About The New Hampshire Outdoor Council
The New Hampshire Outdoor Council (NHOC) is registered with the New Hampshire Secretary of State as a nonprofit corporation, and is fully qualified by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under the provisions of section 501c(3). The NHOC was recognized and endorsed by the NH Legislature under chapter 178:2 (May, 1986). Provisions of the statute permit coordination with the Department of Fish and Game and with the Department of Resources and Economic Development.
The NHOC is an all-volunteer organization, with consequently low overhead expenses. The NHOC provides funding support to agencies and organizations (especially volunteer organizations) which are involved in backcountry safety education and in search and rescue activities in the Granite State. Donations to the NHOC are welcomed, and are especially appreciated from those who have benefited from the efforts of volunteer search and rescue groups. The funds are distributed through specific grants to search and rescue groups throughout the state.
TThe Directors of the NHOC represent a cross section of wilderness outdoor interests in New Hampshire, and are people who are conversant with the many complex issues involved in backcountry user education and in related search and rescue. NHOC bylaws provide for a Board of Trustees that is formed of representatives of agencies and organizations involved in dispersed outdoor recreation management, natural resource stewardship, and public safety.
NHOC Board of Directors
Peter Crane
is the Curator of the Mount Washington Observatory's Gladys Brooks Memorial Library. He previously served as Director of Programs for the Observatory. He has lived in the White Mountains for more than thirty years, and served the U.S. Forest Service and the Appalachian Mountain Club in resource management, public information, and educational roles before coming to work for the Observatory.
An avid year-round hiker, he is also a volunteer trail maintainer for the Appalachian Mountain Club, a Wilderness First Responder and member of Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR), and a Leave No Trace trainer.
Lisa Densmore
has spent most of her adult life in the White Mountains. Lisa has garnered three Emmys for her work as host and field producer of Wildlife Journal and Windows to the Wild (PBS) which encourage safe participation in various outdoor activities with an emphasis on conservation. She has also covered hiking, camping and numerous other backcountry sports for VERSUS, Outside TV and other networks. A professional writer/photographer, Lisa contributes regularly to numerous regional and national magazines, such as Backpacker, AMC Outdoors, New Hampshire Wildlife Journal, and Camping Life. She is the author of seven books including Best Hikes with Dogs: New Hampshire and Vermont; Hiking the White Mountains and Predicting Weather. She is also a popular workshop leader and guest speaker on her many adventures, both in New Hampshire and in other mountain ranges around the world. Lisa serves on various committees of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the Board of Directors of the New England Ski Museum, the Dartmouth Athletic Council and the Advisory Board for the 2nd Dartmouth College Grant.
Mary Goodyear
is a wildlife educator for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. She serves as the State's Project WILD coordinator, and is involved in the Fish and Wildlife Stewards Program. She is also active in the National Association for Interpretation. Her background includes educational activities as a Program Specialist for the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation.
Lieutenant James Goss
is a Conservation Officer Supervisor for the Law Enforcement Division of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. He has been with the NH Fish and Game Department for 24 years during which time he has been involved in as well as directed search and rescue responses and management throughout the state. As the District Two Chief, Lt. Goss supervises an area, which includes much of the northeastern and southern White Mountains as well as the Lakes Region. Lt. Goss also currently serves as the State Search and Rescue Coordinator, hikeSafe Program Coordinator, and is the NH Fish and Game Department's Specialized Search and Rescue Team Leader.
Diane Holmes
is the Community Recreation Specialist for the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation. She previously served as Assistant Manager at Mount Washington State Park and as Manager at Mollidgewock State Park. She is an EMT, a member of Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, and serves her local community in its Emergency Medical Services department. Holmes is an avid outdoors person and also spent many winters as a ski patroller at Cannon Mountain.
Bill Kane
is Director of Education at SOLO in Conway, NH. He is a founding member of the NHOC. He is a founding member and former president of the Climbing Sports Group and a former director of Outdoor Industries Association. He has been a member of Mountain Rescue Service since 1976, and was a team leader and director of that organization for 17 years. He is former Chief of Fryeburg (ME) Rescue, a member of the Fryeburg Disaster Planning Team, and a member of the New Hampshire EMS Advisory Cabinet.
Marianne Leberman
serves as the Recreation and Wilderness Program Leader for the White Mountain National Forest, U.S. Forest Service. Her prior work for the Forest Service includes serving as a Snow Ranger in Tuckerman Ravine.
Jeff Leich
is Executive Director of New England Ski Museum in Franconia, NH. A White Mountain hiker and skier since the early 1960s, his career has included stints as an AMC hutman, park ranger on Mount Washington, and ski patrol director at Wildcat. He was a member of the Mt. Washington Volunteer Ski Patrol and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, and currently serves on the board of Friends of Tuckerman Ravine. He is a member of Eastern Ski Writers Association and author of two books, Over the Headwall: The Ski History of Tuckerman Ravine and Tales of the 10th: The Mountain Troops and American Skiing.
Steve Smith
owns and operates the Mountain Wanderer Map & Book Store in Lincoln, New Hampshire and has been an active hiker in the White Mountains for more than 30 years. He has authored or co-authored several hiking guides to the area and since 2001 has been co-editor of the AMC White Mountain Guide. Steve was one of the founding members of Pemigewasset Valley Search & Rescue and currently serves as its Treasurer. He is a volunteer trail adopter with the White Mountain National Forest. Steve lives in Lincoln with his wife, Carol.
Chris Thayer
is the Director for North Country Programming and Outreach for the Appalachian Mountain Club, and oversees its youth, family, and adult programs in the region including relations with local communities and government agencies. In his twenty-three years with the AMC, he's served in a variety of capacities related to backcountry resource management, search and rescue coordination, public information dissemination, and educational programming.
A year-round skier and hiker certified in Wilderness First Aid and as a Leave No Trace master, Chris volunteers for the AMC's search and rescue team as well as several local boards in his town and region.
John E. (Jed) Williamson
recently retired following ten years as President of Sterling College in Vermont. He has been a practitioner and consultant in education and outdoor pursuits, including over 60 safety and quality reviews and accident investigations. He co-authored the Association for Experiential Education's Accreditation Standards for Adventure Programs, has had several articles published, and produced three educational videos on experiential and adventure topics. From 1987 through 1992, he was Executive Director of the United States Biathlon Association. (He was on the U.S. Biathlon Team in the 1960's while serving in the U.S. Army.) He was a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1982. He has also worked as an instructor, program director, and school director for several U.S. Outward Bound schools and as a mountain guide.
He was a member of the Board of the American Alpine Club from 1974 to 1998, serving as President from 1992-94 and as Secretary from 1994-98. He was elected to Honorary Membership in 2007. Jed has been the Chair of the Safety Advisory Council and the editor of the American Alpine Club's annual report Accidents in North American Mountaineering since 1974.
Jed served on the Association for Experiential Education board from 1978-84, was Vice president from 1980-82, convened the 1979 AEE Annual Conference in NH, and was on the Program Accreditation Services board from 1992-2002. He was re-elected in 2007. He has also served on the boards of the National Outdoor Leadership School and the Student Conservation Association, where his primary involvement was in risk management. Jed was one of the founders and still serves on the board of the Wilderness Risk Managers Steering Committee. He is currently a member of the Dartmouth Outdoor Programs Safety Committee and on the Board of Directors for the Exum School of American Mountaineering (WY), the Upper Valley Educators Institute, and Heartbeet Lifesharing (VT).
His avocations include skiing and climbing, which he has done for over 50 years. His climbing expeditions have taken him to the top of North America twice and to mountain ranges far and wide. His education includes a B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of New Hampshire, and graduate work in anthropology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.