Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) 2026 Conference

Longtime journalist and journalism educator Patty Loew comments on how the mainstream media typically cover events in Indigenous communities. She offers practical advice on how to cultivate authentic relationships and report on important environmental issues affecting Native nations and their neighboring mainstream communities. Loew’s keynote reflects 50 years of experience covering climate change, oil pipelines, mining and other critical issues and decades of teaching journalism to the next generation of reporters.

Special guest - Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway

Lunch is generously sponsored by Tourism Ireland, bringing a touch of the Emerald Isle to our Southwestern buffet.

OWAA's President will share a few words and introduce committees.

For generations, parks have been valued for recreation, conservation, and beauty. But what if their greatest contribution is something else entirely?

In this keynote, Akiima Price shares the emerging practice of Restorative Park Engagement (RPE), a framework that explores how parks and nature can help address loneliness, chronic stress, community violence, and disconnection. Through powerful stories and examples from the field, she challenges audiences to reimagine parks as essential spaces for healing, belonging, and human connection, and to consider the role that outdoor experiences can play in helping to restore both people and place.

Keynote Sponsor: Destination Cleveland