The goals of this manual are to raise the level of safety, environmental awareness, and quality in outdoor adventure education, and to encourage the development of skilled, knowledgeable outdoor leaders through the compilation and dissemination of common practices and information. Other goals are to provide information for programs to use as a foundation for voluntary peer review and to establish a communication basis with both land use agencies and organizations which are sources of potential students. Guidelines are included for the administration of outdoor programs; the selection, training, supervision, and assessment of both staff and participants; the activities to be offered; and the choice of the site and equipment. Basic instructor qualifications are given, as well as emergency practices, accident/incident data collection and reporting, and safety review policies. Twenty-two land, 1 aerial (hang gliding), and 10 aquatic activities are listed and information is included on conservation, safety instructor/participant ratios, and leadership qualifications needed. Extensive appendices contain: 35 source documents; a list of contributing readers; recommendations, sample registration, and waiver and release forms; program information sheets; medical forms; interview guidelines; logbooks; safety codes and regulations; and accident reporting forms. A program directory form is given at the end for organizations wishing to participate. (JMM)