Education in Motion: Where to find the Traveling Trainers in NOVEMBER

The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, as well as the Leave No Trace e-tour Team are conducting the following training events across the country in November. For more information about these or to attend, visit their calendars. We hope to see you on the road!

Team East November Calendar
Team West November Calendar
E-tour November Calendar

Arizona:

• REI - Paradise Valley
• REI - Tucson
• Youth Now Collaboration AmeriCorps - Tucson
• Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona - Tucson

California:

• San Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument - Palm Desert
• Living Desert Reserve - Palm Desesrt
• Boy Scoot Troop 772 - Dana Point
• San Gabriel River Hot Spot - Glendora
• Environmental Nature Center - Newport Beach
• Crossroad School for the Arts & Science - Santa Monica
• Outdoor Outreach - San Diego
• Point Loma Outdoor Education - San Diego

Florida:

• Association for Experiential Education International Conference - Jacksonville

Kentucky:

• Jellystone Parks Tradeshow - Covington
  

Nevada:

• KOA Convention - Las Vegas
  

New Mexico:

• San Juan College - Farmington
• Mosaic Academy - Farmington

New York:

• Green Lakes State Park - Fayetteville

North Carolina:

• Montreat College - Montreat

Oregon:

• Oregon Caves National Monument - Cave Junction
• Madrona Elementary School - Grants Pass
• Rogue River Elementary School - Rogue River
• Evergreen Elementary School - Cave Junction
• Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW Washington - Medford

Do you want the Traveling Teams to come to your town? We are currently accepting event requests online for 2012.

NOTE: You MUST request an event by December 1st for the 2012 January - June window.

Hickory Ridge camp opens, July 22-23 - Lake Red Rock, Iowa

Hickory Ridge camp opens, July 22-23, with outdoor events, training.

The public is invited to celebrate the successful protection of Hickory Ridge Camp at Lake Red Rock, July 22-23, with a weekend of free outdoor fun and outdoor training.

From Friday afternoon through Saturday evening, the camp project’s partners will host a variety of activities as part of the camp’s official opening and dedication. There will be nature and bird hikes, paddling trainings and tour, a barbecue, campfire and more. A program of dedication and celebration with thanks to donors and volunteers is planned for Saturday at 10:00 a.m. More details on the schedule and plans for the weekend are available at: www.inhf.org/hickoryridge

One of the weekend’s special highlights will be a series of short workshops led by national staff of Leave No Trace (www.LNT.org) — a national nonprofit organization that promotes responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors. The organization often partners with others, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to get its message to the public and outdoor user groups.

Hickory Ridge is located on a quiet cove south of the Whitebreast Recreation Area, north of Knoxville and west of Pella. The soon-to-be-opened 200-acre public camping area is being created as a place on the lake for enjoyment of nature, with primitive camping available for scouts, paddlers and others. The camp is expected to be a favorite overnight spot on the new 37-mile roundtrip water trail.

In keeping with the primitive aspects of the camp, the opening weekend’s activities will have a casual, roughing-it flavor, with a focus on outdoor fun and learning. This will include designation of a new Lake Red Rock Water Trail, with a paddling tour of scenic sections of the lake where new informative kiosks are being installed. The kiosks will provide information about the lake and its history, user guidelines, water access points, safety tips and wildlife to watch for in the area.

To protect the Hickory Ridge camp, the Red Rock Lake Association teamed up with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, a statewide nonprofit conservation organization, and the federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The groups coordinated a two-year effort to fund the purchase and restoration of the area, reaching the project goal of $405,000 this past winter after receiving a major grant from Prairie Meadows. More than 130 contributors included 32 major donors of over $1,000. The Iowa DNR’s River Programs provided $33,000 in grant assistance and the water trails conservation crew and local volunteers designed and constructed the landing beach, trails and campsites.

According to Jamie Gyolai, the USACE’s Hickory Ridge project leader, “The Corps is glad to be able to help make Hickory Ridge available for public use. We look forward to the dedication as a chance to acknowledge the wonderful support that has made the project possible. We are also excited to be able to have the unique opportunity to offer the Leave No Trace workshops and water trail-related events as part of the weekend.”

CONTACT: Anita O’Gara or Ann Robinson, INHF: 800-475-1846 or 515-288-1846 or Jamie Gyolai, USACE: 641-828-7522

Education in Motion: May Training from our Traveling Teams

The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers as well as the e-tour are conducting the following training events across the country in May. For more information about these or to attend, visit their calendars.

Team East May Calendar – http://tinyurl.com/62zpg9u
Team West May Calendar - http://tinyurl.com/5ty8ac9
Leave No Trace e-tour Calendar – http://tinyurl.com/66uow8x

Colorado:
• Shining Mountain School – Boulder
• Legacy Elementary School – Frederick
• 4-H Club – Berthoud
• Colorado State Parks – Walden

Maryland:
• American Hiking Society – Silver Spring
• Queen Anne School – Upper Marlboro
• Sudlersville Middle School – Sudlersville

Montana:
• Beartooth Pass Ride – Red Lodge

New Hampshire:
• Appalachian Mountain Club – Pinkham Notch

New Jersey:
• Joint Military Base – Tabernacle

New York:
• The North Face Endurance Challenge – Bear Mountain
• JackRabbit Sports – NYC
• Boy Scout Troop 163 – Webster
• Adirondack Mountain Club – Lake Placid

Oregon:
• Multnomah Falls – Portland

Pennsylvania
• Boy Scouts Dutch Council – Lebanon
• Camp Men-O-Lan – Quakertown

Vermont:
• Topnotch Resort & Spa – Stowe

Washington:
• 49er Days – Winthrop
• Methow Valley School Visits – Winthrop
• Garfield High School – Seattle
• Mount Rainier National Park – Ashford
• Community in Schools of Renton – Renton
• Outdoor Adventure Center – Index
• Explorer West Middle School – Seattle

Washington D.C:
• The North Face Explore Your Parks

Road Wisdom: Geocaching

According to geocache.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.”

Currently there are over 1 million registered caches worldwide! As we travel the country, teaching the skills and ethics of Leave No Trace, we encounter many different schools of thought on this up-and-coming activity, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month.

Some people feel strongly that geocaching bridges the gap for people that enjoy technological activities with being on an outdoor adventure in a natural setting. Other people feel that some geocachers miss a majority of the outdoor experience because they are so focused on the technology piece that they are driven into the wilderness only to put all of their energy into finding the coordinates. Yet another group feels that geocaching brings individuals and families together by getting them out of their living rooms and into the great outdoors. What is your opinion?

Regardless of each person’s motive to join the geocache movement, Leave No Trace has developed a reference hang tag (available in our online store) to promote responsible recreation practices while geocaching. Here are some points to consider:

• Plan properly for your geocaching outing by having the items or equipment you'll need to safely enjoy your adventure. Also, if placing a cache, make sure it's legal in your area.
• Be conscious of where caches are placed (choose durable surfaces) and think about how traveling to and from a cache can cause trampling, erosion, etc.
• Have the necessary knowledge/equipment to deal with trash, litter and human waste.
• Consider the impacts of geocaching to both plants and animals.
• Be mindful of other visitors who may also be enjoying the same areas as you.
  

If you would like to weigh in on your opinion of geocaching, email kateandtracy@lnt.org and we will post comments on an upcoming blog!

Happy Geocaching,
Kate and Tracy

Earth Day...the Blanchard Elementary Way!

In celebration of Earth Day, we dusted off our Traveling Trainer shoes (Chacos in our case) and headed to Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Borrowing the school’s playground, we met with the entire second grade to talk about LITTER! Using one of our favorite activities from the PEAK Pack, we were able to learn a little about Leave No Trace and have fun at the same time.

We were very impressed with the ideas that the students shared on ways that we could Reduce, Reuse and Recycle our trash.

After our presentation, Ms. Harper invited us to her classroom where her students showed us some ways to be great citizens of our planet! They had such great ideas, that we wanted to share a few of them with everyone!

We wanted to give a BIG THANKS to all the second grade students and their teachers for spending Earth Day with us! We really appreciated your interest in Leave No Trace and your excitement for protecting our environment!

Emily & JD

(Leave No Trace members and former Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers)

National Get Outdoors Day - Get Involved!

With the beginning of Spring, many cities around the country have begun planning for the third annual National Get Outdoors Day event on June 12, 2010.

Denver has been a leader in hosting this event and drew thousands of children and families last year for a day full of fishing, hands-on activities, adventure sports and recreation in City Park.

It was piloted in over 100 cities in 2008, many of which have continued to participate and expand upon their local event. Most Get Outdoors Day events are actively seeking volunteers to help plan logistics, direct people on event day, set-up and and break down the event, staff booths and so on. To volunteer, check out the locations page on the National Get Outdoors Day website to find out the location nearest you.

The event has many local sponsors, but is nationally supported by the USDA Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition.

This year the Center will be participating in the the local Denver event and partnering with a previous Connect Grant recipient, Big City Mountaineers as well as working with the Colorado State Advocate for Leave No Trace.

The Traveling Trainer teams will also be participating in a National Get Outdoors Day event in Washington state.

Check out the interpretive trail activity that the e-tour did last summer. It's available for download on the PEAK page.

Outdoor Ethics at the LA Fairgrounds

On Thursday of last week, we met with a Wildlife Conservation and Management class offered through the Regional Occupation Program (ROP) at the LA Fairplex in Pomona, CA. The ROP offers classroom experience and community-based internships to prepare students for industry-specific employment requirements. During the workshop, we introduced the 17 students to the Leave No Trace program by facilitating several activities including How Long Does it Last and Minimum Impact Match. Since these students will be going on an overnight trip in a couple of weeks and camping without any facilities, we discussed the significance of 200ft. in terms of disposing of human waste and camping away from water sources and trails. We also had the students break up into groups and perform a short skit on each of the seven principles of Leave No Trace.

All the best,

Agata and Jason

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

2010 Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Season is getting set to Kick Off!

On Monday we began our annual Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Training for our 2010 teams. We are lucky to have Kate Bullock and Tracy Howard returning for their third season on the road, starting their year as our Team East. Check out their schedule so far.

We are also very excited to have a new pair, Jason and Agata Ketterick, joining us for our 12th year of the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program as Team West. You can take a look to see if they will be coming to your area in the coming months by clicking here.

Both teams will be attending the Outdoor Retailer trade show next week in Salt Lake City, and then will be back here for another week and a half of training before they hit the road for the season in early February. If you are interested in hosting the Traveling Trainers this year, please request a visit online.

Kate and Tracy, are excited for you to meet Bigfoot!

Jason and Agata on top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine last June.

Welcome Jason and Agata

As we get ready to welcome in the new year, we also would like to welcome in the newest Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer team, Jason and Agata Ketterick! We had the opportunity to meet them in MA for lunch and chat about life on the road. Starting off as Team West, the two are eager to hit the road and begin their adventure. We look forward to meeting up with them again in Boulder, CO at the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics as we prepare for the 2010 season. We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. See you all in 2010!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

A glimpse into the 2009 Traveling Trainer tour

Have you ever wondered what the Traveling Trainers' atlas looks like at the end of a season? Here are photos of the 2009 season:

Kate and Tracy's travels in 2009

JD and Emily's travels in 2009

Be on the lookout for the Traveling Trainers as they hit the road again in January 2010!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

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?

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

Impromptu Awareness Workshop

Typically an Awareness Workshop with the Traveling Trainers is set up months in advance. The host contacts our Outreach Manager, Dave Winter. Dave puts the workshop on the calendar. We contact the event host and work out all the logistics well in advance. This is not a story about one of those Awareness Workshops.

Over the weekend we headed to Malibu Creek State Park for an event sponsored by Subaru. The evening before the event we showed up at the park's campground in hopes of finding a place to camp. As we drove around the campground loop we noticed that we seemed to be drawing more attention than usual (if you've ever seen the Leave No Trace Subaru, then you know it has potential to draw a modest amount of attention). As we commented to each other about all the staring, one camper waved us down for a quick photo (of the Subaru, not us). We pulled over and jumped out to chat while several people began photographing the car. As we chatted to the photographers we discovered that they were all part of the same recreation class at a local university. We also found out that this was their first camping trip as a class and that they had recently taken a test that focused on Leave No Trace...talk about perfect timing!

We got the whole group to take the Bigfoot Challenge! What a great group and the perfect opportunity for some impromptu Leave No Trace talk.

If you are interested in setting up an Awareness Workshop with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers for the 2010 season (and don't want to take the chance that we'll just happen to show up at the perfect time) please submit an online request.

Geocaching 101: Part Deux

This morning we said our goodbyes to our recent travel companion, Wolfgang Von Pitterpat. As promised in our earlier post Geocaching 101…We Need Your Help, we dropped Wolfgang off at the first suggested location, the Travel Bug Hotel (N 36° 30.306 W 104° 55.241) in Cimarron, New Mexico. Before dropping Wolfgang off we tagged him with our newest ethics reference card on geocaching*. This being our first adventure into the world of geocaching, we weren’t sure what to expect. Turns out we had a lot of fun and finally took the time to learn how to use the GPS unit that has been sitting in our glove box for over a year! Here is a brief retrospective of our geocaching adventure...enjoy!

We found Wolfgang at the top of Boundary Peak in Nevada and decided to make him an honorary Traveling Trainer!

Wolfgang perched on the Subaru on our way to Cimarron.

JD and Wolfgang figuring out how to use our GPS unit.

We found the "Travel Bug Hotel" right next to the historic St. James Hotel, which is supposedly haunted!

*No Travel Bugs were harmed in the tagging process.

Geocaching 101…We Need Your Help!

In honor of the new Leave No Trace ethics reference card on Geocaching, we decided to pick up a travel bug on a recent hike on Boundary Peak in Nevada. He’s pretty cute and we’re having a tough time deciding where to bid farewell to our new traveling companion, so we thought we’d ask for a little help.

Here is a list of places we are going to be visiting in the next few weeks, first person to leave a comment with coordinates of a cache in the general area of one of these events decides the fate of our little friend!
• Outdoor Adventure Summit – Philmont, NM
• Subaru Ready for Adventure Event – Malibu Creek State Park, CA
• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics – Boulder, CO

Are You Ready for Adventure?

We spent the weekend at Silver Strand State Beach near San Diego, California for a Subaru-Ready for Adventure outdoor extravaganza. Subaru covered the fees and invited anyone and everyone out for a free day of fun and outdoor adventure at one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. In addition to learning about Leave No Trace, park users were treated to surfing and paddle-boarding lessons courtesy of Billabong, free food, and lots of drawings…think bikes, boards, and kayaks!

Another highlight from the event was the Animal Behavior Specialist from American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who was on hand to answer questions about pet behaviors. With the help of pups from the local animal shelter she demonstrated ways to train your dog to be an excellent adventure companion. It was a great event and the best part was that Subaru raised around $2,500 for Silver Strand State Beach over the course of the afternoon!
Join us at Malibu Creek State Park on October 24th for the next Ready for Adventure event!

Eco-Camp

Last weekend we headed to Long Beach, California to meet up with local Girl Scouts for their Eco-Awareness Campout. We had a great time and spoke with over 200 girls about Leave No Trace. Held in an urban park, the Eco-Camp was a great opportunity to talk about the importance of preserving and protecting our Frontcountry areas from recreational impacts. Litter, wildlife impacts, and dog waste issues were just a few of the topics that we discussed during our presentation. We were really impressed by the attitude that these girls had towards Leave No Trace and environmental ethics, which is a good sign for the future of California parks!

Picture of the Week: Celebrating the Tetons

What better way to kick off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month than a hike in Grand Teton National Park with three cancer survivors?

Pictured above JD Tanner, Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer, hikes a steep section of trail between Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point with his mom, Donna, and her good friends, Janet and Connie on a recent trip to Grand Teton National Park.

Applicants Wanted: Leave No Trace Job Opening

POSITION: SUBARU/LEAVE NO TRACE TRAVELING TRAINERS

SALARY: Monthly salary plus all travel expenses, gear, and apparel for life on the road.
CLOSING DATE: October 5th, 2009 or until position is filled.
SEND RESUME & COVER LETTER TO:
Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers
Leave No Trace
P.O. Box 997
Boulder, CO 80306
-OR-
jobs@LNT.org (subject: Traveling Trainers)
***NO CALLS PLEASE***

SUBARU/LEAVE NO TRACE TRAVELING TRAINERS

Leave No Trace is seeking a dedicated, savvy, dynamic team of educators (only teams of two are accepted as applicants) for a seasonal traveling position. Leave No Trace is an educational nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of public lands by all people worldwide. The Traveling Trainers travel throughout the U.S. teaching and promoting minimum impact techniques to outdoor enthusiasts of all experience levels. The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers reach millions of individuals annually, promoting stewardship of the outdoors, and supporting active lifestyles. The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers program is an established, well-respected education and outreach program that is in high demand across the country.

Couples and pre-paired teams only apply. We will not place individuals in a team.

The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, sponsored by Subaru, represent the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics as goodwill ambassadors. The teams will present special programs for diverse groups such as youth serving organizations, land managers, students, hiking, bicycling, climbing and other user groups, outdoor retailers, and general public. Scheduled stops include trade and consumer shows, special events, trail projects, volunteer events, and other related events. Throughout the season, the team will post weekly on-line blogs and communicate regularly with those interested in learning more about Leave No Trace. Teams must represent the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer program, and Subaru of America in a positive and professional manner at all times.

Team members will be outfitted with apparel, equipment and supplies necessary for teaching and camping, as well as communicating electronically. Compensation package includes food and lodging expenses, and monthly salary. Part time employment (10.5 months) and travel will begin without exception, January 11th, 2010 and run through November 30th, 2010.

Education and Technical Requirements
* Bachelor Degree in a related field and at least two-years of teaching experience
* Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
* Recommended outdoor recreation skills set include: hiking, backpacking, canoeing/kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, winter sports, trail running, travel with pack stock, etc.
* Current Basic First Aid and CPR certification (Wilderness First Responder or WEMT preferred)
* Formal Leave No Trace Training (Master Educator preferred)
* Availability to travel without exception, continuously from mid January 2010 through November 2010
* Personal budgeting and expense tracking skills
* Macintosh computer and digital camera proficiency

Leadership and Interpersonal Requirements:
* Direct experience teaching, guiding and instructing (outdoor settings preferred)
* High level of motivation, energy, creativity and professionalism
* Charismatic and entertaining public speaking and verbal communication skills
* Ability to deal with an evolving and sometimes unpredictable itinerary
* Excellent time-management skills

For more information, visit www.LNT.org

To apply please submit the following by 10/5/09
1. A joint cover letter, 2 page maximum
2. Resumes for each team member, 2 page maximum per person
**other information and/or material are not necessary or accepted

Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program
C/O Leave No Trace
PO Box 997
Boulder Co, 80306

No calls please.
Leave No Trace is an equal opportunity employer.