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.

Student help hikers "Know Before They Go"

Students from Glen Cove Elementary in Roanoke, VA adopted their local Appalachian Trail Kiosk and gave it some much needed attention.

Check out the photos:

Before

After

Thanks to these students local hikers can learn how to take care of our shared public lands by leaving no trace. Glen Cove Elementary was a Leave No Trace grant recipient and also worked with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's "A Trail to Every Classroom" program.

Our 2010 grant recipients have done some amazing work in their local communities and we'd like to thank them for all of their volunteer work! Check back in January for 2011 grant deadlines.

Responsible Recreation - It Starts with Youth!

In addition to running a PEAK/Teen activity contest (Check out this month's Bigfoot Challenge), the Center recently added a second deadline to it's Packing with PEAK grant program - August 1, 2010.

PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) is an educational program that introduces youth to the concepts of environmental stewardship, responsible recreation and the principles of Leave No Trace.

Check out the PEAK page for a more in-depth look at the teaching resources.

As a partnership program between the Center and REI, many REI stores have PEAK resources available to borrow. Check out your local REI for more details

To apply for this small teaching grant, please visit our online application. The second deadline is August 1, 2010. If you represent and/or work with diverse communities, please consider our Connect Grant program. The second deadline is also August 1, 2010 and the application can be found in the same location.

Happy Summer!

Enhancing the lives of Urban Teens - Click here!

Supporting community programs continues to get easier with technology. The Pepsi Refresh Project gives away millions in grants each month to great "ideas" or community projects that support different sectors: arts and culture, health, education, food and shelter, neighborhoods and, of course, the environment.

With the click of a button, daily, you can support these great ideas. The top 10 receive a grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project each month. New applications are also accepted monthly.

One of Leave No Trace's community partners, Big City Mountaineers, is currently in the running. Big City Mountaineer's mission is "enhancing the lives of urban teens through wilderness adventures." BCM is a Connect Grant recipient and has done great work in combining Leave No Trace education with wilderness outings. They are in the running for $25K and voting for this round ends on February 28th.

In a year where it's a bit harder to give monetarily, take a minute to

support this community program, or one closer to home, by voting.

Have a great day!

Community Program Focus: Kids in the Valley, Adventuring

As part of the Education Department, I get the privilege of reading through a lot of awesome grant applications from organizations doing Leave No Trace related programs. I thought I'd share one from our Tools for Teaching Fund, keeping in mind that over $.80 of every dollar the Center takes in goes right back into programming such as this.

This application is from "Kids in the Valley, Adventuring", a free family program in southwest VA. Co-founder Chip Donahue describes how the program got started:

In January of 2008, my wife and I started a free monthly family nature club for the families in the Roanoke, Virginia area. We call it KIVA, Kids In the Valley, Adventuring! and we have been meeting in a different park each since then. Our motto is simple: KIVA - Play, Learn, Volunteer. As a father of three and a second grade teacher, I see the need to encourage families to get out together to ensure that we have more natural stewards in the future.

We maintain a website at www.kidsadventuring.org and produce a monthly newsletter which goes out to over 350 families. Our events have been very successful and we even ended up on the Today show last summer. We write up gear and product reviews to help parents make good choices about things to carry with them on family hikes. We also discuss ways to take care of our environment and always carry bags with us to make sure the park is cleaner by the time we leave.

There are endless ways to get involved with the Leave No Trace program. One of the easiest? Become a member! Your annual dues support programs like the Tools for Teaching Fund, which in turn, generate opportunities for youth and families in your own community.