Happy Independence Day!

With Fourth of July just around the corner, Americans are preparing to celebrate patriotism and freedom across the country. We all know how people celebrate this wonderful holiday, of course -- either by attending a fireworks display, or by creating one themselves.

Fireworks are definitely a great way for friends and family to join together in celebration of our country, but before the adventurous among us attempt to launch their own fireworks, please be aware of the regulations in your state regarding types of fireworks allowed and where you can set them off. Information regarding state laws is available through the American Pyrotechnics Association. Keep in mind that public lands such as national parks and national forests almost certainly have their own restrictions on fireworks. In addition, the Mother Nature Network recently posted an interesting article on the potential environmental hazards of fireworks.

Have fun, and stay safe -- Happy Independence Day!

Whidbey Island Trainer Course

Whidbey Island is a beautiful area in off the coast of Washington. With dense forests, vast beaches, and plenty of recreational opportunities, the island was a perfect location for a trainer course. The weather more than cooperated as we explored Leave No Trace both at the campground at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and at Deception Pass State Park.

All seven participants on the course were excited to learn ways to incorporate Leave No Trace into their lives, whether it be working with boy scouts, leading mountaineering trips, working with the Washington Trails Association, or teaching their family and friends. Over the two days we all learned and laughed a lot! Some of us had new experiences- SPAM and eggs or banana boats- but all of us enjoyed our first Swedish candle! Thanks again to Dave Myers for all his hard work in setting up this weeks events- you are the best Big Bear!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Greener Fireworks on the Way

It's almost the 4th of July and who doesn't like to celebrate with a spectacular fireworks show? The blast of rockets, colors lighting up the sky! Pretty fun to see - especially for kids. But what about all that smoke? And what exactly are large-scale fireworks made of? Do a little digging and you'll find they are not so good for our health or for the environment. But we may not have to give up the 4th of July show completely. It looks like greener fireworks are in the works and may be available in the near future. Check out:

 http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/4th-of-july-green-eco-fireworks-statistics.php?dcitc=th_rss for more details.

Included at the bottom of the article are also some tips for keeping your 4th of July as "green" as it can be. Happy Fourth!

Leave What You Find

"I will be the gladdest thing under the sun. I will touch a houndred flowers and not pick one" - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Recreating in the outdoors with kids is a wonderful experience, but it might take a little extra effort to convince them that they must leave what they find for the next person to enjoy. This is tough for many kids to understand, especially when the woods are so full of treasures to collect! Here are a few ways that your kids can still "collect" all the wonderful things that they see:

1) Make a sketch of interesting plants and animals. On your next adventure, bring along a notepad and some crayons and encourage kids to draw the pretty rocks, interesting pine cones and beautiful flowers that they see along the way. When you get home, you can help kids write about the drawings and turn their notebook into a story about their day.

2) Take pictures. Kids will love looking back at all of the wonderful tresures they found on your adventures. If your kids like to collect things, help them organize the pictures into scrapbooks or special folders on the computer so that they can look at their treasures again and again.

3) Bring your binoculars. When kids spot an animal, they might be tempted to run up to get a better look. To avoid frightened wildlife (and disappointed kids) have a pair of binoculars handy to view wildlife from a safe distance.

Great American Backyard Campout - Newmarket, NH

Campers arriving and setting up there tents.

JD talking with the campers about Leave No Trace.


Like the other traveling teams, we also spent last Saturday at a Great American Backyard Campout event. We were in Newmarket, NH for our campout. The campout saw about 100 kids from the Newmarket area come together for a fun evening of games, music, food, and of course Leave No Trace. About 25 kids came over and joined in on some Leave No Trace activities.

The Story of Lost Lake

Good morning!

I wanted to relay a story from this past weekend that I thought we may all relate to and see what you all think...We all wear many different hats - employee, supervisor, parent, spouse, recreationist - and it's alway interesting to see how and when these different parts of our life intertwine.

Last weekend, I went camping at Lost Lake, just outside of the Indian Peaks Wilderness in Colorado. Lost Lake is a very popular hiking and camping spot, only 1.5 miles in from a trailhead that is frequented by people from Denver and Boulder.

There are designated campsites around the lake, but you do not need a permit to camp there; though you do for the surrounding Wilderness area. Our intention was to camp at the lake, but, knowing it was first come -first served, we got a permit anyway, in case we had to hike further up the trail.

Wanting to get an early start, we set off in the morning and were at the lake in plenty of time to have our pick of a few different sites. Good thing we did! As the morning turned into the afternoon, the lake quickly became populated with other hikers and backpackers. Even though the sites filled up, that did not stop the influx of people wanting to camp. The lake contains 9 designated campsites, in my estimation there were 10-12 groups there, a couple that were right next to the water and the trail. In addition, I counted 3 addition fire rings in the woods behind our site, places where others had camped in the past.

Overuse of the resource is clearly an issue at this spot, as there were signs posted everywhere for areas the were being revegetated, a couple of them right along a social trail out to a cool rock outcropping.

This situation reminded me of the Authority of the Resource Technique (ART), which emphasizes the use of "education" instead of "regulation" and using the "voice" of the natural resource (not the authority figure) to promote conservation.

This weekend I was just a person enjoying the outdoors, not necessarily a spokesperson for the Center for Outdoor Ethics. What would you have done in this situation? Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to say something, but didn't? Or maybe you said something...what the outcome positive or negative? What did you learn?

Thanks for your thoughts! Email me if you want a copy of that article.

Sarah

Weekend Fun on the Trails!

Some quick photos from my run in Boulder Mountain Parks this weekend. Any guesses on the big track in the mud? I would guess Elk, even though I have not seen an elk this close in to Boulder previously.