Question: What do the following individuals share in common?

• A 14-year old Girl Scout in Fairfax, Virginia
• A middle-aged father with 4 kids, who enjoys a good game of golf
• A college student from Hong Kong
• A corporate lawyer in Seattle, Washington
• A young, Latino male volunteering in the mountains of Southern California

Answer: A membership to Leave No Trace.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. As an organization with a mission, Leave No Trace works and thrives because of its members… Nearly 3,500 of them!

How is it that, despite our different geographic roots, we can all unite under a common banner of Leave No Trace? After all, each and every member, educator and volunteer of Leave No Trace has a different background, a different life story.

This is because Leave No Trace is an organization with roots, too. We are, as Leave No Trace is, rooted to the environment and the land. Most importantly, like any entity with roots, we have the ability to change, grow, and adapt to possibilities every day through the cultivation of lasting solutions, turning ourselves from idealists in to realists.

Leave No Trace thrives as we all do on kinship, community and symbiosis. Unless we take the initiative to share and explore the lessons we learn through experience, we will not know the full depths of our potential to make a difference. Find ways to share, learn and grow: Leave No Trace is first and foremost an educational organization, but it is through shared understanding and awareness that it blossoms in to a lifestyle.

To become a member of Leave No Trace, join online today or contact Sara Close at 1.800.332.4100 x.105.

Photo: www.admissions.unc.edu/ diversity/affirm.htm

Protesters block new Hawaii Superferry

Concerned about the environmental integrity of the Hawaii Superferry, the first passenger-vehicle ferry service between the Hawaiian Islands, protesters in kayaks, surf boards and canoes blocked the ferry's entrance to Maui's Nawiliwili Harbor on Monday.  

Lawsuits are still pending in the issue, but concerned citizens argue that the ferry's 400 mile route between Honolulu, Maui, and Kauai, "endangers whales, threatens to spread invasive species and will worsen traffic and pollution" (CNN).  Proponents of the ferry service, however, argue that the ship's water jet propulsion system eliminates the danger of exposed propellers to strike aquatic animals.  

Operations are currently suspended, after the Coast Guard informed Superferry, Inc. officials that it could not assure safe passage of the 350-foot ferry in and out of Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor (CNN).

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

Talking the Talk

This morning, Leave No Trace’s Sara Close and I met with representatives from the Access Fund, a national climbing advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. The Access Fund has been a Leave No Trace partner organization for a number of years, and we have worked together to create various educational pieces for the climbing community. On the table today, was a discussion of our organizations’ major initiatives. We also spent some time identifying collaborative opportunities to reach the climbing community with minimum impact education.

As we talked, I kept being reminded that Leave No Trace is often at its best when spoken though the words of those who are using it — our various partner groups, the people and outdoor sports they represent, Leave No Trace constituents out there in the field, advocates and you. This is why, among other things, we put such weight on our relationships with the broad selection of partner organizations from the Access Fund to International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), American Canoe Association, The Sierra Club as well as a couple hundred others.

Every sport, every outdoor endeavor has its own language. The staff of the Access Fund know climbing and the climbing culture. To that end, we deem our partnership with that organization incredibly relevant to infiltrating Leave No Trace into the DNA of climbers. The same goes for boaters and mountain bikers. We’ve learned much about the “camp” culture and language from our partnership with American Camp Association, and we are actively looking for partners in the fishing community to help move our educational initiative to the millions of people who go fishing on public lands each year.

If you are involved with a group that could benefit from a partnership with Leave No Trace, speak up and tell us about it.

Outdoor Ethics?

The Leave No Trace program teaches skills. But, and perhaps more importantly, it aims to impart an ethic. And overriding outdoor ethic that will hopefully guide those who enjoy the out of doors in making good decisions. An ethic is defined in many ways. Since I've been with Leave No Trace, I've run across many definitions of the word 'ethic'. Some are more apropos than others and some are simply dead-on. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

• What you do when no one is watching

• Obedience to the unenforceable 

• A system of guidelines for governing our behavior 

• Ethics is what you do in the dark before the game warden shows up, before some tells you to shape up. Shame is what you feel when they catch you doing something wrong; guilt is what you feel when you do something you know is wrong, period. One requires law enforcement, the other only requires that still, small voice…

Leave No Trace, as an outdoor ethics program, seeks and observable change in behavior that is due to internal motivations based on ethics. I believe that education is how we’re going to make the difference - I have seen it work all across the U.S. and in many countries around the globe. However, education alone is not enough to change behavior. Behavioral change needs to come from somewhere deeper. There needs to be an internal ethic driving us to make good decisions about enjoying the outdoors responsibly then following through with our actions. It’s not what you did yesterday, it’s what you’re doing tomorrow.

A few things about Leave No Trace:

• Leave No Trace is not about rules and regulations.

• Leave No Trace is not about right vs. wrong.

• Leave No Trace is not black and white.

• Leave No Trace is a framework for making good decisions about how to enjoy the outdoors in the most responsible way possible.
  

I personally view Leave No Trace as spectrum – on one end there are some impacts, on the other end there are none. I encourage people to figure out where they fit into the spectrum – where they’re comfortable – and to do what they can to minimize their individual impacts.

The primary goal of Leave No Trace is to: prevent the avoidable impacts and to minimize the unavoidable impacts. By doing so we can protect and preserve both natural resources and the quality of the recreational experience. This can also minimize the need for restrictive management activities by land managers.

I truly believe that if everyone did something, even something small, to minimize their impact on the out of doors, the result would be huge!

Be safe, have fun, explore and most importantly, think about how you can enjoy the outdoors responsibly...

Hey this is the intern speaking...

Hello, I am proud to introduce myself as Leave No Trace’s current intern. Leave No Trace is a rewarding organization to work for and a great opportunity to learn the operations behind it all. Thus far it has been an exceptional ride learning skills in nonprofit management and outreach, and what it is they do behind the scenes. There is a great employment culture here that makes my experience that much more enjoyable, I never knew professional careers could be so fun!

Here is a bit of background information about myself, I am a senior at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, studying Marketing and Nonprofit Management. I was given the opportunity last spring to come out to Boulder for my internship, since then I have decided to extend this journey until December! Who would blame me? I will then return and graduate in May.

I will now take this opportunity to squeeze in a favorite tourist attraction from my home state. Since ND is one of the fewer visited states in the nation, I want to capitalize a place that I think many people would enjoy but know very little about. On the western side of ND lies rugged terrain and amazing rock formations creating a beautiful “lunar” landscape. This rugged terrain is home to the historic Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which once served as catharsis for the President after he had lost his wife and mother. There are many features the park offers including dozens of miles of trails that allow for back country hiking and camping, horse use trails, and mountain biking trails all which connect you to the amazing views of the badlands and wildlife. I encourage anyone to detour up north or take a trip and experience what the National Park has to offer!

"I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota" - Theodore Roosevelt

“I never would have been the Leave No Trace intern if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota” – Alicia Brossart

leave no trace e-tour

The Leave No Trace e-tour is successfully off and running bringing hands on Leave No Trace demonstrations, interactive games and general Leave No Trace education to select retail stores across the country. E-tour team members Kelly Bacon and Heather McFadin, have been traveling since June 11th to retailers specializing in Coleman outdoor products in order to promote Leave No Trace information to kids and families.  The e-tour will make over 40 stops in 2007 in 13 different states. 

"One of our favorite memories was from an event at a Coleman Factory Outlet Store. We did an activity where the kids explored the store with a mission to bring an item back to the group that matched one of the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace.  They had so much fun  during this game they begged us to do it again!" stated Kelly and Heather after a recent event.  The e-tour will be in Minneapolis this weekend at a Dick's Sporting Goods Hunting Tour. There are six more events in 2007 with the last stop on September 9th in Lincoln, NE, come on out and see the e-tour in action!

Hello, my name is Erika.....

Hi! My name is Erika, and I work for the Leave No Trace Center in Boulder, Colorado. I have been working at the Center for almost five months, and I have loved every minute. I want to use my first blog to let you know who I am and what I do for Leave No Trace.

My primary responsibilities are processing and shipping the online orders and phone orders each day. If you have any questions concerning the online store or any of our educational materials, please do not hesitate to call or email! If I cannot answer your question then I will certainly put you in touch with the person who can.

I also work each week with Sara Close, our Membership Director. I help her process the memberships we receive each week, and work to get the memberships shipped. If you have any questions concerning your membership, and Sara is not available then feel free to contact me and I will do my best to help!

The highlight of my summer 2007  was rafting the Salmon Main from Corn Creek to Vinegar Creek with my little brother and friends. The picture you see is of Big Mallard rapid. I thought our boat was going to drop into a huge hole, but Mitch saved the day for us! I hope that your summer was a smash hit as well, and that we all did our part to Leave No Trace!

Until Next Time,

Erika

Respect Wildlife

Respect wildlife, it sounds pretty straight forward. How do you define it for yourself? Some would say that if your presence alters an animal's behavior then you are too close. Does this apply to just large mammals, or the little guys as well?

On a recent family camping trip, my two young girls and I came upon a small snake. My instinct was to quickly catch the snake, which I did. My girls and I spent a couple minutes holding, looking at, and enjoying this little snake before sending him back into the undergrowth.

Was this a classic case of poor judgment, or a great teachable moment? In the end I believe this comes down to a personal choice for all of us. For myself, to see the look of amazement in my daughter's eyes, and to have them excited (rather than afraid) to see the next snake on the trail, was worth it. I believe touching and feeling, is a sure way to build appreciation, especially with the creepy crawly variety. This appreciation will hopefully lead to the development of my girl's own personal outdoor ethics as they grow up.

What would you have done?

Geography of Childhood

In keeping with the press that has been generated recently by the "No Child Left Inside" initiative I wanted to highlight another interesting book that I read for a recent Child Development class.

"The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places" (Nahban & Trimble 1994) is a compilation of essays by two naturalists whose writings draw on many of their own outdoor experiences as children. Reading some of the essays evoked many of my own childhood memories spent outdoors and definitely served as a reminder of why it is so important to instill that outdoor ethic in kids early on.

Many educators in the field have already read (and own copies of) Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods," in which he references Nahban and Trimble's book. At any rate, "Geography" is a great addition to any environmental educator's library. Below is a link for more information. Enjoy!

http://www.stephentrimble.net/Books/this_book.asp?book=7

Our Newest Networking Tool!

Welcome to the Leave No Trace Community Blog!

We're excited about the possibilities that this blog presents for Leave No trace, and we hope to use this as a tool to build networks on all scales - locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.  We'll be adding new content every day regarding education, membership, research, events, grants, partnerships and general Leave No Trace happenings.

We hope you'll join us in this online community through active dialogue - let us know what is happening in your neighborhood, ask questions, and most importantly, get connected!

I'll leave you with some basic information for you to get connected today:

- Locate your State Advocate

- Discover our free online Teaching Materials

- Contact a Master Educator in your area

- Learn more about our new Connect Grants for culturally-diverse communities

- Find the Traveling Trainers

If you have any questions, thoughts or general feedback about the Leave No Trace community blog, leave us a comment!  We'd love to hear from you.