences, approaches, and lessons learned with peers working in visitor use management.
• Explore practical strategies and resources for addressing common visitor use management challenges.
• Discuss different perspectives and approaches to visitor use management in a variety of settings.
• Build connections with other professionals working in visitor use management.

This Community of Practice will NOT be available for Learning Credits

Key Takeaways

• Three lightning presentations were delivered covering VUM projects at different stages: data collection (Lake Cushman, Olympic National Forest), pilot implementation (Jefferson County Parks and Open Space), and near-completion (San Antonio Canyon and Mount Baldy, Angeles National Forest).

• Key themes across breakout groups included: applying VUM to existing infrastructure, convincing leadership of VUM's value, public engagement strategies, monitoring and effectiveness measurement, and the importance of continuity across planning and implementation teams.

• Participants expressed strong interest in future sessions covering the sliding scale framework, monitoring tools and technologies, stakeholder communication, and Indigenous/cultural context in visitor use planning.

• Quarterly VUM Community of Practice sessions are planned going forward, with a virtual VUM training scheduled for February 2nd–4th.

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