2023 Great Lakes Outdoor Summit
Presentation + Panel Discussion Recordings

Originally filmed at the 2023 Great Lakes Outdoor Summit, the below presentations and panel discussion were recorded on October 27, 2023 in Duluth Minnesota. The Great Lakes Outdoor Summit, curated by the Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance (DAOA), is a gathering of outdoor recreation advocates, enthusiasts, businesses, and adventurers. The Summit exists to bring non-profits, land managers, as well as the companies and individuals that support their work, together to interact and learn from each other in a fun, friendly, and inclusive environment. Thank you to all who joined us and we look forward to seeing you at next year's Great Lake Outdoor Summit!

Follow @DuluthAOA on social media or continually check out our website at www.DuluthAOA.org for future updates and Summit plans.

Keynote speaker Emily Ford shared her inspiring story the 'Longest Road'. Emily is a winter adventurer and thru-hiker based in Duluth, Minnesota. She has completed many thru-hikes in the midwest including the 1,200 mile Ice age trail, which crosses Wisconsin east to west from Potawatomi State Park to St. Croix State Park on the Minnesota border. During her opening remarks, she shared how community makes her adventures possible and how as we all work together we can accomplish so much more!

With an understanding and drive to show that anyone can adventure and everyone deserves to discover the outdoors, regardless of race, gender identity, or upbringing, she continues to seek adventure and represent the underrepresented in outdoor spaces.

This panel discussion talks about how Minnesota currently has the 15th largest outdoor recreation economy in the United States and the opportunities that come with that. Our panelists discuss: How did we get here? In the coming decade(s), what can we do to improve this and move into the top 10? And how can nonprofits and other advocates use our newly formed state office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Partnership to facilitate forward progress?

Panelists Included:

  • Emily Larson, City of Duluth Mayor

  • Mikaela Swanlund, REI Co-op’s national Community Advocacy and Impact

  • Hansi Johnson, Community Engagement Director at Minnesota Land Trust

Facilitated by: Randolph Briley, Deputy Director of Outdoor Recreation at Explore Minnesota Tourism and Coordinator of the Outdoor Recreation Industry Partnership

This engaging conversation revolved around how we can help Femme/Trans/Women (FTW) inequalities evolve in our local communities for marketing, programming and opportunities in the outdoors. This panelist is a powerful group of diverse FTW speakers who bring various experiences and expertise in the outdoors, and insight on what challenges they fight and have overcome while changing the inequalities many FTW face.

Panelists Include:

  • Emily Ford, thru-hiker, winter adventurer, and outdoor advocate.

  • Yolanda Davis-Overstreet; woman of color, mother, mobility justice activist, and emerging social-justice filmmaker.

  • Carlee Williams; leader, mother, disability advocate, and avid outdoor enthusiast.

  • Emily Brown; Field Guide and Inclusivity Champion for SRAM.

Facilitator: Molly Solberg

Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Program Manager Gini Breidenbach talks about how we can create a sustainable landscape by balancing natural resources, conservation, recreation, cultural uses, climate resiliency. Sharing about the newly formed Lake Superior Headwaters Partnership, Gini highlights how collaboration between local, state, and tribal partners is helping work towards a sustainable future for the St. Louis River Estuary and its tributaries.

Presented by: Gini Breidenbach, Restoration Program Manager at Minnesota Land Trust in Duluth, MN.

In this presentation Molly Solberg shares endless ways small budgets can make big marketing strides, empowering many individuals, organizations, nonprofits and businesses with limited resources to effectively market their mission, programs, and campaigns.

In an era where competition for donor support and community engagement is fierce, this presentation provided practical strategies, tips, and actionable insights for attendees to make the most of their shoestring marketing budget.

Presented by: Molly Solberg, Duluth marketing consultant and the Founder of the Social Media Breakfast Twin Ports (#SMBTP).

Filmed at the 2023 Great Lakes Outdoor Summit, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson commences the Summit by thanking all the outdoor recreation advocates who continually put in the work to get all people outside, and briefly shares future outdoor recreation opportunities in Duluth.