Packing Heat in the Park

The new National Park Service policy that allows loaded guns inside of National Parks seems a controversial one, to say the least. One recent news feed out of Washington State provides more info about the law: http://www.king5.com/news/local/Starting-Monday-you-can-pack-your-gun-in-National-Parks-84920407.html. It’s a new policy for the National Park Service and one that apparently was not too popular with many park managers. Some claim there will be more violence, while others feel it’s simply a civil right. The law becomes even more complicated (and controversial) because of the state laws that gun carriers must abide by.

Another link, a parody of sorts, appeals to the more humorous side: http://www.theeastsidemag.com/vids/2010/2/25/guns-in-national-parks-americas-latest-great-idea.html What will happen now that people are allowed to carry and use guns in our nation’s outdoor gems? I’m interested in what people think. Take a look and weigh in.

Fastpacking the John Muir Trail Presentation - March 15th, Boulder, CO

When: Monday, March 15, 2010 7:00 PM-8:30 PM
Where: Community Room, REI Boulder, 1789 28th St

Presenter: Kurt Achtenhagen, Director of Finance and Operations, Leave No Trace Center For Outdoor Ethics

Are you interested in fastpacking, lightweight backpacking, hiking the John Muir Trail, or all three together? Join Kurt Achtenhagen, Finance Director for the Center, for a slide show and presentation about his recent trip down the John Muir Trail. Together, with a group of friends, he covered the 220 miles in 8 incredible and very enjoyable days last fall. He will share many of the tricks and tips learned along the way, his top ten list of suggestions for traveling lighter and farther, and show the gear he packed for the trip.

See Kurt's past blog entries on his trip here:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

More information: http://www.rei.com/event/2170/session/2615

Youth Serving Organizations in Sunny Southern California

On Tuesday we were in Laguna Beach where we met with twelve employees of several youth serving organizations: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tustin and Laguna Beach (the Main Branch and the TLC Branch) and the Environmental Nature Center. These educators all work with youth ranging in ages from five to eighteen, taking them on trips that vary from a short walk in the local park to longer adventures that include camping and hiking. They were all excited to not only learn about different activities they could facilitate with their kids, but also to learn the "whys" behind Leave No Trace information. One question was, "What do I say when a student asks me why they can't throw an apple core on the ground if it will decompose anyway?" The crowd was sharp and came up with the answer as a group: 1. Items such as an apple core aren't native to most natural environments, and generally are not thought of as suitable food for wildlife. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters their natural behaviors and exposes them to predators and other dangers. 2. The cumulative impacts are also important to consider. One apple core might not seem like a big deal, but what if everyone started throwing their apple cores into the woods? For more answers to questions like this check out our FAQ's page as well as our research page. Special thanks to Megan Wilson for putting this together and getting such an enthusiastic audience to attend!

Screaming Deal on 2009 Member T's while they last

Screaming Deal! We ended the year with a small handful of 2009 Member T Shirts leftover. Navy Blue T's are 69% Recycled Cotton and look and feel great. If you already wore yours out, now is your chance to pick up another while they last. Just $5 in our online store!!

SCA Position Announcement

The Student Conservation Association (SCA), is seeking Project Leader's for SCA’s Fire Education Teams & Native Plant Corps. Positions are located in Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio & Utah. For more information about these positions and others please visit them at www.theSCA.org/employment or apply online at http://www.thesca.org/user/register.

Chalk Dust a Flyin' in Chattanooga, TN

Tennessee Bouldering Authority (TBA) is Chattanooga’s first indoor bouldering and rock-climbing facility. On Monday evening we visited the facility that has nearly 3,000 ft2 of world-class indoor rock climbing walls and dedicated training space. For over 10 years they have offered the right equipment, instruction, and support to ensure excellent rock climbing experiences for climbers of all skill levels. During our presentation, we highlighted the importance of disposing of waste properly in climbing areas, while playing the activity "How Long Does It Last?". The group was intrigued to learn that an aluminum can can last from 200-400 years in the outdoors. Additionally, the activity was an eye-opener for one participant who admittedly just quit smoking 2 months ago, after 8 years of smoking. She realized that many of the cigarette butts that she tossed out the window without a second thought were still lingering in the environment today!

Here is an action shot from the activity "Step On It", where we focused on choosing durable surfaces. If you are in Chattanooga, be sure to check out TBA for a stellar climbing experience.

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Enhancing the lives of Urban Teens - Click here!

Supporting community programs continues to get easier with technology. The Pepsi Refresh Project gives away millions in grants each month to great "ideas" or community projects that support different sectors: arts and culture, health, education, food and shelter, neighborhoods and, of course, the environment.

With the click of a button, daily, you can support these great ideas. The top 10 receive a grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project each month. New applications are also accepted monthly.

One of Leave No Trace's community partners, Big City Mountaineers, is currently in the running. Big City Mountaineer's mission is "enhancing the lives of urban teens through wilderness adventures." BCM is a Connect Grant recipient and has done great work in combining Leave No Trace education with wilderness outings. They are in the running for $25K and voting for this round ends on February 28th.

In a year where it's a bit harder to give monetarily, take a minute to

support this community program, or one closer to home, by voting.

Have a great day!

Girl Scout Troop 7415

On Saturday, we met with Troop 7415 in Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach, CA. Eight girls and three leaders and parents attended this two-hour program. Throughout the morning they actively learned about the principles of Leave No Trace by playing PEAK activities such as "What Principle Am I?", "Minimum Impact Match" and the instant classic "Leave What You Find" draw and share.

The audience asked a number of excellent questions but our favorite was the query, "Are we enjoying the outdoors the right way or the wrong way?" that came up early in the day. Fortunately we were able to share that Leave No Trace is best explained as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations! This understanding seemed to set the tone for a very enjoyable and educational rest of the morning, and we were fortunate to have such a pleasant and motivated group.
All the best.................

Jason and Agata

The Delta Experience

We wrapped up our visit in Mississippi on Friday when we were invited by Todd Davis, Program Coordinator for Outdoor Leadership and Director of Outdoor Recreation, to speak at Delta State University during the Environmental Science Symposium. As one of two guest speakers, we were able to educate over 70 faculty and students about Leave No Trace and how to incorporate the information into their campus lives. Many of the students who attended the symposium will be participating in the amazing trips that Professor Davis will be leading this year, such as a week-long adventure mountain biking in Moab, UT.

One of the benefits of this job is that we not only get to visit and recreate in a wide variety of places all across the country, but we also get to take in some of the local culture while we are there. We certainly were entertained in the Delta. On Thursday night, we attended the Ms. Delta State beauty pageant (a first for us!), then on Saturday, we watched the Men and Lady Statesman's Basketball teams on their home turf. Wooo!

A special thanks to Todd and Krista Davis for hosting and sharing the Delta experience with us.

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

14 New National Monuments – Good or Bad?

What is your first reaction when you read that 14 new National Monuments are being considered by the Obama Administration?

Fantastic, I thought, when I read the headline. I love to spend my free time in truly wild places!

San Rafael Swell, UT
Montana’s Northern Prairie, MT
Lesser Prairie Chicken Preserve, NM
Berryessa Snow Mountains, CA
Heart of the Great Basin, NV
Otero Mesa, NM
Northwest Sonoran Desert, AZ
Owyhee Desert, OR/NV
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, CA (expansion)
Vermillion Basin, CO
Bodie Hills, CA
The Modoc Plateau, CA
Cedar Mesa region, UT
San Juan Islands, WA

While 9 western states are on the list, the article at The Adventure Life, where I first read this, focused in on the pushback by Utah politicians. While not surprising, because this seems to be their modus operandi, I had to laugh at the Politician’s strong reactions to mere “consideration” by the Obama administration. Obviously there is some history involved there.

Does the fact that the list of sites being considered was “leaked” mean that enough opposition can gain traction that some of these will never come to fruition?

Beyond the politics, what are the implications of these designations? Protection of the land and historic resources, economic impacts to surrounding communities, increased burden on the Park Service, decreased recreational opportunities for motorized users, increased recreational experiences for non motorized users. I am sure the list could go on.

Scary to some, and a blessing to others, that “The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorized the President to declare by public proclamation landmarks, structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest situated on lands owned or controlled by the government to be national monuments.”

What was your first thought?

Outdoor Outreach

Outdoor Outreach is a non-profit organization that provides at-risk and underprivileged youth with outdoor experiences. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, we had the opportunity to work with the Outdoor Outreach program at two schools in San Diego, Crawford High School and the Monarch School.

At Crawford, we met with ten students, who will be going on a field trip to a landfill next week. We gave them a preview of trash issues by playing "How long does it last?" We also appealed to their artistic abilities and asked them to participate in a Leave What You Find drawing activity.

At Monarch, we had a very theatrical crowd of fourteen students, who we asked to present skits of each of the Leave No Trace principles. The picture above shows the after-school teacher Rob, presenting Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces. Overall, the students had fun while learning a little something about where Leave No Trace fits into their approach to responsible outdoor recreation.

Outdoor Trips- College Style

As the spring season rapidly approaches, many collegiate outdoor recreation programs are gearing up for their upcoming trips. In preparation for these adventures, it is important to learn and practice the skills of Leave No Trace. We had the pleasure to present at two colleges in the south this week. Our first stop was at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. We worked with the Outdoor Pursuits program to educate their trip leaders and other students. We would like to thank Alabama State Advocate Skip Essman for making the trip up to campus to talk about the state advocate program, as seen in the picture above.

We then traveled to Ole Miss in Oxford, MS to take part in the "Blowout", a celebration of the Ole Miss Outdoors Program. They participate in some really amazing trips, like dogsledding in Canada, surfing and sailing in Charleston, SC, and backpacking the Appalachian Trail. Hats off to the programs at both of these schools for inspiring their students to enjoy the outdoors and promoting responsibility while they are out there! We only wish we had more time to join them on one of these trips!

Happy adventuring...Kate and Tracy

New National Park in Maine?

Maine is already home to one of the first national parks on the East Coast, Acadia National Park, but for the last 15 years plans have been in the works to establish another national park (bigger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined) in the undeveloped northern region of the state. The group RESTORE, along with individuals such as photographer Tom Szelog have long supported the creation of such a national park.

Others, however, are less thrilled at the prospect of the increase of visitation that would occur with the creation of a national park. Some residents and landowners in the area propose conservation easements as a better solution to preserve Maine's northern woods in their current state of wilderness.

What do you think?

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council

On Saturday, we traveled to Redlands, California and had the opportunity to present a three-hour workshop to nine Girl Scouts and six of their leaders and parents. We started the day off by playing a few PEAK activities, "What principle am I?," "How long does it last?," and "Minimum impact match."


Once the girls were a bit more familiar with Leave No Trace we asked them to play detective in our mock campsite. They had a great time playing "Crime Scene," and discovered all the less than Leave No Trace "crimes" we had set up. We wrapped the day up with one last PEAK activity, "Principle Relay." The group was enthusiastic, asked great questions, and we had a great time working with such a fun audience.


All the best....

Agata and Jason

Bigfoot's Live!

A couple of months ago, Leave No Trace member and trainer, Dave Titus, emailed us and asked how he could help. An illustrator and animator from the Easter Sierra Nevada Mountains, Dave had seen our Bigfoot campaign and wondered if we wanted to give Bigfoot a little life.

Dave offered to do this Bigfoot short that will soon appear on our website and will be available for partners who want to spread the word about the Bigfoot Challenge. Check it a preview here.

A little about Dave:
In 1994, Dave Titus created the original green Mozilla mascot while working on Netscape’s premier website. Hundreds of his projects are in the books for clients like Nabisco, General Mills, Disney, Mello Smello, Netscape, Better Homes and Gardens, Meredith Books, AAA, Paypal, Cargill, GRAMMY Foundation, Intuit, Specialized, Prevacid, Wall Street Journal, USAopoly, and Gateway. In 2004, he won “Best of Show” in London’s Top 50 Fusion Digital Art Competition.

A little about the Bigfoot Challenge: http://lnt.org/bigfootchallenge/index.php

Team East joins Alabama State Advocate Skip Essman

After a snowy couple of days in Atlanta, GA we traveled down to Prattville, AL, a small town outside of Montgomery, to be guest speakers at a Leave No Trace Trainer Course led by Alabama State Advocate Skip Essman. The course was held at Camp Tuckabatchee, a beautiful scout camp outside of town. We were asked to speak to the nine participants, as well as other Leave No Trace Master Educators and Trainers who were there to assist in instruction, about the Traveling Trainer program and new initiatives launched this year including Leave No Trace Hot Spots and the Bigfoot Challenge. We would like to thank Skip for inviting us to the course and for all his hard work throughout the year as the state advocate! We look forward to working with Skip again on Tuesday, when he will join us at the University of Alabama in Birmingham for an awareness workshop.

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

It's not easy going green

A great article in the Wall Street Journal looks at the City of Boulder's efforts to reduce it's environmental footprint.

From the Wall Street Journal:

BOULDER, Colo.—This spring, city contractors will fan out across this well-to-do college town to unscrew light bulbs in thousands of homes and replace them with more energy-efficient models, at taxpayer expense.

City officials never dreamed they'd have to play nanny when they set out in 2006 to make Boulder a role model in the fight against global warming. The cause seemed like a natural fit in a place where residents tend to be politically liberal and passionate about the great outdoors.

Instead, as Congress considers how to encourage Americans to conserve more energy, Boulder stands as a cautionary tale about the limits of good intentions.

Read the full article here.

Do You Care?

Hello friendly blog readers,

Yesterday during a staff meeting, while reviewing the current Leave No Trace website, a staffer pointed out that the icons on our homepage that identify our Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube connections are very small – almost indistinguishable. A healthy debate ensued about how we most effectively call attention to social media outlets (that we are very involved with) on our website - without them taking up too much valuable real estate.

Another staffer argued that people who are savvy with blogging, Facebook, etc. will know what the small icons stand for and therefore use them. Those that are “less savvy” in the social media arena, won’t be looking for these buttons and probably aren’t interested anyway – so no need to make them bigger and more recognizable.

Hence the debate, are we trying to pull more people into the social media world through our website or do people need to already be there for them to care about the Leave No Trace blog, Facebook page, Tweets, Youtube videos and other on-line communications? Check out our homepage for reference: http://lnt.org/

What do you think fellow blogger?

APPL Convention in San Diego, California

Greetings from the 2010 APPL Convention in sunny southern California. The Traveling Trainers were set up to share information and answer insightful questions about Leave No Trace programs. On hand were administrators and board members from a number of national parks, state parks, non-profit organizations, as well as a strong showing by the Army Corps of Engineers.

One of the on sight activities we set up was the Bigfoot Challenge registration desk where individuals were able to ask questions about Leave No Trace and register online during the show.

The opportunity to connect with local educators and other community members was a great way to share the educational materials we carry on the road and explain more about the grant and scholarship programs available from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics with the generous support of our various partners.

See you on the road..........

Jason and Agata

We're Curious...

As we travel around the country, we are constantly running into people who are huge fans of Leave No Trace. They love to share their stories with us and let us know what Leave No Trace means to them. So now, we are curious... What does Leave No Trace mean to you?

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Training Highlight: AEE offers two new Trainer Courses this spring

The Association for Experiential Education is a dynamic nonprofit professional membership association dedicated to experiential education and the students, educators and practitioners who utilize its philosophy. Leave No Trace ethics are a natural component of outdoor experiential education, and an important part of AEE curriculum. As a nonprofit partner of the Center, AEE is offering pre-conference Leave No Trace Trainer Courses at several of their upcoming regional conferences. As educators converge across the country for professional development networking opportunities, why not add a Leave No Trace Trainer Course to your skill set?

Rocky Mountain | Lander, WY | April 14-15. Learn More
Heartland | Potosi, MO | April 15-16 Learn More

More information can be found on the AEE website: www.aee.org

Partnership Highlight: Jellystone Park Camp Resorts

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resorts™ provide a platform to teach RVers about Leave No Trace

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and the Jellystone Park™ system have forged a new partnership to reach hundreds of thousands of RVers and campers with Leave No Trace education. The partnership is part of a comprehensive effort to teach outdoor skills and ethics, as well as help make the critical connection between people and the outdoors.

In March, representatives from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics will provide a half-day workshop at Jellystone Park CARE Conference (Campground Association for Recreation Education). The workshop will focus on frontcountry skills and ethics as well as Leave No Trace activities for children. Over 80 recreation directors, campground owners and managers are expected to attend the hands-on session.

“The number of Americans who go camping is on the rise, thus the timing couldn’t be better,” according to Dana Watts, Leave No Trace’s Executive Director. “This unique partnership gives us the ability to extend the Leave No Trace program to all of the Jellystone Parks with the goal of integration into their visitor programs.”

She adds, “The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics continues to work to broaden its scope and views the RV community as an important audience to reach with Leave No Trace education. Our partnership with Jellystone Parks will provide many wonderful opportunities to work with outdoor enthusiasts who travel and camp in RVs. What better time and place to introduce people to Leave No Trace than at Jellystone Parks while families and friends enjoy the outdoors together.”

About Jellystone Parks

Launched in 1969, the Jellystone Park system is now the second largest chain of campgrounds in the United States with more than 70 campgrounds in 15,000 campsites in 27 states and Canada. The Yogi Bear Jellystone Parks are franchised through Leisure Systems, Inc. (LSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Park River Corporation. For more information about Jellystone Parks, visit: www.campjellystone.com

Road Wisdom: Every journey begins with a single step!

The 2010 season has begun for the newest team of Subaru Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers! On the road for our first year, we are incredibly excited to be sharing the open road with so many interesting audiences and amazing locales. The opportunity to bring information about Leave No Trace to a wide range of individuals and organizations is truly a privilege and joy we will cherish each and every day.

Our Team West adventure begins in southern California and will take us along the coast, throughout the mountains, and eventually into some of the largest metropolitan areas on the West coast. We are excited to connect with land managers, outdoor enthusiasts, and communities of young people who are just beginning to develop their sense of place and purpose in caring for the public lands we all enjoy in our own ways. One new program we will be sharing with our audiences this year is the Leave No Trace Hot Spots program, which encourages nominations of areas where individuals and their communities would like to see increased awareness of how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

Ahead lies the journey we will take together with open minds and a simple purpose. Leave No Trace is our compass as we share a simple yet profoundly powerful set of principles to consider the next time we step out the door for any adventure in the outdoors. Someone very wise once said, “It is not words that demonstrate our character, but instead what we do,” and as the 2010 season begins we look forward to welcoming the individuals and ideas that await us on this journey.

Now for that second step…

See you on the road,

Jason and Agata

Team West

Photo: Torrey Pines State Park, courtesy of Jason & Agata.

Are you interested in volunteering for Leave No Trace in 2010?

If you are interested in staffing a Leave No Trace booth, conducting an Awareness Workshop or a Trainer Course in your community, please contact Outreach Manager Dave Winter to discuss outreach possibilities in more detail.

Are you already hosting a Leave No Trace training, workshop or other event in your community? Submit this form to Sarah Folzenlogen to have your event posted on our Community Pages. Please email Sarah Folzenlogen with any questions about posting your events on our website.

eNews You Can Use - New Leave No Trace Training Resources

The Center has recently updated two useful training resources, which are now both available directly from the Center’s website, in the online store.

The first is an updated Leave No Trace Awareness Workshop Certificate (shown at left). While available for FREE as a download (PDF file) from the website, the Center is now offering printed color certificates on heavy paper stock for $1.00 each or $0.50 each when 50 or more are ordered at once.

Giving certificates to Awareness Workshop participant is a great way to recognize their participation in your Leave No Trace workshop. In addition, many attendees find the certificate useful for professional development. For more information on Awareness Workshops, please visit http://lnt.org/training/awarenessworkshops.php

The second new resource also available in the Leave No Trace online store is the updated Leave No Trace Trainer Course Participant Packet. The updated packet now includes the National Park Service/Leave No Trace DVD (shown at right). This 9-minute video is a great tool for any Leave No Trace training, educational session or outreach opportunity. Pre-assembled Trainer Course packets are an easy way to ensure that course participants have the minimum information they to get the most out of a Leave No Trace Trainer Course, and the DVD is an excellent addition. Trainer Course Participant Packets come in a distinctive Leave No Trace folder and contain the following items:

• National Park Service Leave No Trace DVD;
  
• North America Skills and Ethics Booklet;
  
• Frontcountry Guide;
  
• Pocket Guide;
  
• Library of Plastic Ethics Reference Cards;
  
• Leave No Trace Bumper Sticker;
  
• 4-pg. Guideline to running an Awareness Workshop;
  
• Reprint of the "Authority of the Resource" article by Dr. George N. Wallace;
  
• Adhesive participant name tag.
  

To view additional Leave No Trace education and training resources (many of which are FREE), please visit the Educational Training and Resources page.

Kids in the Valley, Adventuring!

As parents and educators, Chip and Ashley Donahue recognize the need for more opportunities that get families outdoors and encourage them to become environmental stewards of the next generation.

Through their free family nature club, Kids in the Valley, Adventuring (KIVA), the Donahues are bringing outdoor opportunities to over 350 families in the Roanoke Valley.

Activities include park visits, guest speakers and family-friendly events that incorporate games, music and art. Keeping with the trends of social media marketing, KIVA's website also features product and gear reviews, nature-themed book reading list, event listings and tips for starting your own community nature club.

As a recent Leave No Trace grant recipient, KIVA also recognizes the importance of partnering outdoor adventure activities with environmental stewardship information and discussions that leave our open spaces better than we found them.

Association of Partners for Public Lands annual convention and trade show

We are in San Diego, California, gearing up for the Association of Partners for Public Land's annual convention and trade show that we will attend February 9-10. This annual convention brings together federal and state land management agencies and nonprofit organizations to learn, conduct business, and build a national public lands community.

We are expecting over 400 attendees and over 150 exhibitors. We will be handing out free education materials, demonstrating resources that are available to you and promoting ways for you to create a larger Leave No Trace presence in your area. We will also have our laptops available, so anyone who stops by our booth can participate in the Bigfoot Challenge right then and there.

All the best...

Agata and Jason

Leave No Trace Partners With The Army Corp Of Engineers

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is partnered with over 450 organizations. Through a recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as, the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Outdoor Ethics, the Army Corps will begin efforts to incorporate Leave No Trace in areas that they manage. This is an exciting opportunity for the Center, as the Army Corps manages 12 million acres of land and water that is used for recreation. Here are some additional statistics from the Army Corps of Engineers website:

• Corps rank among federal providers of outdoor recreation: #1

• Visitors per year: 353 million

• Percentage of U.S population that visits a Corps project at least

once a year: 10%

• Number of recreation sites: 4,263 at 423 Corps Projects

• Percentage of U.S. population that lives within 50 miles of

of a Corps Lake: 70%

• Land and water used for recreation: 12 million acres

• Miles of Shoreline: 55,024

• Number of camp sites: 91,320

• Miles of trails: 4,606

Team East is heading to Savannah, Georgia for the 2010 South Atlantic Division Conference. Here we will have the opportunity to work with rangers from the southeast and teach them ways to utilize Leave No Trace information at the areas they manage. Stay tuned for updates from the conference!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Geocache in Outer Space?

By now you've surely heard of geocaching. Talk about exponential growth - there are now over 982,000 active caches worldwide. According to http://www.geocaching.com, geocaching is "a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

With the explosive growth in geocaching, it was just a matter of time before a cache would be placed in outer space. Read more here.

The Center has been actively reach out to geocachers about adopting Leave No Trace practices when they're placing and seeking caches. One of the newest educational resources is the Geocaching Ethics Reference Card. This pocket sized resource has the right information to help you Leave No Trace on your next geocaching adventure.

Awareness Workshop at William Smith High School, Aurora, CO

We spent most of the day Wednesday at William Smith High School. Between ourselves and Team East we taught eight separate awareness workshops, reaching most of the 250 students at this small, diverse high school in Aurora, CO. We had a great time leading a few different activities and sharing Leave No Trace information. The students asked great questions and participated in discussions. We also had the chance to use a smartboard (though it made us feel like we went to high school during the stone age) and show the students how to take part in the Bigfoot Challenge.

All the best...

Jason & Agata

Meet Stickers...

There is definitely an argument for this being cute... But this 'friendly' interaction with Stickers - the resident porcupine at Telluride Ski Resort - is part of a bigger discussion on Respect Wildlife. As a direct result of Sticker's habituation to humans - or his developed reliance on humans for food - he has come too close for comfort to many skiers, often mistaking fingers for food. A recent decision by the ski resort will relocate Stickers to Woods Lake.

Check out the full article here.

Getting Prepared for the Road!

These past couple weeks have been a training extravaganza! As the Traveling Trainers are departing to their respective east and west sides of the country, it has been an intense two weeks of preparation for life on the road. Most recently, we spent two days in the field in Lyons, CO working with Ben Lawhon, Education Director, and Dave Winter, Outreach Manager. This was a great opportunity for the teams to dive into the educational curriculum and collaborate with each other about the ins and outs of the Leave No Trace Trainer Course. This two-day course is a train-the-trainer model for individuals interested in teaching Leave No Trace to others. Here are a few pictures from our training- enjoy!

Dave Winter leads a lesson on Disposing of Waste Properly

Ben Lawhon explains the proper use of a Go Anywhere Bag

The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers are ready to hit the road!

See you out there and happy adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Do you Leave No Trace like Bigfoot?

The first two readers have emailed me and commented with the answer to this question, and they will win a Bigfoot Pint Glass. Stay tuned for future opportunities to win prizes or take the Bigfoot Challenge today to enter to win more cool stuff.

What would Bigfoot do with pet waste while out on a hike in your local park?

Take the Leave No Trace Bigfoot Challenge today!

Protecting Our Cultural Resources

A few weeks ago, while visiting Tallahassee, Florida, I took a trip to see a number of Native American ceremonial dirt mounds dating to the 1st millennium AD. The Letchworth Mound is believed to be the largest ceremonial mound in the state of Florida, measuring at nearly 50 feet tall and covering an area of 300 square feet at the base. The mound and others nearby are attributed to the Weeden Island culture, which is related to a much larger sphere of influence that extends from the Southeast into the Midwest.

Some Native American sites, including the Letchworth Mounds, are protected as National Historic Sites or State Parks, but all cultural resources are given the chance to be saved by the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires a review process if a federally-funded project will impact an archaeological site.

I was all the more disturbed, then, when I read a recent article about the destruction of a Native American stone mound further north near Jacksonville, Alabama. Even though the local Historic Preservation Office recommended that the site be protected, city officials decided that the construction project that had been taking place should continue. You can read the original article and follow the story here. Where should we draw the line between progress and the protection of our cultural and natural resources?

Bigfoot Redux

Have you taken the Bigfoot Challenge yet this year? Do it now: http://lnt.org/bigfootchallenge/index.php

The Bigfoot Challenge’s goal is to encourage simple acts of environmental activism and teach Leave No Trace principles. In only a few months last year, we registered over 5,000 people who took the Bigfoot Challenge. This year, Bigfoot plans to enlist over 20,000 people to take the challenge.

Join us because it is not only fun and easy, it’s good for you and it’s good for the environment.

PEAK training in Westminster, CO

On Saturday, we traveled to REI in Westminster, CO to work with locals interested in learning about our PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) program. We were joined by Team West, Jason and Agata, as well as 11 individuals that wanted to gain information about teaching Leave No Trace to kids. During the two hour presentation, we were able to introduce the PEAK Pack and the Teen Pack, and educate the participants on effective teaching strategies and techniques. We had a great time sharing a few activities and learning about the Leave No Trace information. If you are interested in a PEAK training, you can contact your local REI or request a visit from the Traveling Trainers.

Happy adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Want to Leave No Trace like Bigfoot?

The elusive Bigfoot leaves no trace of his passing through the wild. Enjoy your favorite beverage in a pint glass commemorating Bigfoot and Leave No Trace! You can find them here for just $2.95!