Connect Grant Recipient Visit in New Orleans

This week we had to pleasure of visiting one of the Center's Connect Grant recipient Claire Triplett, from the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD). Claire works with hundreds of youth from underprivileged areas in the city throughout the year. As summer promises to be a busy season in the Big Easy, Claire is taking full advantage of being a Connect Grant recipient. She has already taught numerous awareness workshops for NORD staff and youth and is looking forward to hosting a trainer course this fall. Great job Claire, keep up the good work down in N'awlins!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

"Our Big Outdoors" weekend with the Girl Scouts of Washington

This weekend past we were in the sunny state of Washington at Camp Robbinswold with leaders from various councils of the Girls Scouts of America. In addition to a beautiful setting and very enthusiastic participants we were grateful for all the interest we received around the educational programs, grants and scholarships, and online programs for 2010 like the Bigfoot Challenge and Hot Spots.

Throughout the weekend we worked with different groups who were heading out to overnight camping trips as well as with audiences eager to learn how to bring the PEAK and TEEN programs to their troops in the communities they represented.

Above are windows into the learning experiences from the weekend. In the first photo, participants are learning how to teach Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces by participating in "Surface Hopscotch," and in the second photo participants are testing the "Rule of Thumb" to gauge a safe distance to enjoy viewing wildlife.


All the best,

Agata and Jason

Leave No Trace is Everywhere

Ever wonder how Leave No Trace skills and ethics might apply when you are hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu or when you’re struggling up your favorite Italian Via Ferrata? Leave No Trace is being actively used and taught by people and groups in over 70 countries today. You can find it almost anywhere. And check out the latest with a couple of the Leave No Trace branches at:

Leave No Trace Ireland: http://www.leavenotraceireland.org/

Leave No Trace Canada: http://www.leavenotrace.ca/home

Photos: Leave No Trace training in Taiwan.

Southeast Louisiana Camporall

This weekend we celebrated the 100th anniversary of scouting at the Southeast Louisiana Camporall at the Salmen Scout Reservation in MS. Over 3,000 cub scouts and their families were on hand to join in on the festivities. We were there to set up an educational booth where more than 200 people took the Bigfoot Challenge. We also taught the scouts to Trash Their Trash through the activity How Long Does It Last? In addition to the Leave No Trace activities, the scouts took part in rope making, shooting practice, a ropes course, climbing wall, and obstacle courses. We were able to get in on some of the more adult oriented activities, when we were asked to be guest judges at the dutch oven cook-off. YUM-YUM! The weekend ended with an entertaining arena show, including a great fireworks display! It was a fun weekend. A special thanks to Fonnie and Randy for taking care of us all weekend!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

48 Kauai Species Protected Under the Endangered Species Act

Honolulu — In response to a 2004 petition and two lawsuits from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it is finalizing listing for 48 species from the island of Kauai with designation of critical habitat. Most of the species are plants, and many have been waiting decades for protection. Two birds, Akekee (Kauai akepa) and Akikiki (Kauai creeper), were also included.

"Protection for these 48 species is long overdue," said Tierra Curry, conservation biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity. "These 48 highly endangered species now have a shot at survival and recovery."

To read the full article here.

PHIL POWERS: Life lessons from K2 and other big mountains

On Wednesday April 7th @ 7:00pm Phil Powers will be speaking on Life Lessons from K2 and other big mountains.

Powers is author of Wilderness Mountaineering and Climbing: Expedition Planning. His essay, "The Importance of Pace", was aired on NPR's "This I Believe" in 2006. Powers has led dozens of expeditions to South America, Alaska and Pakistan's Karakoram Range, including ascents of K2 and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen. He made the first ascent of the Washburn Face on Denali, naming it in recognition of the impact longtime AAC member Bradford Washburn's photos had in the planning and route research of many Alaska climbs. Powers also made the first ascent of Lukpilla Brakk's Western Edge in Pakistan, and the first winter traverse of the Tetons' Cathedral Peaks.

Phil Powers joined the American Alpine Club as executive director in May of 2005. His previous experience in the non-profit world includes service as vice president for institutional advancement at Naropa University and seventeen years with the National Outdoor Leadership School as chief mountaineering instructor and development/partnerships director. He remains an owner of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.

Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear

$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library. More information ( + )

Gonzaga welcomes Leave No Trace to campus

This week we were on campus at Gonzaga University to share more information about Leave No Trace with the outdoor recreation community in Spokane, WA. We worked with the Outdoor Recreation club and members of the Spokane Sierra Club Inner City Outings group to learn more about the educational programs offered by the Center for Outdoor Ethics.

The opportunity to talk more about the Bigfoot Challenge and the Hots Spots programs was very well received by the campus community.

All the best,

Jason and Agata

CSU's Warner College of Natural Resources Hosts Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Adventure Film Festival

The Warner College of Natural Resources College Council presents the "Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Adventure Film Festival" Sponsored by CSU's School of Global Environmental Sustainability Student Sustainability Center and CSU's Outdoor Adventure Program.

When: April 20, doors open at 6:45 p.m., Introductions at 7:15 p.m., Films start at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Colorado State University's Lory Student Center Theater

What: Films will feature various adventure, humanitarian and sustainability themes.

Why: All proceeds from the event go to the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, an educational non-profit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide.

Tickets are $5 and available as of April 1st at the Lory Student Center Box Office or online at http://csutix.universitytickets.com/.

Appalachian Trail Museum Finds a Home

Earlier this month, the Appalachian Trail Museum Society sent out a press release announcing the renovation of a 200-year-old grist mill to become the new site of the Appalachian Trail Museum. Located in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania, at approximately the halfway point of the 2,175-mile trail, the museum "will be a tribute to the thousands of men, women, and families who have hiked and maintained the Appalachian Trail, making it arguably the most famous hiking trail in the world," according to president of the non-profit organization Larry Luxenberg.

The grand opening of the museum will take place at 11 AM on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 5th. The Appalachian Trail Museum Society is seeking volunteers to assist with the renovation of the grist mill, as well as to lead educational programs for visitors. For more information, please visit the Appalachian Trail Museum website.

100 Years of Scouting

This is a big year for the Boy Scouts of America. Scouts across the country will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of scouting! The traveling trainers will be attending a number of these celebrations, starting this weekend. Team East will be heading to Perkinston, MS to join thousands of scouts and their leaders at the Southeast Louisiana Council 100th anniversary Camporall. This event will be filled with education, activities, and of course Leave No Trace!

Leave No Trace and the Boy Scouts of America have always maintained a strong partnership, in fact the latest edition of the Boy Scout Handbook includes a chapter dedicated solely to Leave No Trace. We are looking forward to the many festivities happening this year in the scouting world!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Leave No Trace Traveling e-tour Team Job Opening!

APPLICANTS WANTED!

LEAVE NO TRACE JOB OPENING

Are you interested in one of the premier outdoor jobs in the industry? Do you have a passion for teaching and working with youth? Are you looking to work with a friend or a significant other? If you answered yes to these questions then we have the job for you! The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is seeking a dedicated, savvy, dynamic team of educators (only teams of two are accepted as applicants) for a seasonal traveling position.

The Leave No Trace e-tour team, sponsored by the Coleman Company, brings hands-on Leave No Trace demonstrations, interactive activities and general Leave No Trace education to schools, camps and youth-serving organizations from July through October. The team also travels to select retailers specializing in Coleman outdoor products in order to promote Leave No Trace information to kids and families. The e-tour provides basic Leave No Trace education programs that inspire youth to get outside while promoting responsible enjoyment of the outdoors.

The e-tour team travels throughout the U.S. teaching and promoting minimum impact techniques to kids of all experience levels. The e-tour will reach out to millions of individuals, promoting stewardship of the outdoors and responsible recreation practices.

More Information ( + )

Discovering Leave No Trace in the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth

We had the fabulous opportunity to spend a week in Leavenworth, Washington, a Bavarian-themed town nestled at the base of the Cascade Mountains. On Friday, we visited the Discovery School for a second visit and had an excellent discussion about outdoor ethics and what motivates us to make responsible decisions in the outdoors.


Later in the afternoon, we had a community wide awareness workshop at Barn Beach Reserve, a sustainably built learning center and reserve whose mission is to provide educational programming and stewardship to celebrate, promote, and conserve the environmental, artistic and cultural heritage of the Greater Wenatchee Valley for the benefit of the local community and its visitors. Participants varied in ages from 7 to 70, but all were equally enthusiastic and open to learning about Leave No Trace.

We would like to extend our warmest "thanks" to our host Hana Butler for making this opportunity possible for the 2010 Traveling Trainers!

All the best,

Jason and Agata

Beauty and isolation? Check out these favorites this summer

Need a reason to get out this summer? Look no further. Yahoo travel has a couple quick hits on their 5 top Wilderness areas for beauty and isolation.

Or check Wilderness.net for the Wilderness closest to you. And if you want a challenge without leaving your computer, see if you can guess how many Wilderness Areas are in your state before clicking on your state listing . I was way off...

Georgia Trainer Course

Over the weekend we had our third and final trainer course for the month of March at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area outside of Atlanta, GA. Nine participants from a variety of backgrounds created an entertaining atmosphere of learning. From the opening activity to the closing ceremony, the group carried a high energy level and many thoughtful discussions resulted. We even got to see theory turned to practice as Dave used the Authority of the Resource Technique to approach a park visitor with their dog off leash! We would like to thank Natalie Molnar, from the Atlanta REI store, for all her hard work in setting up this event. Here are a few pictures from the course, enjoy!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

And the award goes to...

Last November, the Center was honored to present the Adventure Film Festival Leave No Trace Award to "Ascending the Giants." Featuring Brian French and Will Koomjian, with the filmmaking artistry of director/producer John Waller, this film highlights the quest to find the largest tree in Oregon... by climbing them all. Featuring stunning cinematography of four Sitka spruce ascents, "Ascending the Giants" is unique in its excitement, adventure and portrayal of a proud recreational ethic.

The above video highlights the opening night of the 3-day festival, in which the filmmaker & actors were presented with the Leave No Trace Award "live," by using Skype to conference them in to the theater.

More on Leave No Trace & Adventure Film:
The Center is now in its second year as Adventure Film's 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, Leave No Trace empowers people to be the solution to environmental impact by educating communities worldwide on the skills and ethics of sustainable recreation. As such, this dynamic partnership brings awareness to our collective mission to promote "Activism through Adventure."

What would Bigfoot Do?

Have you taken the Bigfoot Challenge yet this year? Bigfoot’s back in 2010 and wants you to take his challenge. From teaching a kid the importance of not feeding wildlife to picking up trash on the trail, Bigfoot is asking you to complete and report a single Leave No Trace challenge each month of the year.

Bigfoot would also like to hear from you, what simple Leave No Trace acts would you be interested in seeing as one of the monthly challenges?

What have you done in 2010 to inspire others to practice Leave No Trace?

Why do you volunteer your time to teach others about Leave No Trace?

Email Bigfoot@LNT.org today, the big dude is lonely and would like to hear from you as the days are getting longer and warmer, Bigfoot is looking for some partners to head outside!

A week in the Wenatchee Valley

This week we have a wide variety of presentations in Wenatchee and Leavenworth, Washington all arranged by Hana Butler, the Experiential Program Coordinator at Washington State University Chelan County Extension. We started the week off at the Cascade Discovery High School located at Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. This is a unique alternative high school where the hatchery and the school have the opportunity to benefit from one each other. We met with 14 students and introduced them to the Leave No Trace program. In the picture above they are showing off their drawings of places where they felt a connection with nature and the outdoors.


We also visited WestSide High School in Wenatchee, a school of choice for students seeking to earn their high school diploma in a unique educational setting. We met with thirty students and introduced them to Leave No Trace by playing Minimum Impact Match.


Later in the day, we shifted gears and went for a snowshoe adventure in Mission Ridge with ten Foothills Middle School 6th graders. While learning to snowshoe, we used various teachable moments to bring Leave No Trace to these young adults.

We will finish the week off by visiting the Cascade Discovery School once again and by having a two hour awareness workshop open to the public at the Barn Beach Reserve on Friday from 3-5.

All the best...

Agata and Jason

Kentucky State Parks Trainer Course

On Monday and Tuesday, we had the pleasure of working with Kentucky State Advocate, Lisa Deavers, on our second Trainer Course of 2010 at Barren River Lake State Resort Park. Lisa, along with eight other participants from Kentucky and Ohio, brought enthusiasm and passion to the course. We had many great discussions about the principles of Leave No Trace, including invasive species, disposal of human waste, and horse use on trails with multi-user groups. In addition, we spent a lot of time on teaching Leave No Trace to children with the PEAK program. It was fun to watch the entire group put on their 8 year old hats and act like a kid again, as we were reminded that we are all kids at heart! Thank you to all the participants for spending a chilly evening outdoors with us. Here is a photo of the newest Leave No Trace Trainers!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

A Condor Success Story in Pinnacles National Monument, California

Earlier this month, park biologists in Pinnacles National Monument, California, tracked a pair of California condors to the first condor nest built in the area in the last 100 years. Inside the nest, located in a cave on top of Resurrection Wall (a popular rock climbing spot) was a single egg.

This recent discovery bears testimony to the success story of the California condor. Forty years ago, no condors lived in Pinnacles National Monument, and in 1987, the world population of condors was a mere twenty-two. Westward expansion during the 19th century caused the decline of condors, as they suffered from lead poisoning from bullets lodged in the carcasses that they scavenged. Thanks to the efforts of conservationists, however, breeding programs began soon after, and the first condors were reintroduced into the wild in 1991 throughout the Southwest. Today, almost 400 condors can be seen in the wild in areas such as Big Sur, CA and Grand Canyon National Park, AZ.

The Pinnacles egg is not expected to hatch for the next three months, so in the meantime the area is closed to rock climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Please respect these closures, so that we can all view condors in the wild long into the future. Please visit the website for Pinnacles National Monument for any updates on condors and closures.

Leave No Trace visits the Sunset Trail District

Last Thursday we had the opportunity to work with the Venturing Program in Beaverton, Oregon in a evening awareness workshop. Leaders from various Boy Scout troops were on hand to learn more about Leave No Trace and brainstorm how to share the educational programs with the youth they work with throughout Oregon.

The Oregon State Advocate, Georgia Bosse, and a number of Master Educators also attended to share their experiences and perspective on how to bring the educational program to the outdoor recreation community and Boy Scouts of America in the Sunset Trail District.

All the best....

Agata and Jason

California Teen Teaches Leave No Trace

California teenager, Amy Chapman, is an avid backpacker and Leave No Trace Trainer. She was introduced to Leave No Trace by her father, and her environmental sensibilities led her into a teaching role. She now teaches Leave No Trace to youth and adults through the Boy Scouts’ Woodbadge program. Learn more about Amy in next month’s Leave No Trace eNews.

Fish - Number One Cause of Mercury Poisoning in U.S.

In a new study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), every single fish tested from 291 freshwater streams across the United States was found to be contaminated with mercury.

"This study shows just how widespread mercury pollution has become in our air, watersheds and many of our fish in freshwater streams," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that builds up in the food chain at ever higher concentrations in predators such as large fish and humans. It is especially damaging to the developing nervous systems of fetuses and children, but can have severe effects on adults, as well. The pollutant enters the environment almost wholly as atmospheric emissions from industrial processes, primarily the burning of coal for electricity. It then spreads across the plant and settles back to the surface, eventually concentrating in rivers, lakes and oceans, where it enters the aquatic food chain.

The number one cause of human mercury poisoning in the United States is the consumption of fish and shellfish.

Read the full article here.

Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia Trainer Course

As trainer course season gets into full swing, mother nature welcomed us with monsoon style rains into Georgia on Friday evening. We had six participants that were eager to learn how they could implement Leave No Trace into both their professional and personal lives, especially into their scouting programs. Saturday the skies opened up and the sun shined upon us as we had a full day of fun and learning at Camp Tanglewood. Enjoy this slideshow from our first Trainer Course of 2010!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Outdoor Community Bands Together to Support National Forest Planning

A coalition of national and regional outdoor groups, including Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, Appalachian Mountain Club, the Mountaineers and the Colorado Mountain Club, recently commented on the Obama Administration’s efforts to create a new U.S Forest Service planning rule. The groups provided critical insight and commentary regarding the best way to improve the forest planning process, including how sustainable recreation considerations should guide and inform forest planning.

As organizations that directly participate in forest planning efforts across the country, and that witness first-hand the implementation of these plans, the coalition commended the Forest Service for its vision in meeting future land management issues head on. In supporting a new forest planning rule the group also encouraged an open public process, an “all lands” approach considering the relationship between NFS lands and neighboring lands and planning methods based on the latest available science.

“We’re pretty stoked with the way the recreational community has come together to promote a shared vision for the future of our public lands and waters,” comments Adam Cramer of the Outdoor Alliance. “Forest Plans serve as the blueprints for how forests are run at the 30,000 foot level, so a new regulation that governs how forest plans are created will impact all of the world-class human-powered recreational resources in our national forests.”

Bryan Martin of The Colorado Mountain Club adds, “ A key element in this initial planning phase is the inclusion of recreation on public lands. There is real economic benefit to including cyclists, hikers, paddlers, backcountry skiers and climbers in terms of what they bring from a recreational standpoint. We encourage the Forest Service to recognize this value as they modernize their Forest Plans.”

The scope of the proposed land management planning outlines five guiding principles:

• restoration and conservation of lands to enhance ecosystem resilience

• addressing climate change through monitoring, mitigation and adaptation

• maintenance and restoration of watershed health

• providing diversity of species and habitat

• fostering sustainable lands and their contribution to rural economies

The coalition made a compelling case to add a sixth planning principle that focuses on recreation. The outdoor community sees recreation as a central element to any forest planning process and hopes to work with Forest Service planners to develop a rule that appropriately balances and integrates the need for protection of watersheds and wildlife habitat with the highly valued recreational opportunities our forests provide.
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2010-02-26 / Mark Menlove

For more information please visit http://www.outdooralliance.net/

Bigfoot is back – and Bearing Gifts!

It’s true – as part of our Bigfoot Challenge this year, http://lnt.org/bigfootchallenge/index.php, you can participate in various challenges that are updated every month. Sign up and take action, pledge to do something that helps forward Leave No Trace in your area, and be eligible to win great gear and other cool stuff from Bigfoot himself. Our first winner is Mike Doyle, from Atlanta. Mike takes home a Coleman sleeping bag, soft cooler, backpack and other great prizes from Coleman. We’ll feature new winners every month.

Thanks, Mike, for helping bring Leave No Trace to your community. Read more about what Mike, an inspiring young leader at Georgia Southern University, is doing to make Leave No Trace fun and accessible to students on campus:

My name is Mike, I'm from Atlanta, GA but I've been in Statesboro, GA for the past four years going to school at Georgia Southern University. Statesboro is a small college town that has been rapidly growing, but faces some big problems with the proposed budget cuts for higher education by the state legislators. With the city seeing a large influx of college age students, more and more of the local scene is being turned into apartment complexes. Development projects are popping up all over the place and pushing access to natural setting farther and farther away. College students are becoming less and less likely to find quiet places in nature to recreate. Yet, on campus there is a great outlet for students. Southern Adventures is our outdoor recreation program on campus. I've been working for Southern Adventures for 3 years now, facilitating challenge courses, teaching climbing, kayaking, and canoeing clinics, managing the climbing wall, and leading backcountry trips. As a student employee, I've had the privilege of leading backcountry trips for other students going climbing, backpacking, canoeing, sea kayaking, caving, and mountain biking. Before I started leading trips I became a Leave No Trace trainer, so that I could not only practice Leave No Trace principles in the field, but also teach my participants how to minimize their impacts on the places we go, and hopefully where they go in the future. I've come to find that most of the students that come on these trips learn more about the impacts that they have on their environments every day than they do if someone just told them, or if they saw it in a documentary. I taught a group about low impact fire building, and more so about when fires are not appropriate. I set it up as a discussion rather than a lecture. I think that the most rewarding thing about it was that I wasn't teaching them directly 'this is right and that is wrong' but that I posed the questions to them, and they came up with alternatives and the answers themselves. Leave No Trace is something that I am very passionate about and I'm glad to have a way of sharing that with others. Becoming a Leave No Trace trainer has given me ways of teaching I never would have otherwise had.

If there could be ONE thing about Leave No Trace that everyone could do, it would be to spread the word!

Traveling Trainers visit the Bay Area

On Tuesday, we started the day off by visiting the Odyssey School, a small middle school for gifted and talented students in San Mateo, California. We met with the 6th and 7th grade classes to introduce them to Leave No Trace information. We discovered that the students had a wide range of outdoor recreation experiences in beautiful locations around the globe. These experiences allowed us to identify a common ethic amongst the group while participating in a number of activities focusing on the principles of Leave No Trace!

In the afternoon we traveled to the East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, a small college preparatory charter high school created four years ago in East Palo Alto, California. We first spoke with nine students in the E-packers club, the new outdoor recreation club. The E-packers will be going on a five-day backpacking trip in Big Sur at the end of the month, and we were invited to share Leave No Trace information with the club as they prepare for this trip. Our second presentation was open to the community and many parents, siblings, and friends of the E-packers came to find out what Leave No Trace was all about. We had a very interesting and bi-lingual conversation about Leave No Trace. When we talked about the decomposition rates of common trash items, the participants were quite surprised that it can take a plastic six-pack holder about 450 years to biodegrade. The audience was also interested in learning more about the Hotspots program to possibly nominate a local site for restoration within the community.

All the best....

Agata and Jason

My Backyard: Have You Taken the Challenge in 2010?

Every month we’re offering new Bigfoot Challenges – an easy way for you to get involved and demonstrate your commitment to responsible recreation. You can participate each month and you’ll have the opportunity to win great outdoor gear prizes every time you pledge to Leave No Trace – just like Bigfoot!

1. Take the Leave No Trace online Awareness Course and invite others (friends, family, coworkers) to do the same.
2. Earth Day is next month. Find an event in your area and get involved. Volunteer, participate, take action.
3. Ensure your computer’s energy saver power settings are enabled right now.
4. Write why your individual membership to Leave No Trace is important to you and email it to the Center at sara@LNT.org (mailto:sara@LNT.org).

And if you haven't seen it yet, visit the Bigfoot Challenge page on our website, with new animation provided by Leave No Trace member, Dave Titus!

Dear Education Department: Questions on Grants and Scholarships

Dear Education Department,

I was writing to inquire about your grants and scholarship programs. I volunteer for a youth-serving organization in my community and am interested in using some of your teaching resources to teach my kids about Leave No Trace. We have an overnight camping trip coming up later this spring and we have a limited budget for the program. I had looked into your grants and scholarships program earlier in the year, but it didn’t look like the deadlines were posted. Can you provide me with an update or suggest other resources that I can use?

Sincerely,

Community Leader

********

Dear Community Leader,

Thank you for your email! We always enjoy hearing about the great work that individuals are doing in their communities on behalf of the Leave No Trace program. Thanks for checking back in about the grants and scholarships. We did make recent changes, so here is an update on deadlines:

• Tools for Teaching: April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2010;
• Master Educator Scholarships: April 1 and August 1, 2010;
• Packing with PEAK: June 1, 2010;
• Connect Grants for Culturally Diverse Communities: June 1, 2010.

Please make note of this update from our Grants and Scholarships page:

Due to funding, limited grants will be awarded in 2010. Please refer to the specific grant that you are applying for to determine application deadlines. Apply for a grant only if your project fits into the designated timeline. At this time, the Center is not accepting applications for grants that serve the international community.

With that in mind, the Center has a number of other free resources that could benefit your community programs:

1) Educational and Training Resources Pages with materials you can download

2) PEAK and Teen program pages with activities you can download

3) Online Awareness Course to take from anywhere, anytime

4) YouTube Page with online instructional videos

Keep in mind that a Leave No Trace lesson could be as simple as a discussion while you are packing bags for a hiking or camping trip. We appreciate all your support and hard work and look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,

The Education Department

Road Wisdom: Do Something Now

On March 5^th and 6^th we attended the Five Rivers Metro Parks Adventure Summit in Dayton, OH. The Adventure Summit is an event celebrating the spirit of outdoor adventure by showcasing the vibrant lifestyle and culture of human powered endeavors through inspiration, education, and experience. And inspired we were! The keynote speaker Charlie Engle captivated the audience by expanding upon his simple motto “Do Something Now!”

Charlie Engle is an elite adventurer who has pushes himself beyond his limits. In 2007, he challenged himself to run across the entirety of the Sahara Desert- a 4600 mile expedition. His experience was captured in the documentary “Running the Sahara”. At the Adventure Summit, he spoke about this experience and the difference it made in his life. His motto “Do Something Now” reminded us to take action in our lives. Whether we challenge ourselves to try an adventure race, a new outdoor activity, or make a difference in your community, we can all do something now!

One of the perks of our job as Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers is attending events where amazing people come to speak. We get the opportunity to learn and experience from some of the best in the outdoor industry. We are continuously inspired and rejuvenated by the energy of these people. With Spring right around the corner, we encourage you to step up to the challenge, where ever the road may take you!

Happy Adventuring,

Kate and Tracy

Boulder Creek Path wins visit from Google Trike

From The Daily Camera:

Sometime this spring -- amid the usual bikers, joggers and amblers -- an odd looking tricycle will roll down the Boulder Creek Path snapping 360-degree photos as it goes.

With 21,000 votes, the Boulder Creek Path won a contest Monday to become one of the first off-road locations visited by the new Google Street View Trike, a cross between a mountain bike and trailer with a camera mounted on a pole in the back.

The trike will allow Google to complement its popular Street View function -- which gives users an on-the-ground perspective through their computer screens, including a look at store fronts, street signs and yards -- with a "path view" for places where cars can't go.

"We're very excited," said Marni Ratzel, bicycle and transportation planner for the city's Go Boulder program. "I think it's great for our residents as well as for tourists who come to Boulder to see this great amenity that we have. They can do that virtually prior to coming, and they can show their friends after they've been there.

"It's just a really cool tool."

The Boulder Creek Path beat out four other finalists in Google's parks and trails category -- the Capital Crescent Trail in Maryland and Washington, D.C.; the Centennial Trail in Washington; the Schuylkill River Trail in Pennsylvania; and the Stevens Creek Trail in California -- to win a visit from the trike.

The strong support for Boulder's trail, which amounted to more than one vote for every five city residents, may have had something to do with the staffers in Google's Boulder office.

"I think they did some work to get the vote out," said Elaine Filadelfo, Google spokeswoman. "They did some grassroots campaigning, I would say."

And while Google typically hires contractors to ride the trike, the company is looking at recruiting some of the avid cyclists who already work for Google in Boulder for the job, Filadelfo said.

The city of Boulder hopes that the trike's ride through Boulder marks the beginning of a deeper relationship between the city and Google's mapping programs. The city has applied to share data about its extensive bike path system with Google as a Base Map Partner.

If the city's proposal is accepted, people will be able to get directions for traveling in Boulder from Google Maps that are tailored for bikes, routing cyclists along multi-use paths and roads with bike lanes. The city already has its own mapping software at gobikeboulder.net that does just that, but if Boulder can partner with Google, Go Boulder staffers hope that even more people will take advantage of the 360 miles of local bike routes.

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Bike paths are a great way to enjoy the outdoors. They are an accessible and fun option for families to explore their neighborhood. Keep the Leave No Trace Frontcountry principles in mind as you travel on bike paths like the Boulder Creek Path.

Trainer Course Season Is Upon Us!

One of the many pleasures of our job as Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers is to facilitate trainer courses all over the lower 48 states. Last year we trained over 100 people during our ten months on the road. The above picture displays the zest that participants bring to the courses. This year we hope to train even more people. We are kicking the 2010 season off in full force as we are preparing for three trainer courses over the next two weeks!

If you are curious if there is a trainer course coming up in your area, check out the Community Page. Click on your state and nearby surrounding states to locate any trainer courses and awareness workshops that will be happening near you.

Do you know of 5-12 people that would be interested in a trainer course? You can request a visit from the Traveling Trainers to come to your area. Currently, we are taking requests for June-November 2010. We would appreciate the opportunity to work with you!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

GPS Units determine geological effects of Chilean earthquake

In an interesting merge of nature and technology researchers from Ohio State were able to determine the geological effects of the February 27th earthquake in Chile using GPS units.

GPS measurements before and after the earthquake revealed that the town of Conception, the epicenter, moved nearly 10 ft to the west, while the larger city of Santiago moved over a foot.

For more information, please refer to this article: Chilean Earthquake

Historically used for scientific purposes, GPS units are a hot topic in the outdoor recreation world, with the increasing number of people worldwide participating in the activity of geocaching - similar to a treasure hunt - by which participants find caches based on GPS coordinates. Sometimes these caches are man-made, sometimes they are nature-based (a beautiful waterfall for example).

Thousands of caches are found in cities worldwide; an interesting (and peripheral) effect of a natural event like an earthquake, would be the shifting of these published geocaching coordinates.

For more information about geocaching, visit: http://www.geocaching.com/

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics recently began publishing educational materials that promote responsible enjoyment of this activity. For more information, please contact us.

Mastering the Mountain at Mt. High

This weekend we attended the Subaru Master the Mountain event at Mountain High Resort. Each winter season, the Subaru Master the Mountain team travels to ski resorts across the country bringing music, giveaways, and free activities for people to enjoy. Skiers have the opportunity to demo the latest Nordica skis, hone their skills with free ski and snowboard lessons, check out the latest film from MSP Films, In Deep: The Skiing Experience, test drive a Subaru, and of course learn about Leave No Trace.


We had participants provide their best guesses for the decomposition rates of common trash items and awarded small prizes. In this photo, the Mt. High Ski and Snowboard School instructors celebrate their correct answer.


Gratefully we received a sprinkling of fresh snow and a little bit of sunshine over the course of the weekend. Thanks to Subaru for putting on such a great event!

All the best....

Agata and Jason

Calling all Great Ideas

Do you have a great idea for new Leave No Trace educational or promotional items? The Center is always looking for new ideas when it comes to our Educational materials and Promotional items. Many of our best ideas have come from our passionate community of volunteers, educators and supporters. What one or two items would you like to see us consider adding?

5 Rivers Metro Parks Adventure Summit

This past weekend we attended the fifth annual 5 Rivers Metro Parks Adventure Summit. The mission of the event is to celebrate the spirit of outdoor adventure by showcasing the vibrant lifestyle and culture of human powered endeavors through inspiration, education, and experience. Leave No Trace was a natural fit for this event. Thousands of people from the 5 Rivers area gathered at Wright State University to express their enthusiasm for outdoor recreation. The energy charged weekend was full of exhibitors, competitions, and motivational speakers.

While on the road, we take advantage of every opportunity to meet and thank key Leave No Trace volunteers. Indiana State Advocate Douglas Wagoner was in attendance promoting upcoming trainer courses that he is teaching through his organization Green Earth Outdoors. We would like to thank Douglas and all of the volunteers that donate their time to enhance the Leave No Trace program. The Summit has grown tremendously since 2006. The Dayton, Ohio area is emerging as the "Adventure Capital of the Midwest," so if you ever have the chance to pass through this part of the country, be sure to step outside and experience what the area has to offer!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Partnership Highlight: Sauce for a Cause

Company: Sauce For A Cause (aka. SFAC)
Website: www.sauceforacause.com
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Motto: All Natural Gluten-Free Gourmet Sauce for an active Lifestyle!

Mission: “To simply create the best all-natural, gluten-free, gourmet sauces, while improving the well-being of the world around us."

Why Sauce For A Cause: Sauce For A Cause makes the best all natural, gluten-free, gourmet sauces. Our sauces include: Tangy Tangerine BBQ, Mango Mint, Not Your Traditional Ketchup, and Gourmet Mustard. Each of these sauces is a unique recipe created by the founder, Alex Mitchell.

Sauce For A Cause began in Boulder, CO in the kitchen of Alex Mitchell. He was just finishing up his degree in Art History and wondering what adventure was to come next. He always loved to experiment in the kitchen. He has especially loved making barbecue sauce ever since his grandfather taught him how to make it as a kid. (Since then no one has been able to stop Alex from putting barbecue sauce on almost everything he eats.) Upon graduating, he decided to perfect his barbecue sauce recipe. Experimenting in the kitchen led to other yummy sauces. After being put through more taste test sessions than they could imagine, Alex decided to take his family and friends seriously when they told him he was really on to something. That is when he decided to start bottling it. Being the paragliding, world traveling, ambitious person he is, Alex did not take presenting his sauce to the world lightly. Less than a year later, we are proud to present you with Sauce For A Cause.

What does Sauce For A Cause do for the environment? We strive to find the best packaging we can. The bottles are an innovative package that is eco-friendly, space saving, and great for taking anywhere you want them to go. The packages are more like a pouch, made from recycled materials and could be reused in all sorts of creative ways.

Not only is it important to us to bring you the best products, but also to make a true difference. That is why Sauce For A Cause donates fifty-percent of its proceeds to five carefully selected causes: Life Straw, Friends of the World Food Program, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Cancer and Flight for Life Colorado.

Sauce For A Cause & Leave No Trace: Sauce For A Cause Is honored to work with Leave No Trace. We are strong supporters and believe strongly in the program, and the partnership with the REI peak program. As a past instructor of the peak program and Leave No Trace, trainer Alex Mitchell is all about getting kids playing outside and away from video games. Everybody should know the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace!

Interested in learning more? Visit the Sauce For A Cause website, or join them on Facebook!

For more on Partnerships with Leave No Trace, visit our Partnership page or contact Sara@LNT.org.

Leave No Trace connects with culturally diverse communities in San Diego, CA.

Wrapping up a month long visit to southern California we are fortunate to have worked with the Adventure Club at Lincoln High School in San Diego, California. This group is supported by CONNECT grant recipient Outdoor Outreach to bring outdoor recreational opportunities to youth in diverse communities throughout the San Diego area.

The group was very enthusiastic about the Leave No Trace program and had an enjoyable time working through activities such as Minimum Impact Match and the Leave What You Find drawing activity to demonstrate their grasp of the information we discussed.

The group was very animated about their sense of stewardship for public lands and overall commitment to the responsible enjoyment of outdoor recreation. We would like to send our appreciation to the staff at Outdoor Outreach for the opportunity to work with such awesome students and we are looking forward to seeing them all again in the future.

All the best,

Agata and Jason

Exit Strategies Conference in Golden, CO July 2010

The American Alpine Club is hosting a conference on waste removal in the backcountry in July. Exit Strategies-Managing Human Waste in the Wild, July 30-31st and August 1st, 2010.

The American Alpine Club is inviting top land managers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and wilderness participants from around the globe to discuss and formulate strategies for managing human waste in remote areas. The Exit Strategies conference will include general/plenary sessions, poster presentations, field-proven techniques and opportunities for focused problem solving. To create a productive setting in which participants can spark important conversations, explore innovative ideas, and develop effective solutions, the conference will be limited to 100 attendees.

More information and registration can be found here:

http://www.americanalpineclub.org/exitstrategies.

Do you C.A.R.E. about your favorite campgrounds?

It's about that time of year for campgrounds across the country to open for the season. Today marked the annual Leisure Systems Inc. Campground Association for Recreation Education (CARE) conference. Over 75 recreation directors, campground owners and managers from Jellystone Parks gathered in Covington, KY to get tips on creating fantastic camping experiences for families. We were invited to speak at the conference and highlight the new partnership between Jellystone Parks and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. During our 4 hour presentation, the participants were eager to learn about the programs that the Center will be able to offer to their campgrounds all over the US and Canada. We are looking forward to building this partnership throughout the year, as the Traveling Trainers and the e-tour will be visiting some of the Jellystone Parks. Keep your eyes out for us, Yogi, Boo-boo, and all their friends this summer! A special thanks to Kelly Jones for inviting us to be a part of the conference!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Peak Steward Training: March 7 in Boulder, CO

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is a non-profit organization partnered with the USFS, Leave No Trace, and others whose mission is to preserve and protect the fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado through active stewardship and public education. CFI’s Peak Stewards are a group of enthusiastic volunteers who are trained to monitor high-use Fourteeners. Peak Stewards document human and wildlife encounters, user behaviors, compliance with Forest Service regulations, and trail and resource conditions.

Peak Stewards also initiate contact with other climbers when appropriate, and provide educational information about Fourteener-specific Leave No Trace principles for Colorado’s alpine environment. Once trained, Peak Stewards will commit to volunteering a minimum of four days throughout the summer.

Peak Steward Training #2 will be at the Boulder REI from 9:30-3:30, Sunday March 7th. We have the Community Room (big glass room in the center of the store) reserved and plenty of space. Please contact Brian at 303-278-7650 or email to brian@14ers.org for more information or to sign up for the training.