Related books. Human Kinetics (HK) published the book, Outdoor Site and Facility Management: Tools Tools for Creating Memorable Places (see right column). In addition, HK is a great resource for you and your colleagues. The links below go to the publisher’s Web site where you can order online.
Books
Bucklin, G. 2013. The Gentle Art of Horseback Riding presents valuable information for riders at all levels who want to develop the confident rider–horse partnership that all horse lovers seek. Whatever discipline you ride, Bucklin’s unique and innovative methods illustrate the techniques through step-by-step instructions and full-color images.
Orienteering USA. 2013. Discovering Orienteering: Skills, Techniques, and Activities offers a systematic approach to learning, teaching, and coaching orienteering. Readers learn a handful of easy-to-remember skills, techniques, and processes that are reinforced through more than 60 ready-to-use activities. Presented in a lesson plan format, these activities assist educators in applying the benefits of orienteering across the curriculum.
Scaini, C. and Evans, C. 2012. 
50 Games for Going Green is a collection of easy-to-present activities that educate students in the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling as well as concepts of carbon footprint reduction, climate change, and global warming. The book includes warm-up, circuit, and station activities; physical fitness challenges, relay races, and literacy and drama activities; and cooperative games that are adaptable for a range of ages, abilities, and skill levels.
Attarian, A. 2012. Risk Management in Outdoor and Adventure Programs offers a systematic approach to examine potentially dangerous situations and apply appropriate strategies to minimize the potential for injury. This text presents risk management strategies as well as legal knowledge with specific application to outdoor and adventure programs. More than 50 real-life scenarios will help you develop decision-making skills for better identification of risk, increased safety, and prevention of injuries or fatalities.
Programming and Activities
Lepore, M., Gayle, G., and S. Stevens. 2007. The second edition of Adapted Aquatics Programming: A Professional Guide is packed with new material, including up-to-date information on relevant legislation, guidelines on architectural accessibility, instructional strategies, equipment, safety management, and competitive and recreational aquatics activities.
Canoeing. American Canoe Association, 2008. The expert instructors provide you with indispensable advice on gear and equipment selection, food and nutrition, fitness, water trail etiquette, and safety and survival skills; step-by-step instruction of fundamental paddling skills and techniques; informative technique, and safety tips; and the Quickstart Your Canoe DVD.
Zeller, J. 2009. Canoeing and Kayaking for People With Disabilities Give people of all abilities the opportunity to discover the challenge, freedom, and renewal found in paddling. Water is the ultimate equalizer. Skill is determined by ability and attitude, and people at all skill levels, with and without disabilities, can find enjoyment in canoeing and kayaking.
Taylor, Kremer, Pebworth, and Werner. 2010. Geocaching for Schools and Communities includes 41 learning experiences for all ages. Take either a high-tech approach (using triangulation to locate latitudes and longitudes) or a low-tech approach (involving maps) to find a cache. Learn how to use GPS units, develop events and programs, and use the games as interdisciplinary learning experiences.
Wilderness Education Association, 2008. Hiking and Backpacking. Master teachers take you step by step through the preparation, skills, and techniques you need to know for a successful adventure. This practical book presents all the essential information you need for hiking, overnight camping, and backpacking.
American Canoe Association, 2008. Kayaking. Embrace the outdoors by becoming one of the 17 million people who participate in kayaking. Kayaking presents the basics of the sport as well as the skills and knowledge required for becoming a successful paddler with: step-by-step paddling techniques for flatwater, river and whitewater, and sea kayaking, more complex maneuvers and rolls; safety tips throughout the book; and Web-based resource. 
Duoos, B. and A. Rykken, 2012.Teaching Cross-Country Skiing contains 30 detailed lesson plans to progress children and young adults from beginning to advanced levels. Each lesson is aligned with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) standards. This text presents the basics of ski mechanics, history and benefits of cross-country skiing, and information on clothing and equipment selection.
Steffen, J. and J. Stiehl, 2010. Teaching Lifetime Outdoor Pursuits presents 12 outdoor pursuits you can incorporate in your outdoor program. This resource will help you “leave no child inside” as you teach pursuits that not only get kids outside now but also help them develop a lifetime habit of outdoor enjoyment. The CD-ROM has sample lessons and programming ideas.Topics include bouldering, caving, geocaching, orienteering, snowshoeing, mountain biking etc.
Wagstaff, M. and A. Attarian, 2009. Technical Skills for Adventure Programming will guide you in becoming an effective adventure educator teaching beginning-level outdoor adventure skills. This book allows you to tap into the knowledge and expertise of skilled instructors who present a lesson plan progression for mastering 12 popular outdoor adventure activities.
Wolfe, B. and C. Sparkman, 2010. Team-Building Activities for the Digital Age will help you promote interpersonal communication and encourage young people to positively express their individuality and build face-to-face relationships by using technology. A resource for recreation, outdoor, camp, and youth leaders; and recreation professionals who teach or use team building in courses or in staff training.
Administration and Management
Jill Moffitt, J. 2011. Day Camp Programming and Administration: Core Skills and Practices will help you create and operate safe and effective day camps for children, even if you work in a recreation or fitness center. You’ll learn all you need to know to plan, operate, and evaluate your camp. The accompanying CD-ROM supplies numerous printable worksheets to help you, and the book guides you step by step in creating successful camps. 
Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming, Second Edition, 2005. Renowned authors Simon Priest and Michael Gass provide in-depth descriptions and real-world applications of the technical, organizational, instructional, and facilitative skills that are essential to adventure leadership. The authors also identify what they call the metaskills that superior leaders use to combine the other essential skills seamlessly and effectively.
Hurd, A., R.Barcelona, and J. Meldrum, 2008. Leisure Services Management prepares students for the challenges they’ll face as entry-level recreation and leisure managers. The book outlines the essential knowledge and skills that successful managers need to have, and by using experiential learning activities, it helps students build those competencies and encourages them to think as managers.
Martin, B., C. Cashel, M. Wagstaff, M. Breuni, 2006. Outdoor Leadership: Theory and Practice is the professional reference for learning and developing outdoor leadership competencies. The authors, experienced outdoor leadership instructors who have worked in a variety of outdoor settings, outline the steps to mastering eight core competencies that not only help you develop leadership abilities but also help you meet current professional standards.
Project Adventure, Inc. 2007. Adventure Education: Theory and Applications Explore the role of games, low- and high-element courses, and outdoor pursuits in adventure education; use key concepts, student activities, and Web-based research to enhance the learning process; learn core skills for effective facilitation and leadership preparation in adventure programming.
Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, 2012. Outdoor Program Administration: Principles and Practices is the essential guide for outdoor program administrators. It provides extensive coverage of all major duties of an administrator, including program design, risk management, budgeting, marketing, staff recruitment, training, and assessment. Administrators will learn how to improve their skills and enhance their programs.
Thompson, D., S. Hudson, and H. Olsen, 2007. S.A.F.E. Play Areas is a resource for facility managers, administrators, and play supervisors in any playground. It offers a proven model focused on four components: supervision, age-appropriate design, fall surfacing, and equipment. It also explores the history of playground safety and debunks 10 common myths about what makes a good play area.
Outdoor Education
Bunting, C. 2006. Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Outdoor Education provides recreation and outdoor leaders with outdoor activities including challenge initiatives that don’t require a ropes course, frontcountry camping, backcountry camping, outdoor cooking techniques, land navigation, casting and angling, archery, rock climbing, canoeing, and kayaking.
Gilbertson, K., Bates, T., McLaughlin, T. and A. Ewert. 2006. Outdoor Education: Methods and Strategies helps educators choose the instructional strategy that will work best for their audience, whether they’re in a school, nature center, adventure center, camp, environmental learning center, government agency, or university with: Easy-to-use forms for designing, implementing, and evaluating lesson plans, teaching tips, and interactive exercises.
Redmond, K., A. Foran, S. Dwyer. 2010. Quality Lesson Plans for Outdoor Education is a flexible, easy-to-use reference that helps youth and outdoor recreation leaders and camp leaders deliver effective outdoor activities. Outdoor activity and adventure is a growing field, but unfortunately, many teachers and recreation leaders and outdoor instructors find themselves without adequate resources to plan and deliver an effective outdoor program.