Wyoming-based outdoors school announces national cuts

Cy Neff, USA TODAY
·1 min read

Major changes are underway at the Wyoming-based National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS), which announced major layoffs and facility closures in 2024, with staff at the company's headquarters in Lander largely spared from the cuts.

NOLS is one of the nation's best-known outdoor education schools, offering courses ranging from "Himalaya Mountaineering" to "Prince William Sea Sound Kayaking."

President Sandy Colhoun announced significant changes early in March, including the elimination of 60 NOLS positions - 18 vacant and 42 currently staffed. Furthermore, three NOLS campuses will close this fall: NOLS Northeast (Gabriels, NY), NOLS Northwest (Mount Vernon, WA), and NOLS Southwest (Tanque Verde, AZ).

"These decisions were not made lightly, and we understand the profound impact they will have on the community," Colhoun said.

Colhoun's letter referenced NOLS's financial difficulties. According to the non-profit's tax returns, NOLS lost over $3.5 million in 2022, and suffered a $9 million revenue drop due to the pandemic.

Cy Neff is a politics reporting fellow covering Wyoming for USA Today. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com, or on X @CyNeffNews

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wyoming-based NOLS makes big cuts