Should we teach children Leave No Trace?

For just $2, you teach a child Leave No Trace. This month we are asking Leave No Trace followers to make a donation to educate the future stewards of our lands and waters. Leave No Trace Center For Outdoor Ethics will teach over 100,000 children this year and you can help one classroom learn to protect the outdoors with your gift of $60 or more today.

Your gift today shapes the values of a generation.

This summer one of our traveling teams shared with me one boy's passion for the importance of Leave No Trace. He was a shy boy about ten-years-old and he was lingering at the Leave No Trace education booth during an outdoor event. One of the trainers asked if he liked the outdoors and knew about Leave No Trace. He replied that he did and then asked if he could make a donation as he held out three wadded-up $1 bills. The trainer was surprised and asked why the boy would give his money to Leave No Trace instead of buying toys or treats.

The boy replied, "Because you can't make any more nature."

This boy understood the need to protect the places where we play and our vision is that more children gain this passion for protecting the outdoors. Leave No Trace youth programs are proven effective and efficient - relying on hundreds of volunteers and partnerships with schools and youth-serving organizations to educate our young people. Every $2 you donate will give a child Leave No Trace education and $60 teaches an entire classroom.

So many children do not have the opportunity to experience the wonder of the outdoors. When budgets are being slashed for youth education and nature programs across the country, ensuring that Leave No Trace is a part of every youth's experience is in our collective hands. I am proud that Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics works hard to get kids outside and teach them essential outdoor skills, ethics and the value of stewardship.

Thank you for considering a donation to Leave No Trace and nurturing the next generation with outdoor ethics.