American Camp Association Honors Leave No Trace

In Late February, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics received a Special Recognition Award for Youth Environmental Ethics Education, along with REI, for the PEAK program. The American Camp Association extended the honors. Excerpts from the press release are below

American Camp Association Honors REI and Leave No Trace with 2009 Special Recognition Award for Youth Environmental Ethics Education Program

SEATTLE – The American Camp Association® (ACA) is pleased to announce that the PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) program, a unique partnership between Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, has been awarded a 2009 Special Recognition Award.

Special Recognition Awards are presented annually by the American Camp Association to honor groups, organizations or individuals for their efforts to promote camping with a profound significance on a national level.

PEAK provides the ABC’s of environmental literacy to the next generation. Since 2002, nearly 575,000 children have been taught Leave No Trace principles through the PEAK program, an educational curriculum that teaches young people to be active stewards of outdoor recreational resources. The interactive program, available in English and Spanish, incorporates a series of hands-on and fun games, activities and lessons that are relevant for elementary school children and teens.

The development and implementation of PEAK is an outstanding contribution to the advancement of camping for a number of reasons.
• Every summer camp has an environment that could benefit from careful use. Island, forest, desert, mountain, woods, ocean, lake, meadow, park, and even landscaped locations benefit from campers who understand and apply Leave No Trace principles.
• PEAK has the power to pique the interest of youth attending summer camp. PEAK trainers and REI employees deliver PEAK to youth in many urban settings.
• The PEAK program inspires participants to get outside and enjoy outdoor pursuits responsibly so that shared natural spaces can be enjoyed by future generations. After experiencing PEAK, children are more likely to go camping, or find themselves on the trail with their youth groups and/or families.