National Wilderness Workshop

The National Wilderness Workshop is an annual event for the national wilderness stewardship community designed to facilitate connection, collaboration, and learning for all of us working in wilderness stewardship. Participants include wilderness scholars, hands-on wilderness stewards, Indigenous peoples, nonprofit partners, and attendees from each of the federal land management agencies - the Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management. The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance (NWSA) collaborates with the Society for Wilderness Stewardship (SWS) to offer this event.

We welcome your suggestions for workshop topics.

Submit Suggestions for the National Wilderness Workshop

2024 National Wilderness Workshop

2024 was a big year for wilderness marking the 60th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the 100th Anniversary of the Gila Wilderness alongside many other wilderness anniversaries. The year also brought the 12th World Wilderness Congress (Wild12) to the U.S., which has happened only twice since the first gathering in 1980. The most recent World Wilderness Congress held in the U.S. was Alaska in 2005.  

In lieu of holding a 2024 National Wilderness Workshop, NWSA partnered with the Wild Foundation to make the 12th World Wilderness Congress (Wild12) event accessible and relevant for our typical National Wilderness Workshop participants. Having Wild12 right here in the U.S. presented a unique opportunity for our national wilderness community to come together while learning from and sharing with our global counterparts. You can read more about the event HERE. 

If you were looking forward to attending the 2024 National Wilderness Workshop and weren't able to attend Wild12, the Workshop will be back in 2026 and we will hope to see you there!

Past National Wilderness Workshops

2023 National Wilderness Workshop, Missoula, MT

2021 National Wilderness Workshop, Virtual

2020 National Wilderness Workshop, Virtual

2019 National Wilderness Workshop, Bend, OR

2018 National Wilderness Workshop, Gunnison, CO

2017 National Wilderness Workshop, Russellville, AR

2016 National Wilderness Workshop, Missoula, MT

2015 National Wilderness Workshop, Missoula, MT

2014 National Wilderness Workshop, Albuquerque, NM