Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) 2026 Conference

Few U.S. landscapes are as beloved – and as threatened – as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. This session brings together experts and storytellers for a current look at what’s at stake, ecologically, economically, culturally and recreationally, for America’s most visited wilderness, from proposed sulfide-ore mining to shifting federal policy.

Aldo Leopold, a Wisconsin icon, is considered by many to have been the most influential conservation thinker of the 20th Century as a result of his seminal work, A Sand County Almanac, in which he presents a vision for how to to live on and care for the land. This call for a land ethic -- a conservation ethic -- would eventually serve as the intellectual and emotional foundation for disciplines ranging from forestry, wildlife management, conservation biology, sustainable agriculture, restoration ecology, private land management, environmental history, literature, and environmental education and ethics. This panel begins with a quick history of the twists and turns behind the publication of this conservation classic: how it almost was never published but then sold more than 2 million copies and was translated into 14 languages, and how its message remains as relevant today as it was 75 years ago.

Artificial intelligence can now generate breathtaking landscapes and close-up wildlife shots using only a brief prompt. As these technologies rapidly improve, outdoor photographers are facing an existential question: what makes a real photograph valuable when a convincing alternative can be created in seconds?
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This panel explores how landscape, wildlife, and adventure photographers can adapt, differentiate their work, and remain essential in an AI-driven visual culture. Panelists will discuss how authenticity and ethical transparency can become powerful advantages in a world flooded with synthetic imagery. The conversation will also focus on practical strategies for sustaining income in a changing market. Panelists will share ideas for diversifying revenue streams with workshops, print sales, brand partnerships, and more.