Today at AORE was action packed with great sessions and one of the best keynote speeches I have had the opportunity to hear at any conference. Bob Ratcliff, Division Chief for the BLM's National Recreation and Visitor Services Program, gave a compelling and sobering talk about the future trends of outdoor recreation on public lands. Among some of the highlights, Bob told us that we should expect increased conflict between user groups on public lands as we struggle to deal with population growth and urban expansion into previously undeveloped areas. In addition, as our demographics radically change to a "majority minority" society, values about what is considered "recreation" will also change. The growth of motorized outdoor sports such as motorbiking, off-road vehicles, and snowmobiles will continue to strain resources and cause conflict as various user groups vie for access. As Bob spoke, you could almost hear the gasps coming from the crowd as we witnessed the future of outdoor recreation in the US. It did not look good for those of us who may have "assumed" we have an inherent "right" to recreate in the manner we enjoy currently. I think it is crucial that we hear, at conferences like these, from those outside our community about matters that directly impact our community. Bob's talk today was a perfect example of this. Few of us have really taken the time to take the long view of our field twenty and thirty years out. Yet, the trends being put into place today will dramatically affect the quality of our educational experiences in the future. Not all was doom and gloom. Bob reminded us that, if we care about things like silence, solitude, and access to our public lands, we have to continue to work toward forging partnerships with land managers as well as work to involve more people in outdoor experiences so that we have people to defend those values (particularly children) in the future.  Bob said we have to aim for the "heart, head, and hands" by involving people in all aspects of outdoor recreation and education. I left with a sense of responsibility about the current state and future of recreation on our public lands and a big slice of humble pie that this is not something to take for granted. Another great day at AORE. We'll see if this can be topped tomorrow...