Around the World

Many people know about Leave No Trace from seeing signage or information at a park/natural area in their region. We come in contact with a number of people that are surprised to find out we are a nonprofit organization with not just a national reach, but an international one.

Check out these beautiful photos from Kakani Scout Camp in Nepal:

This Leave No Trace training was organized with the help of Initiative Outdoor. As, owner Chandra Ale describes:

Initiative Outdoor (I.O.) is an outdoor leadership school based in Kathmandu, Nepal. I.O. runs a variety of courses, including adventure camps for kids, wilderness first aid, whitewater rescue technician training, and leadership programs at local schools. The range of the course offerings results in a diverse clientele: I.O. students are river guides, kayakers, mountain guides, Nepali school children, international students, and employees of both local businesses and INGOs.

I.O. was able to incorporate Leave No Trace education into all of their training this year, including this camp near Shivapuri National Park. The Center is grateful for the work of all of our volunteers, partners, members and supporters in helping communicate the importance and universality of these principles in every corner of the world.

Partnership Highlight: Wilderness Scotland

Since its beginnings, Wilderness Scotland has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable tourism. Their mission is to provide inspiring, memorable and high quality adventure travel experiences which benefit the local environments and communities in which they visit.

Wilderness Scotland is a registered partner of the Leave No Trace Centre, and their Director of Training Myles Farnbank, is a graduate of the Master Educator course (one of only 2 people in Scotland). The philosophy of Leave No Trace is at the core of their guiding principles - belief that education is the best means to protect the natural world from recreational impacts while helping maintain access for recreation and enjoyment. Through subtle education their clients learn about the need to minimize their impact, dispose of waste properly, and respect the wildlife among other things. Wilderness Scotland hopes that these principles will make a lasting impression on their clients, who will hopefully pass on what they have learnt to others.

Wild Orchids

Every effort is made to ensure that each trip is as sustainable as it can be, their trip operations are specifically designed to minimise the environmental impact: group size is limited to a maximum of 8, trips start & finish near train stations, they offset carbon emissions by 110%, and they use local suppliers and source local food where possible. They are all about experiencing the wilderness using human power, be that on foot or by bike, kayak, canoe and sail boat.

Over the years they have won several awards which are a testament to their green credentials, they are the only adventure travel company in Scotland to hold the Green Tourism Gold Award. In 2009, they were awarded 5 Star Responsible Tourism status, which is the highest level by Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO).

www.wildernessscotland.com 0131 625 6635

-- Polly McClure, Wilderness Scotland

Go Ireland!

My colleague Ben and I just got off of the phone with Beverley Pierson, the program manager for Leave No Trace Ireland as well as their Board President, Bill Murphy. In a few short years, Ireland has built a solid, supported Leave No Trace program, and today we talked with them about their involvement with the Irish Canoe Union on a new project.

Leave No Trace Ireland is a strong example of how our Leave No Trace programs are applied and altered in the international community. From their application of the Leave No Trace Seven Principles, to defining a training structure that meets the needs of their constituents, a group from the outdoors, industry and education have assembled to develop a robust model for the environmental skills and ethics program, even in a uncertain economy like ours. Visit their website to see what I mean: http://leavenotraceireland.org

Photos: Irish school kids show us their Leave No Trace Awareness Awards

Traveling Abroad To Teach Leave No Trace

Over the past 4 years, I've had the good fortune to travel to Hong Kong, Canada, Scotland, Montenegro and Ireland (twice) to offer in-depth Leave No Trace training. While the travel is exciting and it's always great to see and get to know a new place, the best part of it for me is knowing that I'm making a difference for the future. The impacts seen in one country may be very different from the next. Regardless, there are always some impacts and most of which we can do something about. Whether it's learning how to effectively deal with human waste or secure food and trash from wildlife or building less impactful fires, the teaching of new skills is important. More important, however, is instilling an outdoor ethic that will (hopefully) grow over time, increasing peoples connection to the land. People protect what they know and care about, especially if they have the skills to do so. It's been very encouraging to see the Leave No Trace program to take root and grow around the globe. Maybe one day all people, worldwide, who enjoy the outdoors will do so in a responsible way that leaves a legacy to those that come after us.

Montenegro

Recently Education Director Ben Lawhon and I had to the opportunity to travel to Montenegro in Eastern Europe to teach a Master Educator Course and a Trainer Course. We were invited to teach these Leave No Trace courses by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Black Mountain Adventure Travel. It was an awesome experience and a wonderful opportunity to enlarge our community through international training efforts. I would like to thank Jack and Hayley Delf, owners of Black Mountain Adventure Travel for all of their organization, hard work, passion and hospitality. The two of you made our trip very easy!

We had 12 participants on the Master Course and 10 participants on the Trainer Course. Participants included members of mountaineering clubs, tourism agencies, university professors in tourism, the National Tourism Organization in Montenegro, the National Park Service, staff from the UNDP, mountain bike association members and guides. We spent three nights at three different campsites during the Master Course and had an opportunity to hike to a mountain hut run by one of the local mountain clubs on the last night of the course where we had a wonderful feast for the last nights dinner. See the pictures below.

Our time was spent in the Southwest corner of Montenegro in a town called Herceg Novi. The courses took place on Mt. Orjen. The landscape is beautiful. You can start your day on the water near tropical plants in Herceg Novi, on the Adriatic Sea and within a short 30 minute drive up a windy road you are in the mountains amongst all the fall foliage. We had amazing weather too, the entire trip, it was 70 degrees during the day and around 40 at night with clear skies and the full moon’s glow. Must be because Ben bought new rain gear for this trip, since he seems to always get rained on when he teaches course. Thanks Ben!

Many of the course participants stated that they would like to reach the youth of Montenegro with Leave No Trace information during their action plans as they are the future of the outdoor recreation movement. Participants hope to incorporate Leave No Trace into their existing programs and to take the information to the youth so that they can create a connection to the outdoors and so they can teach their families. We look forward to hearing from everyone involved in these courses and know that they will all be great advocates for Leave No Trace.
Congratulations to all who successfully completed this course. We appreciated your enthusiasm for Leave No Trace and for creating an outdoor ethic in Montenegro!

Leave No Trace Education in Montenegro

Leave No Trace professional staff  Ben Lawhon (Education Director) and Dave Winter (Outreach Manager) are currently in Montenegro (see picture below for geographic reference) teaching a Master Educator Course and a Trainer Course.  
Here is a brief account of their latest adventure (after leading a 5 day Master Educator Course and before teaching a 2 day Trainer Course):

Took a bus to the town of Kotor. It’s centuries old and is an amazingly beautiful place. Some of the chapels in the town date back to the 13th century and it’s situated on the only fjord in the Balkans. It is protected by the U.N. as a world heritage site, of which there are only a handful in the world. The walled city was a fun place to wander but the hike up to St. John’s chapel was definitely the best part. It was a one mile hike with a 1000 ft elevation gain. Lots of steep steps but well worth the effort. The views from the top were incredible.

Here are some pictures from their Master Educator Course and their day in Kotor.  Enjoy!

International Leave No Trace

**Photo: The Leave No Trace principle, "Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces" is taught on a Japanese Trainer Course hosted by partner, Discovery U.

Have you ever wondered how Leave No Trace applies on Mount Kilimanjaro, on the Galapagos Islands, in the Brazilian rain forests, Japan or the Middle East? The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has received inquiries from over 60 countries in recent years for education, training or the tools to provide Leave No Trace programs in their countries. Requests have ranged from developing Leave No Trace organizations in New Zealand, Israel and India to programmatic work in places such as the Ukraine, Philippines, China, Tanzania and Bolivia. To that end, we provide educational tools and offers partnerships to these international groups. Additionally, basic Leave No Trace information has been translated into over a dozen languages, and organizations are using the program all over the world.

As a component of the Center’s international response, we have assisted in the development of three international branch organizations: Leave No Trace Australia, Leave No Trace/Sans trace Canada and Leave No Trace Ireland. These branches of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics function as independent, nonprofit organizations with their own governance, funding sources and strategic priorities though they share in the mission of Leave No Trace.

If you are interested in learning more about the three Leave No Trace branch organizations, their contact information is below:

Leave No Trace Australia:
www.lnt.org.au
Cameron Crowe, Executive Director
cameron@lnt.org.au
08 9384 9062

Leave No Trace Canada / Sans trace Canada:
www.leavenotrace.ca
Dean Cattell, Board Chair
info@leavenotrace.ca or catfam@sasktel.net
877-238-9343

Leave No Trace Ireland:
http://leavenotraceireland.org
Beverley Pierson, Coordinator
beverley@leavenotraceireland.org
0044 28 9030 3938