The more we know, the better stewards we can be...

I fly fished this past weekend, which is nothing new. What is new, however, is what I caught - the Rocky Mountain Whitefish. I'd caught them before but never as many (or as big) as I caught last Friday. The whitefish is considered by many to be a 'trash fish', but in reality it's a indicator of a healthy ecosystem. I've actually heard of anglers catching these fish and simply throwing them on the bank to let them die, thinking they were actually helping the local trout population. This myth couldn't be further from the truth. These are wonderful fish to catch and put up a great fight.

From Wikipedia:

The mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni is one of the mostly widely distributed salmonid fish of western North America.
The body shape is superficially similar to the cyprinids, although it is distinguished by having the adipose fin of salmonids. The body is slender and nearly cylindrical in cross section, generally silver with a dusky olive green shade dorsally. The short head has a small mouth underneath the snout.

It is a fish of mountain streams and lakes, favoring clear cold water and large deep pools of at least a meter depth; the Lake Tahoe population lives just above the bottom in deeper water. Mountain whitefish are bottom feeders, stirring up the substrate with pectoral and tail fins to expose insect larvae and other invertebrates, including snails, crayfish, and amphipods. Their main feeding time is in the evening, but they will also take drifting prey during the day. The mountain whitefish frequently feeds in the lower strata of streams, but populations may rise to the surface to prey on hatching insects, including mayflies.

Perhaps if more anglers knew the importance of this fish species to the water they inhabit, there would be greater respect and understand for the entire ecosystem.

Winter Camping Poo: Check it out.

GUEST BLOG SUBMISSION: Jim Muller

What to do with your Winter Camping poo? If you don’t have the luxury of portable toilets near your activity area, you’ll need to consider how to dispose of waste properly. The soil is usually several feet out of reach and hard as a rock unless you can locate a patch of bare ground where a trowel can penetrate the duff.

Burying it in the snow isn’t acceptable. Human waste buried in snow will find itself lying on the ground surface once the spring thaw occurs.

The best solution is to pack it out. Hey it’s winter and your poo will freeze so you won’t have to worry about odor. Because waste is frozen in the winter, packing it out is not as distasteful as you may think. There are a couple of options: A Wag Bag or colored ziploc bags.

The Wag Bag is now called the Go Anywhere Toilet Kit. It is designed to be used on its own to pack-out human waste. Wag Bags are required items at certain locations to lessen environmental impact.

The kit is a double bag system made from spill-proof, puncture-resistant material. An inner waste bag comes preloaded with a Poo Powder gelling agent that turns liquids solid, and contains natural odor control and decay catalysts. The inner bag can be used multiple times, for up to 32 ounces of waste. When finished, put the inner bag inside the sturdy, outer zip-close disposal bag. The kit’s packaging and ingredients are biodegradable, EPA Class II waste, landfill approved. Each kit includes toilet paper sheets and an antiseptic hand wipe. MSRP: $39.99 per 12 pack available from a variety of sources including www.gocleanwaste.com or www.ThePett.com

A cheaper alternative is using colored re-closable bag (e.g. ziploc) just for solid wastes. These bags can be purchased by the carton from a shipping supply company such as Uline. These can contain your waste (or feminine hygiene products) out of sight.

Also, no one likes to look a “yellow snow”, so be sure to cover urine with clean snow.

Jim Muller is a Leave No Trace Master Educator. He enjoys canoeing during warm months and winter camping (www.WinterCampers.com) during the cold months.

GUEST BLOG SUBMISSION: Jim Muller

Happy Thanksgiving from Leave No Trace!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Center! Remember to not feed wildlife today as you are enjoying a wonderful meal with your friends and family. We want to thank you all for all that you do for Leave No Trace, whether it is teaching others, supporting the organization through individual membership, joining as a partner or simply practicing Leave No Trace skills and ethics on all of your outdoor outings. The Center is very thankful for all of your hard work in 2010!

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

Cheers!

Conversation with Peter Newman, Ph.D., about his Leave No Trace Research

Leave No Trace relies on research to help define its educational programming. Check out this recent conversation Dana Watts, Leave No Trace's executive director, had with Colorado State University's Peter Newman, Ph.D. about his recent Leave No Trace research at Rocky Mountain National Park.

A Few of Our Memories

Before we say our last good-byes, we wanted to share a few of our memories from the past three years with you...

Join Bigfoot, and Support Leave No Trace

A fortuitous encounter with “Mr. Bigfoot” is motivating us to practice Leave No Trace sasquatch-style.

How? The furry guy has asked us to challenge this community to live up to his standards as an environmental activist. By showing your support for Leave No Trace you have the chance to show Bigfoot you’re up to the test. He’s been doing it for years, and so can you!

Per Bigfoot’s request, we are offering a creative way for you to support Leave No Trace. By donating $15 you will receive some gifts to help warm up the holidays: a limited-edition Bigfoot pint glass (for your favorite holiday beverage) and a warm, cozy hat!

By donating to the cause, you are joining a nationwide conservation movement to help minimize recreation impacts on the outdoors. Show your support and let Bigfoot know you are up to the challenge!

Rocky Road

We facilitated a Leave No Trace Trainer Course in Acadia National Park earlier this year. It was a great course with lots of discussions about outdoor ethics! One conversation that came up during the principle of "Leave What You Find" was the practice of rock stacking. It was the first time that this issue had ever been brought up during one of our courses and opinions ranged from finding rock stacks beautiful to offensive. At the time, we had not given much thought to the carefully balanced rocks we had occasionally seen along trails.

So, why months later are we still contemplating the question of rock stacking? Well, we recently had the opportunity to hike in Bryce Canyon National Park and came across a portion of trail that was covered with thousands of rocks balancing upon each other. The sight immediately brought to mind the "Leave What You Find" conversation we had back in Acadia National Park and we could see why there had been such varied feelings towards the activity. While one artfully balanced rock stack can be quite beautiful, seeing these stacks in such a large quantity in a national park felt somewhat disconcerting.

What are your thoughts on rock stacking?

Ascending the Giants Receives the Leave No Trace Award at the Adventure Film Festival

Adventure Film, a dedicated partner of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, recently hosted its annual Adventure Film Festival in Boulder, CO earlier this month. As a local partner, it was a great opportunity for staff members to get hands-on in the great outreach AF is doing the community. Many of us volunteered our time to help with ticket sales, distribute flyers and posters, and staff booths at the festival. A true highlight for me, however, was seeing the film that received the Leave No Trace award this year: Ascending the Giants.

From the Adventure Film website:

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is Adventure Film’s 2009 Nonprofit Partner.

The world’s greatest stories play out in the wild places of this earth, and those wild places are a limited and delicate resource. We are all key players in preserving this stage for future generations. In the Spirit of adventure and conservation, we recognize “Ascending the Giants” as recipient of the 2009 Leave No Trace Award, for upholding a mission of empowering people to be the solution to environmental impact by educating communities worldwide on the skills and ethics of sustainable recreation.

The Klootchy Creek Sitka Spruce Tree on the Oregon Coast was the largest of its kind. In December of 2007, it toppled during a fierce windstorm, leaving the designation of largest Sitka spruce in Oregon up for grabs. With just a handful of contenders for the title, Brian French and Will Koomjian spent several months measuring the candidates. Join them as they travel to four massive Sitkas, each with its own unique personality and growing conditions. This short documentary features stunning cinematography from both ground and canopy that captures the excitement of climbing these proud behemoths.

Watch the trailer:

No Impact Man

This past weekend I had a chance to see a very unique and thoughtful film called No Impact Man. The 90 min documentary was part of the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder, of which Leave No Trace was the nonprofit partner.

The film followed a Manhattan family (dad, mom and baby daughter) as they attempt to live an entire year in NYC - creating no environmental impact. The real irony became evident in the first few minutes, when the family admitted that they are both addicted to retail and reality t.v. Not only was their New Year's resolution going to be challenging, it was going to give their lifestyle a complete 180.

From cutting out all new purchases, to buying only farmer's market food, turning off the electricity and attempting to create a refrigeration system out of terracotta pots, sand and water (really fascinating!), the family's efforts were really commendable.

It was interesting to me to watch the family struggle with some of the same issues that we as an organization do. For instance, they received a lot of criticism along the lines of "How can you really create no impact? That is impossible, it's too extreme, and it gives the environmental movement a bad name."

The point, though, was that as the family conducted this environmental audit on themselves, they realized how interconnected everything was (trying to cut out one thing led to another and another), which made them more aware, and more "global" citizens. Most importantly, they learned that altering their lifestyle, even just a little bit, could create measurable change.

Leave No Trace is the outdoor recreation version of No Impact Man and his family. A specific program, it as part of a much larger environmental education landscape that promotes awareness, social responsibility and activism.

If you haven't had a chance to view this film, I highly recommend it! I look forward to hearing your comments.

Poaching in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Such senseless acts are often hard to comprehend. From the Charlotte Observer:

A Granville County man is suspected of illegally shooting a bull elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park - the first case of elk poaching in the massive park, officials said Monday.

Rangers found the dead elk on Friday. He was one of the largest and most majestic breeding bulls in the herd that was reintroduced to the park's Cataloochee Valley several years ago, park officials said.

Read the full story here.

Auraria Campus Sustainability Fair

The Campus Sustainability Fair at the University of Colorado Denver and Auraria campus was held Thursday November 12th. Attended by hundreds of students and local community members, the fair involved several local organizations dedicated to promoting environmental responsibility. With several eco-oriented organizations present, many facets of sustainability were represented. In addition to Leave No Trace, some of the participants included the Woodbine Ecology Center, Denver Urban Gardens, Learning Landscapes, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Bands for Lands, just to name a few. Many exhibits included an electric car display, a beekeeper, a solar oven, and numerous green demonstrations by students and local companies. The Sustainability Fair was excellent way for Leave No Trace and similar environmentally oriented organizations to deliver a message about sustainability in all aspects of life. Modifying some of humankind’s most destructive unsustainable habits, such as energy consumption and overexploitation, is vital if we are to preserve our beautiful planet for its own intrinsic value. Adopting innovative strategies to curve our consumption habits, and promoting public education on how to do so, are ways that we may begin to accomplish this objective.

Do you know who's land you're on?

Sounds like a simple question but the answer is not always obvious. With so many different land management agencies - National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, countless state parks, hundreds of local municipalities, etc. - it can be very confusing for the average outdoor enthusiasts. Not to mention the dozens of different land designations - Wilderness, national park, wild and scenic river, national monument, - just to name a few.

One must ask - why does it even matter who's land I'm on? Well, it does matter, and in some cases it matters a great deal. There are things you can do on USDA Forest Service lands (hunting for example) that you can't do in many National Parks. You can mountain bike on lots of land that the Bureau of Land Management manages but you can't mountain bike in federally designated Wilderness. What it boils down to is that recreationists need to know what is and isn't allowed on the lands where they hope to spend time.

Land management agencies have different classifications of land in order to manage for one thing or another. Whether it's solitude, resource extraction, water resources or recreation, land managers do their best to ensure that we properly steward public lands in the U.S.

The first principle of Leave No Trace, Plan Ahead and Prepare, encourages outdoor enthusiasts to do some research to find out about what is an isn't allowed on the lands they intend to visit. This seemingly simple step is critical for a quality recreational experience, and is very important for protecting the limited recreational resources we have to share.

Hats off to JD and Emily

As we close the door on the 2009 Traveling Trainer season, we want to take a moment to celebrate our fellow Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer team JD Tanner and Emily Ressler. JD and Emily have spent the past 3 years criss-crossing the country providing quality education and outreach to millions of outdoor enthusiasts. They are truly a dynamic duo that we were fortunate to have been able to share this Traveling Trainer experience with. We know that their dogs, Arnie and Aspen, will be happy to have them home, but life in the world of Leave No Trace will not be the same without them. They will be missed next year and we wish them the best in their future adventures!

Did you have a chance to meet JD and Emily on their travels? We want to hear about it! Post a comment or shoot us an email (kateandtracy@lnt.org) and we will post your stories!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

My Backyard: Bigfoot Challenge 2009 comes to a close.

After 162 days, 4981 participants, and over 40,000 miles on two Subaru Foresters, the Bigfoot Challenge was retired at midnight on October 31st. Thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers who registered some 3900 Challenge-takers at their events, the celebration of the Traveling Trainer Program's 10th Anniversary was a huge success. We chose to celebrate the great work the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers do by challenging people across the country to Leave No Trace, just like Bigfoot does, providing participants with 10 different ways to help minimize our recreational impacts in the places we play while remaining as elusive as Mr. Sasquatch.

While Bigfoot the creature has managed to keep his/her impact low by being a fictional character and not actually existing in any tangible way, Bigfoot the Challenge offered 10 very real, very tangible activities and behaviors that helped Leave No Trace volunteers take action in their community. The most popular challenge selected by volunteers was to commit to actually practicing Leave No Trace. 29% of participants promised to pick up their dog's poop on their next outdoor outing, walk through the middle of a muddy trail instead of around it, and/or try a campfire alternative on their next camping trip. The bulk of these Bigfoot Challenge-takers, 49%, elected to walk through the middle of a muddy trail instead of around it, while 32% promised to pick up their dog's poop and 19% pledged to try a campfire alternative like using a headlamp for light, a stove for cooking and warm clothes for warmth. In addition, 23% pledged to educate others by hanging a Leave No Trace plastic reference tag on their backpack or on a bulletin board while 20% promised to lead by example and pick up trash on trails and in local parks.

We want to thank all of you who took part in the Bigfoot Challenge this year. We will be doing a random drawing over the next couple of weeks to award those who took part in this effort with some great outdoor gear donated by Leave No Trace partners. If you didn't get a chance to get involved this year or you are looking for more ways to practice, teach or promote Leave No Trace, then keep an eye out for Bigfoot in 2010!

International Highlight: Ireland Takes on Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace has a growing international presence with dozens of partner organizations using and incorporating Leave No Trace around the world, as well as a few countries that have actually formed Leave No Trace organizations, and countless groups using and incorporating elements of the program to complement their environmental efforts.

In its third year of work, one branch, Leave No Trace Ireland, has exhibited a remarkably vibrant program, successful in both field and event-based education. Program coordinator, Beverley Pierson is hard at work organizing communication and educational efforts around the country. The organization is publishing skills and ethics booklets for the general public, attending outdoor events, delivering Leave No Trace Trainer Courses and Awareness Workshops and developing educational partnership with a growing list of outdoor organizations and agencies.

Pictured above, Leave No Trace exhibited at the National Ploughing Championships, an event that draws 80,000 people in Athy, Ireland. You can find more information about Leave No Trace Ireland at: www.leavenotraceireland.org and more about other international partners at www.lnt.org/support/international.php.

Road Wisdom: Hibernation Sets In...

It’s that time of year again. The season when the leaves fall off the trees, snow starts falling from the skies, and the wildlife begins foraging food for the winter. This is a bittersweet time for the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers as it is the time when we park the Subaru at the Center in Boulder for the remainder of 2009. After nine busy months traveling the country providing education and outreach to hundreds of thousands of outdoor enthusiasts, the traveling trainer teams have closed out the 2009 season.

Along with the traveling trainer teams, Mr. Bigfoot has retired for the season for some much needed rest and hibernation. Bigfoot, too, has been very busy this year challenging folks to take his Bigfoot Challenge. He successfully recruited nearly 5,000 people to challenge themselves to practice Leave No Trace this year. The challenges varied from leading by example by picking trash on a trail, to teaching a child the importance of not feeding wildlife, to practicing leave no trace by walking through the middle of a muddy trail or picking up after your pets. Everyone who took the challenge has been entered to win gear from some of our partners that the big guy himself will be announcing in the next few weeks!

If you did not get a chance to take the Bigfoot Challenge in 2009, not to worry! Bigfoot has told us he will be returning next year for an even bigger and badder challenge for us. Stay tuned for more information…

Happy hibernating and safe travels…

Kate Bullock and Tracy Howard

Leave No Trace Video is Back!

The Leave No Trace video is now available! Presented by the National Park Service, this video is an inspiring testimony of individuals who love the land. It introduces the ideas and principles of Leave No Trace and the importance of taking a personal role in preserving the outdoor experience for future generations.

It’s a great teaching resource for Trainer Courses, Awareness Workshops, and any Leave No Trace community program.

Check it out by obtaining your copy for sale or by viewing through the Leave No Trace website. The video can be purchased for $2.75 through the online store and viewed on Educational and Training Resources page.

Dear Education Department: Online Awareness Course

Dear Education Department,

I am very interested in providing Leave No Trace education to my community. However, it’s been awhile since I took a Trainer Course or been involved with the program.

Is there a way I can refresh my knowledge about Leave No Trace practices and programs? Do you offer any online training opportunities or refresher courses? Likewise, do you offer similar opportunities that introduce people to the Leave No Trace program?

Sincerely,

Community Educator

*******

Dear Community Educator,

Thank you for your email and interest in providing education to your community. The Center has begun developing online training opportunities and now has an Online Awareness Course available through the website.

The course tests knowledge of Leave No Trace principles, techniques and programs. It is a great review for individuals that have previously taken a Leave No Trace course/workshop or reviewed the website and slideshow.

Upon completing the course, you are able to print a certificate for your records. We hope to provide more training opportunities through this medium, including a youth-based course.

Enjoy!

The Education Department

National Parks Waive Fees for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11

From the National Park Service ...

National Parks Waive Fees for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11

Date: November 5, 2009
Contact: Mike Litterst, Public Affairs Officer, 757-898-2409

Yorktown, Va. – To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has declared that areas managed by the department will not charge entrance fees on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11. Included in the fee-free day are all National Park Service sites, including the Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield units of Colonial National Historical Park.

“The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” said Salazar said “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee-free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harms way.”

As an agency of the Interior Department, the National Park Service preserves and protects 392 units representing some of the country’s most significant scenic and cultural places. The National Park Service website provides information on National Park Service battlefields, military parks, and historic sites that commemorate the service of American veterans.

Free entrance on Veterans Day applies also at other areas managed by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.

More Info ( + )

Peace Corps Volunteers Incorporate Leave No Trace

Peace Corps volunteers from around the globe have been using Leave No Trace programs for years. Recently we sat down with a volunteer who is extending her relationship with her host country and is very interested in incorporating Leave No Trace in her work:

Jennifer Johns, recently returned from the Peace Corps in Honduras and is currently forming an outdoor leadership program for the community of Tornabe in Honduras. She travelled to Colorado to meet with Center staff because she wanted to teach the children of the Tornabe Leave No Trace. She also plans to teach Leave No Trace to adult educators there. As a result, she is taking the Spanish-translated PEAK program back to use and incorporate into her new program.

Stay tuned for more about Jennifer's program. What do you think about extending Leave No Trace programming and resources to to the international community?

Great Deal on KEEN NW 23rd Bags

We have teamed up with KEEN to bring you the sleek and stylish Keen NW 23rd Daypack with a large Leave No Trace logo embroidered on. The fashionable look gives the bag great street appeal, perfect for the college campus or downtown work environment. Get a jump on your holiday shopping, and get these bags while they are 25% off, through the end of November in our online store!

Culturally Responsive Environmental Education

Denver was lucky enough to be the site for the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) conference this year.

Even with the very wintery weather, hundreds of educators, teachers and school administrators made the the trek to the annual conference, the theme this year being "Name the Change You Wish to See."

Multicultural Education (MCE) or Culturally Responsive Education is just as applicable to non formal classroom settings or environments as it is to formal school districts. The backgrounds of students participating in outdoor or environmental programs are just as diverse as those in a city classroom.

Campers at a Central Park Summer Camp participate in a nature-based activity. Photo by Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers - Team East.

If you run a literature search for Multicultural Environmental Education (MEE), the findings are a bit limited, though there are are several case studies and assessment tools that look at the framework, intentions and outcomes of urban based environmental programs.

Here is a link to a cultural competency study conducted by the Barr Foundation in MA, looking at three urban-based environmental programs in the city of Boston: Understanding Cultural Competency.

A very comprehensive study, it reminds us that while environmental education is important and relevant to everyone, the environmental issues and values that people bring to the table are diverse and often culturally defined.

Anyway, enjoy the articles and, as always, leave your comments for us!

Have a great day,

Sarah

Poll Answer - What would allow you to spend more time outside?

Thanks to all those who participated in our recent poll - What would allow you to spend more time outside? Almost 70% of respondents noted that more time would allow for greater time spent outside. This further demonstrates just how busy our lives really are on a daily basis. A few telling stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent study (2008) on how Americans spend their time:

Leisure Activities in 2008

--On an average day, nearly everyone age 15 and over (96 percent) engaged
in some sort of leisure activity, such as watching TV, socializing, or
exercising. Of those who engaged in leisure activities, men spent more
time in these activities (5.7 hours) than did women (5.1 hours).

--Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time, ac-
counting for about half of leisure time, on average, for both men and
women. Socializing, such as visiting with friends or attending or
hosting social events, was the next most common leisure activity, ac-
counting for about three-quarters of an hour per day for both sexes.

--Men were more likely than women to participate in sports, exercise, or
recreation on any given day--21 versus 15 percent. On the days that
they participated, men also spent more time in these activities than
did women, 1.9 versus 1.3 hours.

--On an average day, adults age 75 and over spent 7.6 hours engaged in
leisure activities--more than any other age group; 25- to 44-year-olds
spent just over 4 hours engaged in leisure and sports activities--less
than other age groups.

--Time spent reading for personal interest and playing games or using a
computer for leisure varied greatly by age. Individuals age 75 and
over averaged 1.2 hours of reading per weekend day and 0.3 hour (17
minutes) playing games or using a computer for leisure. Conversely,
individuals ages 15 to 19 read for an average of 0.2 hour (10 minutes)
per weekend day while spending 1.0 hour playing games or using a com-
puter for leisure.

--Employed adults living in households with no children under 18 engaged
in leisure activities for 4.5 hours per day, nearly an hour more than
employed adults living with a child under age 6.



Bottom line - we all have to make time for getting outside. It's not easy, but for those of us who love the out-do-doors, it's what we have to do.