Leave No Trace is coming to San Diego

San Diego REI Leave No Trace Community Event
Thursday February 10th from 6-7:30PM

Share your ideas about Leave No Trace and ways to increase community action and volunteerism at the REI San Diego store on Thursday, February 10th from 6pm-7:30pm. Join Ben Lawhon, Leave No Trace’s Education Director, and area educators, volunteers and members to discuss all things Leave No Trace for your community. Enjoy light appetizers and a rumored appearance from Leave No Trace’s Bigfoot at the event.

Register here: http://www.rei.com/event/18007/session/22057

American Camp Association Honors Leave No Trace

In Late February, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics received a Special Recognition Award for Youth Environmental Ethics Education, along with REI, for the PEAK program. The American Camp Association extended the honors. Excerpts from the press release are below

American Camp Association Honors REI and Leave No Trace with 2009 Special Recognition Award for Youth Environmental Ethics Education Program

SEATTLE – The American Camp Association® (ACA) is pleased to announce that the PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) program, a unique partnership between Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, has been awarded a 2009 Special Recognition Award.

Special Recognition Awards are presented annually by the American Camp Association to honor groups, organizations or individuals for their efforts to promote camping with a profound significance on a national level.

PEAK provides the ABC’s of environmental literacy to the next generation. Since 2002, nearly 575,000 children have been taught Leave No Trace principles through the PEAK program, an educational curriculum that teaches young people to be active stewards of outdoor recreational resources. The interactive program, available in English and Spanish, incorporates a series of hands-on and fun games, activities and lessons that are relevant for elementary school children and teens.

The development and implementation of PEAK is an outstanding contribution to the advancement of camping for a number of reasons.
• Every summer camp has an environment that could benefit from careful use. Island, forest, desert, mountain, woods, ocean, lake, meadow, park, and even landscaped locations benefit from campers who understand and apply Leave No Trace principles.
• PEAK has the power to pique the interest of youth attending summer camp. PEAK trainers and REI employees deliver PEAK to youth in many urban settings.
• The PEAK program inspires participants to get outside and enjoy outdoor pursuits responsibly so that shared natural spaces can be enjoyed by future generations. After experiencing PEAK, children are more likely to go camping, or find themselves on the trail with their youth groups and/or families.

Leave No Trace - Now More Than Ever

In the seven years I've been with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, I've provided outreach, education and training to thousands of people all across the U.S. and in many countries around the globe. While on the road, I'm constantly reminded of just how many people are supporters or practitioners of Leave No Trace - a great thing. Particularly when you consider that there are hundreds of millions of recreationists who regularly enjoy all the outdoor opportunities this country has to offer.

Last week I had the opportunity to present to a group of forty river rafting company owners and guides in Oregon about Leave No Trace. All were part of the Headwaters Institute, an organization with a mission to provide education that inspires individuals and communities to care for and connect with their watershed. They were all very supportive of Leave No Trace and in many ways, it was like preaching to the choir. This week, I'm at the American Camp Association conference in Tennessee, and again, I'm interacting with people who are supportive of Leave No Trace. Many of the ACA conference participants are deeply involved in the Leave No Trace program and are actively teaching kids about Leave No Trace. Both of these great organizations are partners of Leave No Trace and actively promote outdoor ethics.

What I keep seeing is more and more support for Leave No Trace from all those who enjoy the out of doors. Now more than ever, Leave No Trace is gaining momentum and educating more people than we ever thought possible. Together we can make a significant difference for the responsible use and active stewardship of our shared outdoor resources. It's not what you did yesterday, it's what you're doing tomorrow.