Vermont Outdoor Guide Association Mission Statement
"Dedicated to the support and promotion of professional outdoor leadership,
education, and stewardship."
Friends and Members of VOGA,
If increased traffic to our website is any indication, 2022 is going to be a great year for Vermont's recreation industry. Over the last two years, we have gone from an old website design with a declining number of visitors to our new website with a record number of visitors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Vermont’s outdoor recreation to state gross domestic product (GDP) was ranked the 3rd highest in the nation in 2020.
There are several contributing factors for our growth including Vermont being viewed as a safe place to vacation, the quality of Vermont's hospitality industry, work of our regional Chambers of Commerce, local sporting goods retailers/manufacturers, recreation trails and waterways organizations and the thousands of volunteers who develop and maintain them. Guide services, tour operators and outdoor educators are an important part of this mix.
Hang in there and we'll all get through this extended crisis.... together.
Our top activity pages in the last month are dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, lodging, biking and hiking. In order to better serve our visitors, we need to build membership in all of these areas. If you provide services in any of these activities and would like to have more referrals, consider this as your invitation to get listed.
We are helping several startups as they enter this industry. Simply, we provide a roadmap that covers risk management, skill development, website development, promotion, state and federal regulations and more. It can all be quite intimidating for new startups.
Many thanks to Kel Rossiter, owner/operator of Adventure Spirit:, who is stepping down from our board of directors in order to spend more time working on projects with the American Mountain Guides Association. Kel helped to guide us through good and bad times and I'm sure he has a bright future in whatever path he chooses. Congratulations to Kel on his new project.
Outdoor recreation events are being posted on our calendars for 2022. Get yours posted by emailing [email protected] with details.
Below, you can find industry news, members who are joining, info on Doe Camp Nation and VOGA membership information.
Vermont's outdoor adventure center. We are a full-service outfitter offering retail sales, demos, safety instruction, tours and rentals, Nordic Ski Tours, Snowshoeing and Tubing, Sledding Tours, Dog Sledding, Paddle Trips.
Zip Line, Ropes Course, Treetop Obstacle Course, Climbing Adventures and Teambuilding. ArborTrek Smugglers' Notch offers eco-adventures ranging from the serene to the extreme.
Fall Foliage River Tours for non hunters and River Nature Tours. Waterfowl hunting on Northern Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York. Upland Bird Hunts, Spring Bow Fishing for Pickerel and Pike
If your business is connected to outdoor recreation, we invite you to join VOGA. Get more traffic through referrals from our website and join us as a unified voice representing Vermont's recreation industry in Montpelier. Membership dues start at $100 annually.
To get listed:
If you have been waiting for the best time to join, wait no longer. Each activity page features outdoor recreation services and related lodging, gear and recreation trails. About VOGA
Now you can join online at: Membership Form.You can sign up and pay online or print the form and mail it to us along with your check.
If you'd prefer to advertise and get your logo & link at the top of any of our pages, here are the rates.
Events, News and Job Openings
We have several pages that you can help us populate and it's free, although VOGA members have priority when posting. There is no charge for the following, just email us your information for:
Your feedback would be appreciated. Please feel free to suggest changes to content or even report bad links. There is a lot of information on the site and we are adding more every week.
Outdoorly offers Pro deals for VOGA and Doe Camp Nation members and your staff/volunteers!
Outdoorly.com provides Vermont Outdoor Guide Association members insider deals to a wide selection of gear, apparel, and food from larger brands like Mammut, Mountain Hardware, and Obermeyer to more niche brands like RXBAR, Liberty Skis, and Klean Kanteen.
Since we launched Doe Camp Nation on Facebook about 3 months ago, our membership has continued to grow. With any luck, we'll be offering programs throughout the coming year.
We are looking for a few volunteers to help organize events and programs. We currently have 20 volunteers to cover various aspects of the organizational development. Your support is sincerely appreciated.
Doe Camp Nation is a private community of active women dedicated to creating new friendships and adventures. Events for learning new outdoor skills are supported by instructors, volunteers, sponsors and businesses helping all women expand their horizons in the great outdoors.
What our DCN members can do on our Facebook page:
connect with like minded women
Invite your friends to join
post day trips and outings and invite members to attend
post and organize gatherings
share tips on different activities/resources
ask for advice
post women's outdoor events
Share and ask for outdoor health information
get discounts on gear/lodging/services
post photos, videos and more
To join our group, log into your Facebook account, and then navigate to https://www.facebook.com/groups/doecampnation Click the "Join Group" button in the group's main menu to send a request to join the group.
If you aren't on Facebook, we have a new webpage: www.voga.org/doe-camp-nation.html that will have information and resources to get you outside, discover new activities and find new resources for your next adventure.
How can you help? If you like this project, please help us get the word out. Thanks in advance.
