A Pathway from Classroom to Career
Outdoor Academy students progress at their own pace through four stages:
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Learn: Weekly in-school classes introduce outdoor skills, environmental ethics and public-land stewardship, with no equipment or transportation required.
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Explore: Field days on the Río Grande del Norte give students hands-on experience with fly fishing, rafting, hiking and conservation.
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Train: Students attend guide schools led by working professionals and earn industry-recognized certifications, including CPR & first aid. Program gear—such as rods, reels, waders and personal flotation devices—is provided free and is theirs to keep.
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Lead: Graduates move into paid internships with local businesses and land-management agencies, with opportunities to return as paid mentors for future students.
More than 14 students are currently completing paid internships, with additional students moving through the program each semester.
Career Pathways
The Outdoor Academy isn't just an outdoor education program — it's a workforce pipeline. We're building a generation of homegrown guides, naturalists, conservationists, and land managers from the communities that have always known this landscape best.
Closing the Opportunity Gap
As New Mexico’s outdoor recreation economy grows, many local youth—particularly those from Indigenous, Hispano and Latino communities—still face barriers to entering the field. At the same time, outfitters need qualified local staff, and land-management agencies want a workforce that reflects surrounding communities. Outdoor Academy connects young people with the training, equipment and professional experience needed to pursue these opportunities.
What Students Earn
Students can graduate with:
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CPR and First Aid certification
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Fly-fishing instruction credentials
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Rafting-guide qualifications
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An Outdoor Academy Certificate of Completion
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Paid internship experience and professional references
Where It Leads
Outdoor Academy connects students with paid internships through partners across northern New Mexico’s outdoor economy. So far, students have interned with Taos Fly Shop, Far Flung Adventures, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Internships are tailored to students’ interests and goals, whether they want to explore outdoor recreation, land management, wildlife biology or conservation. These opportunities provide real work experience while helping students discover where they want to go next. For many, an internship can help shape decisions about college, careers and their future in northern New Mexico. It’s more than a summer job. It’s an opportunity to find a pathway forward.
The Mentor Loop
Mentorship is woven throughout Outdoor Academy. As students gain experience, they begin sharing what they have learned with younger students, assisting with classroom lessons, helping teach at community events and preparing new interns for what to expect. Graduates also return to share their experiences and inspire the next group of students. Along the way, students build relationships with mentors through Friends and professionals working in land management, conservation and the outdoor economy. This creates a cycle where students are supported, gain confidence and experience, and eventually become mentors themselves.