Bigfoot On Base

Bigfoot with Scouts at Minot Air Force Base!

Stopping in at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the Leave No Trace e-tour got to talk about the outdoors with families who have hiked and camped everywhere from Germany to Japan to Kyrgyzstan. Working with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Cub Scouts, we got to talk about all the different principles of Leave No Trace, help cleanup a city park that had been hit by a flood last year, and share a cookout with Bigfoot himself! With an audience of all ages, we got to play some PEAK games including a heated game of Step On It! and an informative How Long Does it Last? The highlight of the evening was an awesome talk about how to poop outside, showing the group how to dig a 6 to 8 inch cathole and passing around a Go Anywhere Bag. Then everyone learned how long 200 feet really is when they had to race the distance while holding Clif Bars between their legs -- symbolizing when they had to go bad.

We had an awesome time with this group and think that everyone learned a lot about Leave No Trace. Without question, we loved our time being on base and wanted to thank all of these Air Force families for their service to our country! We want to thank the Air Force for welcoming the e-tour onto the base, it was a privilege to visit and share the Leave No Trace principles with the Scouting community on base. Thank you for all that you do, and we can't wait to get back up to North Dakota for another great event!

From the Barracks to the Backcountry,

Quinn & Frank

Southeast Send Off!

All over AR.  For the past three months, we have traveled all over the Southeast providing outreach and workshops to more than 25 schools, universities, organizations, and land management agencies.  All though Arkansas expands our reach to just west of the Mississippi River, we experienced some creative groups that are benefiting from the Leave No Trace Program.  We spent three days at Lake Dardanelle State Park, which provides interpretive programs to visitors at the park.  Take a look at the photo below:  The park rents out backpacks for families looking for interesting and educational activities to fill their time while at the lake.  Notice the Leave No Trace hang tag attached to the pack!

From there, we traveled to Northwest AR, where we worked with 8th grade students from Pea Ridge, who would be attending Outdoor School at Devil's Den State Park later that week.  Our workshop prepared them with a good introduction to how they can be stewards of the land and take responsibility for their choices while enjoying the park.  Following that, we met up with Jennifer Hazelrigs, Leave No Trace State Advocate for the state of Arkansas, at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, for the Arkansas Adventure Programming Conference.

Jennifer Hazelrigs and Scott Dirksen-Lyon College were excited to see Bigfoot come out for the Saturday morning trail run!  

This student-led conference drew faculty and staff from 6 colleges and universities from AR, KY, TX, and IA.  With over 80 participants on site over the weekend, and the majority of the programs led by student presenters, there were many opportunities to learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge of outdoor programming.

We led a three hour skills workshop, with a surprise guest!

Horseshoe Canyon had many goats, horses, dogs, and mules that call the Ranch home.  We were shocked to have two horses join us at our workshop, first time for that!  This would not be the last time we see horses this week...

Tracy, Jacque, Kate and Rob in Snowball, AR.

We finished up our time in Arkansas on horseback!  We spent the day with Rob Stephens, BSA/Leave No Trace all around champion, and Jacque Alexander, Leave No Trace/Backcountry Horseman of America advocate, as well as other members of BCH of Arkansas for a trail ride along the Buffalo River National Park.  15 miles later, we enjoyed river crossings, wildflowers in bloom, and riding along the painted bluffs, all the while making friends with everyone including "Dakota and Shorty".  Thank you to Jacque, Rob, and all of the ladies on the ride.  Oh what a day-Glorious!

As we head towards the Northeast, we reflect on all of our events the past few months since the 2012 season began and look forward with great anticipation for the next three months in the Northeast!

Respect the Resource...Kate and Tracy

Earth Week in Colorado!

Starting on Earth Day on Sunday in Nederland, the e-tour has been spreading the word about Leave No Trace all over Colorado for Earth Week! It's been a truly beautiful location to talk about environmental stewardship to audiences ranging from interested citizens in Boulder County to high schoolers set on making a difference to elementary school students getting outside for the first time!

Bigfoot at Wild Bear!

To kick off the week, we headed up to the Wild Bear Mountain Ecology Center where we joined with other conservation-minded organizations for an Earth Day Celebration! It was awesome to get to talk to youth and adults alike about the outdoors with the Rocky Mountains towering over us. From outdoor enthusiasts excited to learn about new reference cards for Winter Use and Rock Climbing to kids learning the PEAK principles, everyone took home some new information to help make good decisions in the outdoors. Not only that, but our Colorado State Advocate Kristin and famous mascot Bigfoot also were able to make the event!

Quinn and Bigfoot at Earth Day in Nederland, CO!

The next morning, we scrambled over to the Shining Mountain School in Boulder where we got to talk with some high school students before they scattered about town to help out with keeping this beautiful area clean. With this dialed group, we got to focus on the reasons why Leave No Trace is an ethic -- not a set of rules, but a series of personal values and selected responsibilities about how to be a good citizen not of the state or country but of the planet. In addition to cleaning up around their school and community, these students are challenging themselves to take responsibility for the trash that they generate on a daily basis by packing out what they pack in to school just like you would in the backcountry. In this fashion, they become aware of what they are using each and every day and can strive as individuals to minimize their overall impact. We were inspired to get to speak with such dedicated students!
 

Traveling Trainer Frank with his college friend and now elementary school teacher Mr. Gamble at Wildflower Elementary!

Finally, with a little help from our good friend Bigfoot we got to visit elementary school students both in Boulder and Colorado Springs! The kindergarteners in Boulder got to share some of their favorite activities in the outdoors by drawing pictures for each other. By getting out and connecting with nature, these students are forming the foundations for a life of conservation. The fifth graders in Colorado Springs drilled into a lot of the science behind what happens to trash. They asked the tough questions about the difference between natural products and plastic, recycling and composting, and the effect you can have on animals by carelessly discarding food waste. We're confident that they will take this enthusiasm and inquisitive mindset with them as they head out into the world and start making their own decisions about the actions they take and the impacts they make. Great work Wildflower Wildcats!

Everyday is Earth Day,

Quinn & Frank

Mr. Foot Goes to Middle School

Bigfoot with 6th Grade Science Teacher Ms. Pieper!!

We've always heard that Bigfoot likes to hang around in the Pacific Northwest, but this week he came out of hiding to visit all the 6th graders at South Middle School in Grants Pass, Oregon! He cleared some time out of his busy schedule, typically filled with tromping around the woods without leaving footprints, skipping out of blurry photographs, and generally Leaving No Trace in his path, to visit seven different science classes in two days. Bigfoot wants to give a shoutout to the teachers there for getting the students excited about going outside and Leaving No Trace! When reached for comment while he was ambling back into the woods, Mr. Foot simply said "mumble mumble mumble....Leave No Trace."

Seeking the 'Squatch,

Quinn & Frank

Bigfoot's Dance Moves

Sometimes we're lucky enough to interact with Bigfoot, who's been Leaving No Trace for years. Sometimes he drops some dance moves when he's super excited. Stay tuned for all of his adventures.

Sharin' in the Leave No Trace Groove,

Quinn & Frank

Fat Tire Fun in Florida!

Ocala, FL.  This weekend we had a blast at the Fat Tire Mountain Bike Festival in Ocala, FL.  This weekend long festival, hosted by the Ocala Mountain Bike Association, is in its sixth year.  The festival provides an opportunity for riders from all over the southeast to get together and enjoy the beautiful trails near the Santos Trailhead.  With over 80 miles of trail of varying level, there is fun for all levels of riders. With almost 1,000 riders pedaling the trails, it is important to consider ways to minimize potential impacts to the land, and to take on pictures and leave only tracks!

   One of the highlights of the weekend was the Free Ride Demo at the Vortex Dirt Jump area of the park.  Here riders jumped, bounced, soared, and hit the dirt through an amazing free ride course.  In addition, there were numerous bicycle companies like Trek and Specialized, offering from demos of mountain bikes throughout the weekend.

After a day on the trails, 350 people camped out for the weekend.  The campground was swarming with bikes, trikes, and unicycles.  We even saw a Fat Tire Flyer (shown above) from our friends at New Belgium Brewery, based in Fort Collins, CO. 

Of course, no festival would be complete without a visit from the Big Guy himself.  Bigfoot was super excited to try out the fun park on a bicycle, weaving and bobbing his way around the dirt.  Above, Bigfoot meets Renee Blaney, former professional mountain biker and founder of the festival.  Bigfoot challenged the kids (and the "big kids") to slow down and ride through the middle of the muddy trail, instead of around it, as to not widen the trail and trample vegetation along side the trail unnecessarily.  

Finally, at the end of the festival, one lucky winner named Sunny, was jumping for joy as she went home with a brand new North Face Daypack.  Sunny became a member of Leave No Trace over the weekend and she couldn't help but be excited about all of the fun she had at the festival, and the good feeling she has from helping to support Leave No Trace programs.  Just look at her excitement!  Thank you to The North Face for their continued support of Leave No Trace, and a special thank you to our host Robert Arrieta, for a fun week full of outreach in Ocala, FL.
Respect the Resource...Kate and Tracy

Bigfoot Sightings in Seattle

Greetings from Seattle!

Both the Outreach and Education Departments are up in the Evergreen State this week taking part in Seattle Backyard Sessions. The Sessions are aimed at increasing networking and volunteer opportunities amongst Leave No Trace community members, as well as highlighting our important work with Mt. Rainier National Park as part of the Hot Spot program.

Here's a glimpse of the event last night - as expected, Bigfoot made an appearance.

For more information, be sure to read the upcoming eNews which will highlight our partner organizations, as well as our work with Mt. Rainier.

If you are in the Seattle area today, come check out the second session at the REI store in downtown Seattle. The event starts at 6:00 PM. See you then!

Sarah

Gladstone Elementary School Raising Environmental Awareness

Gladstone, OR. Today Team West visited the fourth grade classrooms of John Witter Elementary School in Gladstone, OR to educate them about Leave No Trace. The students have been learning about water conservation and protection during science and they even organized a recycling and composting station for the cafeteria, so our discussion during the activity "How Long Does It Last?" sparked lively conversations and thoughtful questions.

The students gained an appreciation for the principles of Leave No Trace in the activity "What Principle Am I?" They learned just how fun and easy it is to leave no trace and were proud of themselves in realizing that many of them were already practicing it without knowing it. In the photo above, Kate teaches the students about the rule of thumb- a way to gauge safe distances from wildlife. Their imaginations went wild in thinking about what type of animals they would like to see using the rule of thumb!

Wouldn't you know it, here we are in Bigfoot Country and sure enough, our friend Bigfoot came out to visit the fourth grade lunch. He was so excited to see their recycling/composting station and gave a high five to anyone that learned about Leave No Trace. A special thank you to Mr. Curtis B. Williams for inviting us to come today!

Explore Responsibly...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot visits Evergreen Elementary School

Cave Junction, OR

On Monday, Team West traveled to southern Oregon to work with students at Evergreen Elementary School in Cave Junction, OR. Each classroom that we visited was very enthusiastic about learning Leave No Trace. Pictured above, students from the first and second grade class, pose with their hang tags and their new fuzzy friend, Bigfoot!

The fifth grade students we worked with will be going to Siskiyou Field Institute, a partner of Leave No Trace, for an overnight campout in about two weeks. We introduced the principles of Leave No Trace to the students as they prepared for their night under the stars.

Also visiting the school that day was the program Farm to Market. This program educates students about fruits and vegetables, whole grains, farm animals, and how to make good healthy choices in their diet. For lunch, students helped themselves to an A-Z salad bar, which included fruits and vegetables starting with every letter of the alphabet. We were lucky enough to join them for lunch in between classes.

A special thank you to Sherri Graham at Siskiyou Field Institute for setting up our visit and working hard to bring Leave No Trace to southern Oregon!

Explore Responsibly...Kate & Trace

Leave No Trace Backyard Session in Missoula

Last Thursday night saw yet another fun and informative Leave No Trace Backyard Session at the REI store in Missoula. In addition to having Ben Lawhon, Leave No Trace Education Director in attendance, Leave No Trace Master Course Provider and longstanding US Forest Service partner, Bob Hoverson from the Ninemile Wildlands Training Center was there too. Bigfoot even made an appearance!



The Session drew lots of folks from the Missoula area who were either existing Leave No Trace members, educators and supporters or who were interested in learning more about the program. Attendees included US Forest Service staff, University of Montana faculty, Girl Scout leaders, REI employees and others. The group viewed the new Leave No Trace public service announcements, learned about what the Center is focusing on in 2011 and heard about Bob Hoverson's programs at Ninemile, including his Master Educator Course efforts.






It was a great event, and helped to further connect the Leave No Trace dots in Missoula. We'd like to thank both the REI Missoula staff for their hospitality and Bob Hoverson for coming out to talk about Ninemile. If you're interested in hosting a Backyard Session in your town or for your community, please contact Bigfoot@LNT.org or visit: http://lnt.org/01_community/backyard_sessions.php

Bigfoot Learns to Bugle (like an elk)!

Hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts stormed the Sparks Convention Center in Reno, NV for the 27th Annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing, and Outdoor Expo, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. For four days, the exhibit hall was brimming with people young and old, and the sound of elk bugling filled the air. Even Bigfoot came out to display his skills of calling his elk friends, as he does in the wild!

We joined staff from Ninemile Wildlands Training Center and the US Forest Service to set up a Leave No Trace Hunting/Packing Camp at the show. This was a great opportunity to educate folks about minimum impact hunting and camping practices. We would like to thank Bob Hoverson and his crew for inviting us to take part in this event, and for all of their efforts to share Leave No Trace with the hunting community. You guys rock!

Explore & Hunt Responsibly...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot Madness at Outdoor Retailer

Salt Lake City becomes the outdoor mecca of outdoor retailers and enthusiasts every winter and summer as the Outdoor Retailer Market moves into the Salt Palace Convention Center. This past week we joined thousands of people to look at the hottest new gear and trends in the outdoor industry. One of the more exciting aspects at the show for the Traveling Trainers is the Great Gear Giveaway, sponsored by Backpacker Magazine and Subaru of America. Each afternoon, the Traveling Trainers randomly select six lucky winners to go home with a box full of gear that has been donated by partners of the Center including, but not limited to, Cascade Designs, Pacific Outdoor Equipment, Leki USA, Osprey Packs, and Falcon Guides. We draw such a crowd for the Great Gear Giveaway, you never know who will show up. This year, Bigfoot surprised us by showing up each afternoon to help us with the drawing. Thanks Big Guy and thanks to all our partners who support Leave No Trace!

Explore More...Kate & Tracy

Outreach in New Mexico

Last week we traveled to Farmington, NM to spend time with students at San Juan College and to visit past traveling trainers JD & Emily. San Juan College has a fantastic outdoor program, which takes full advantage of the plethora of recreational opportunities in the area. We provided a two hour training for students of the Wilderness Pursuits class, as well as staff of the Outdoor Recreation Rental Center and others from the local community. Thanks to JD for setting up this event!

On Saturday, we worked with girl scouts in Aztec, NM. Over 30 girl scouts and their parents came to learn about ways to incorporate Leave No Trace into their outings. The girls had a blast playing a few of our PEAK activities, like What Principle Am I?, How Long Does It Last?, and Leave No Trace Draw. After the program, we went outside to get a group photo, and to our surprise Bigfoot came around the corner! All of the girls were so excited to see Bigfoot and get their picture taken with him. Thanks to Emily for helping to set up this visit!

We had a great time catching up with JD and Emily and look forward to seeing them again soon!

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot Sighting-Tahoe Mountain Sports

Bigfoot is at it again! Lately, it would appear that the illusive Bigfoot has been coming out of the woods to join in on getting the communities in the Sierra Nevadas to rally around outdoor activities and more importantly to Leave No Trace while enjoying the outdoors. His latest conquest was to visit Tahoe Mountain Sports on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Tahoe Mountain Sports spent the weekend sponsoring the 4th annual Lake Tahoe Disc Golf Tournament. Stay tuned for more information on how Bigfoot and Tahoe Mountain Sports will work together in the up coming weeks...

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot sightings at Summer Outdoor Retailer

Lucky winners of the Great Gear Giveaway, sponsored by Backpacker Magazine and Subaru
Our youngest winner ever of the Great Gear Giveaway
Bigfoot entertains the crowd during the Great Gear Giveaway
High 5's for all of our daily winners
The eager crowds await the daily drawing

Rocky Grass 2010

The news reports were accurate...Bigfoot spent 3 days at the Rocky Grass Music Festival in Lyons, CO this past weekend. We compiled a lot a pictures of Bigfoot enjoying the music, spending time backstage, cooling off by the St. Vrain River, and at the Elements Tour (sponsored by Keen, Clif Bar, and Kavu) with all the children! What a busy weekend for Bigfoot! Did you catch a glimpse of the big guy?

Along with dancing and music, Bigfoot also signed people up for the Bigfoot Challenge. Over 150 people challenged themselves to practice Leave No Trace while at the festival, both on the festival grounds and at the campsites. He also encouraged campers to take part in our How Green Is Your Grass? Campsite Challenge. There were many sustainable, clean, and creative campsites out there. We had three random finalists selected: Camp Flipping Out, Camp Zero Hero, and the Grassy Haven. Although all three camps did a great job in the competition, only one can win the grand prize of a free camping pass for next year's festival. And the winner is...Camp Zero Hero! Congratulations to you all (all 20 people that stay at this camp)! This is the second year in a row that Camp Zero Hero demonstrated they can be sustainable, clean, and creative, even with a large group. With that said, the challenge is on...Who is going to beat out Camp Zero Hero at Rocky Grass 2011???

Keep it green...Kate and Tracy

Bigfoot Sighting!!!

...This just in... Eye witnesses report Bigfoot was seen at Rocky Grass Music Festival this weekend in Lyons, CO!! This elusive creature apparently loves Bluegrass and was encouraging all of the festivarians to Leave No Trace, just like he does. More to come later in the program...

Bigfoot is Back this weekend!

Keep an eye out for Bigfoot this weekend. Word around the web is that he may be making an appearance at Rockygrass Festival in Lyons, CO. Could be true? I don't really know, there was something about an event called Seek the Peak in New Hampshire, word around the east coast is that Bigfoot is making an appearance there too? Guess we will have to go to one of those events or check this blog again in a couple of days to see what happens.

If you would like Bigfoot to come to an event in your area, send him an email, Bigfoot@LNT.org.

Have a great weekend!

Bigfoot Challenge Winner for April!

We recently awarded our April Bigfoot Challenge Winner, Paul Chrismon, with a bigfoot patch, a Leave No Trace Smartwool Beanie, a Leave No Trace Frisbee, a Coleman Sleeping Bag, a Coleman Camp Cookset, and a Platypus Hiker Hydrator Hydration kit. Enter the Bigfoot Challenge this month to see if you can win the June prize of some more sweet outdoor gear. Here is a little bit more information about Paul, our April Winner.

My name is Paul Chrismon, I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am involved in Hiking, Camping, and Boy Scouts as an adult leader for my sons pack. I got involved with Leave No Trace through Boy Scouts and by leading our den and pack through the requirements to earn their Leave No Trace patch. It has been rewarding to me personally as I was able to watch and see what our scouts learned and then apply it on our last camp out and in our service projects. I am grateful for an organization like yours that help people learn what they need to do to help preserve the environment and the natural resources around us.

Thanks Paul for taking the Bigfoot Challenge and thank you for all that you do for Leave No Trace!

Bigfoot Love Letters: Part I

Thanks to Ellen and all who have taken the Bigfoot Challenge. This recent note with photos is just one of so many of you who have reached out to tell your stories:

I love being outside and exploring the trails with my grandchildren. I had the opportunity to help finish up some work on a local town conservation area opening to the public. One loop is wheelchair accessable and the other two are very family friendly.

I was glad to pay it forward to be sure the area stays public accessable. Thank you for the information and resources you have to make it fun to be "challenged".

-Ellen StClair



To take the Bigfoot Challenge, just visit: http://lnt.org/bigfootchallenge/