Six Lessons from Camp Mystic for Outdoor Programs Amid Climate Change
This session presents a case study from the Camp Mystic tragedy in 2025, when the Guadalupe River flooded and killed 27 campers, counselors, and the co-executive director.
The session will present facts, as reported by the official investigation to the Texas State Legislature, and six lessons for all outdoor programs from the presenter’s analysis of the official report. The lessons range from planning for unprecedented events, establishing trigger policies, identifying single-person dependencies, predetermining emergency roles for all adults, communicating permission to act, and practicing plans with local resources and officials.
Throughout the session, findings from the Climate Action Lab’s 2024 original research on the impacts of climate change on outdoor programs will be woven in. The session will be interactive, seeking input from attendees on climate change in HK and its impacts on their programs, including program calendaring and staffing. The session closes with a brief account of the tragedy's aftermath, including regulatory changes, industry pushback, Camp Mystic’s relationship with families, and business viability; all of this information is publicly available and reported in the news.
During the 15-minute breakout, attendees will be prompted to apply the six lessons to their own programs and to Hong Kong's climate change through self-assessment and reflection. At the end, attendees may receive a QR code linking to a risk management program maturity self-assessment they can take on their own and/or share with their colleagues after the conference.
This session suits program leaders and staff at all experience levels.
Stuart Slay
Director, Slay Risk
Stuart Slay is the Director of Slay Risk, a consulting and coaching practice that helps schools and outdoor programs see risk clearly and manage it together. Stuart spent a decade in Korea building and running an outdoor education program. He also served as the national risk management director at the Student Conservation Association, the USA's oldest and largest provider of conservation service programs. He holds a master’s degree in Adventure Education from Prescott College, where he developed a systems-based method for assessing how national culture influences program risk and safety.
Based in Taipei, Stuart is a certified executive coach, an AEE
accreditation reviewer, chair of the Wilderness Risk Management Conference (2023-2025), and a founding member of the Wilderness Climate Lab, a professional learning group focused on climate change and outdoor programs.