All My Good Friends Call Me Wilderness

The Galiuro Wilderness

This past week the e-tour tromped, trekked, and tracked through the Galiuro Wilderness on our Leave No Trace Master Educator Course with NOLS (the National Outdoor Leadership School). This ecosystem, a "sky island" in Southern Arizona, moves from desert to alpine vegetation as it increase in elevation up to and above 7,000 feet. The Wilderness Area was designated in 1964, right after the passage of the Wilderness Act -- and it truly is wild. The trails are intense and off-trail travel is even wilder. The Master Educator Course is a truly incredible experience to learn both about the finer points of Leave No Trace as well as how to message them to others. After going through one, Master Educators form a cadre of Leave No Trace experts who can run Trainer Courses as well as practice and share techniques whenever in the outdoors.

While there, we spent a lot of time really breaking down the finer points of Leave No Trace. The awesome group we were with provided exceptional teaching including a highlight student-led presentation on Leave What You Find, where all the participants played a version of the game "Clue" where only half of us had enough clues to actually solve the mystery. It drove home the importance of preserving heritage sites so that archeologists can study and unlock the secrets of our past. We think everyone learned a ton on this course, led by some superknowledgable instructors! We're stoked to see the outreach and training from all the Leave No Trace all-stars in our crew.

Dancing through the manzanita,

Quinn & Frank

Going Back to School

Recharging at the Grand Canyon

After a wild week jam-packed with events across the state of Arizona, we're base camped outside of Tucson in a beautiful state park. We're letting our batteries recharge as we soak in the desert sun before heading back to school tomorrow when we start our Leave No Trace Master Educator course with NOLS. The Master Educator Course is an intense five-day educational experience focused on Leave No Trace techniques and teaching. We're excited to be joining land managers, trail crew leaders, and other interested individuals on this course. Naturally, we'll let you know how it went when we get back. As an added bonus, Katie from the Center will be joining us on this course! We're excited to see her and learn as much as possible while trekking through a "sky island" in Arizona. See you next week, interwebs!

Plannin' Ahead Like a Boss,

Quinn & Frank

Leave No Trace - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

From Larry Glickman, Park Ranger and Utah Leave No Trace & Tread Lightly Coordinator for the Bureau of Land Management at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

"From the Master Educator course we just completed here in Escalante, UT (May 23-27) at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Some of the course participants were so excited that they were 'channeling the Leave No Trace spirit...'"

How do you "channel the spirit" of Leave No Trace?

Master Educator Course Fun!

Thought I would share some photos from a recent Master Educator Course, courtesy of our South Carolina State Advocate, Stephen Wilson.

Cue the pomp and circumstance, here's a group shot of the most recent Master Educator Course graduates from our partner, Landmark Learning:

As part of the five-day curriculum, students are given a small service project, usually involving outreach at a local trailhead, park or school - a great way to move along the continuum from students to teachers! Here they are interacting with students from Western Carolina University:

Having a demonstration or activity that draws people in is a great way to start a conversation. Here's an example of the "Camp Oh No" or "Leave No Trace Crime Scene" set-up:

Finally, what significant life experience is not commemorated by a tattoo? Check out our new temporary tattoos via our online store:

If this looks like fun, check out our Master Educator Course page. Schedules for 2011 will be posted by early January!

Master Educator Scholarship Available for Yellowstone Course

There is funding available through the David E. Perkins Memorial Scholarship for the June Master Educator Course in Yellowstone. The course is being run through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is a five day course that provides participants with a comprehensive overview of Leave No Trace skills and ethics through practical application in a field-based setting. Graduates of a Master Educator Course are able to conduct two-day Trainer Courses in their communities and respective organizations. Every participant on a Master Educator course will receive a one-year membership to Leave No Trace. This membership gives new Master Educators better access to teaching resources, as well as closer contact with the Center for education, training and outreach questions.

For more information on registration and how to apply for this scholarship, please contact:

Haven Holsapple
LNT Program Coordinator
NOLS Professional Training
haven_holsapple@nols.edu
406-370-8640

Master Educator Courses 2010

Beginning tomorrow, representatives of each one of the Center's Master Educator Course Providers will meet in Boulder to exchange ideas and plan for the upcoming Master Educator Course season.

A Master Educator course is typically five days in length and designed for people who are actively teaching others backcountry skills or providing recreation information to the public.

Course Providers include:

• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
• Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)
• Landmark Learning
• US Forest Service - Ninemile Training Center
• Wilderness Education Association (WEA)
• Boy Scouts of America
• Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK)

Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (SIUC) students and staff participate in a Master Educator Course conducted by Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Team East.

If you are interested in participating a Master Educator Course, please check the 2010 schedule and contact the appropriate course provider.

Partial scholarships are available for course participants. Please check out the online application. Deadlines for 2010 will be set shortly, most likely mid-April and mid-August.

If you have any questions about scholarships, please email grants@LNT.org

What Do You Know?

There are still Master Educator courses in the queue for 2009. To learn more about Leave No Trace's five-day intensive courses and where you can take one, visit: http://lnt.org/training/master_educator_courses.php

Master Educator Course at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

I just wrapped up a Wilderness Education Association (WEA)-Leave No Trace Master Educator Course on Devil’s Kitchen Lake in Illinois. The course, which included both canoeing and backpacking, was ran through WEA affiliate, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Great scenery, great weather, and great company were all highlights of the course. I’m happy to announce that there are now 5 brand new Leave No Trace Master Educators in Southern Illinois. I would like to give a BIG THANKS to everyone who participated in the course, it was great to see the excitement and passion each of you have for Leave No Trace and the outdoors.
See you out there,
JD Tanner
Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer-Team East

Students from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale play "Leave No Trace Pictionary" during their Master Educator Course.

Happy New Year!!!

We’re ba-ack! After a six-week hiatus, we are excited to be back in the Subaru traveling around the United States for Leave No Trace. This year promises to be an exciting year for Leave No Trace as well as the Traveling Trainer Program.

We hit the ground running by taking part in our annual Master Educator Course Provider Meeting in Boulder, Colorado this morning. In addition to getting updates, we were excited to hear about all of the Master Educator Courses that will be provided in 2009. The Master Educator Course is a great way to gain in-depth information on Leave No Trace skills and ethics and to learn how to communicate Leave No Trace to others. Did we mention that there are scholarships available for theses courses?

Check back soon to hear about our new Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Team, our 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, and Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.

Hope your 2009 is off to a great start!

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!

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Request for Proposal: Leave No Trace
Master Educator Course Provider

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (the Center) is requesting proposals from organizations interested in becoming official providers of the Leave No Trace Master Educator Course, as described in this Request for Proposal (RFP).Interested parties should submit a letter of intent to: Ben Lawhon , Education Director, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, P.O. Box 997, Boulder, CO 80306, by August 15, 2008. Full proposals, if requested by the Center, are due by October 15, 2008.

The letter of intent should be no more than two pages and should include a brief organizational background, explanation of why the organization desires to provide the Master Educator course and target audience(s) for the course.

The following phases will be conducted to complete this RFP process:
Phase I: Reply to this RFP with a letter of intent by August 15, 2008.
Phase II: Upon acceptance of letter of intent by the Center, submit complete proposal fulfilling requirements outlined in section E of this document by October 15, 2008.
Phase III: Follow up with additional information as requested by the Center.
Phase IV: Pending approval by the Center’s RFP Task Force (a committee comprised of Center staff, Education Review Committee members and Board of Directors members), offer Leave No Trace Master Educator Courses after January 1, 2010 for a five-year period.

A. The National Leave No Trace Program
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics was established in 1994 as a non-profit organization to promote responsible enjoyment of the out-of-doors. Leave No Trace partners - land management agencies, the outdoor industry, user groups, and other affiliates - support a unified, consistent, minimum impact program based on the best available scientific research and outdoor experience. A principle goal is the development of an educational system that instills outdoor ethics, understanding, and skills needed by recreationists to participate in non-motorized recreational activities in a low-impact manner. Development of high quality Leave No Trace educational materials and training programs forms the foundation and is key to success for all Leave No Trace efforts.

B. The Leave No Trace Master Educator Course
The Leave No Trace Master Educator Course is a core and vital component of the national Leave No Trace program. This course disseminates comprehensive Leave No Trace skills, ethics and teaching practices to agency personnel, representatives of the outdoor industry, organized groups, outdoor instructors, youth serving organizations and other interested individuals. The Master Educator course is the most in-depth course offered through the Leave No Trace program. The course produces a cadre of highly knowledgeable Leave No Trace educators who disseminate Leave No Trace information and provide outreach and training to diverse audiences.

The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) was the first provider of the Master Educator course, beginning in 1991. In 2000 the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) was brought on as a second Master Educator course provider. Then, in 2004, three additional course providers were selected in addition to NOLS and AMC. Those included the Wilderness Education Association, the Ninemile Wildlands Training Center and Landmark Learning. Additionally, the Boy Scouts of America was added as an “inhouse” provider, authorized to offer Master Educator courses only to registered BSA members. All six existing providers will compete under this RFP process for the selection as one or more future Master Educator course providers. The selected training institution(s) will be authorized by the Center to offer the Master Educator course for a five-year period beginning in 2010.

There are currently more than 3000 trained Master Educators with approximately 200-400 additional participants per year. Given the highly specialized and in-depth nature of this course, the ultimate market for this course is likely limited. The Master Educator course is intended for individuals such as federal agency personnel, scout leaders, trail club members, outfitters, outdoor instructors, university and college faculty, and outdoor products industry staff who will train others. Course costs are not directly regulated but there is strong pressure from Leave No Trace partners to keep training costs affordable for the broadest possible audience (current prices range from $400- $850 for the five-day course depending on provider and location). In summary, prospective institutions should be aware that compared to other outdoor courses or guided trips, the market for this course is fairly restricted. The primary motivation for offering this course should be a strong organizational commitment to Leave No Trace and the promotion of outdoor skills, ethics and stewardship.

C. Curriculum Content
The Master Educator course requires a minimum of four eight-hour days and at least three nights camping in backcountry and/or frontcountry settings. However, most providers run a 5-day/4-night course. Minimum standards and related supporting information relevant to the Master Educator course and this RFP are included in the National Leave No Trace Training Guidelines document, available online: http://lnt.org/training/PDFs/Training_Guidelines_12-04.pdf

D. Training Institution Core Requirements
Institutions or organizations interested in receiving authorization to provide one or more Leave No Trace Master courses must have verifiable experience in successfully teaching and instructing outdoor skills and ethics, including minimum impact travel and camping techniques. Interested institutions or organizations must also have a cadre of Leave No Trace Master Educators on staff that can provide high quality training. Such organizations must be current partners of the Center, must demonstrate adequate liability insurance and risk management systems to cover course-related accidents and mishaps and obtain all necessary permits and permissions for operating on public or other land. Additionally, chosen course providers may be required to undergo a Leave No Trace Master Educator Instructor course at their expense if deemed necessary by the Center in order to ensure a qualified pool of instructors.

E. Submission and Evaluation of Proposals
Following the letter of intent, a proposal may be requested by the Center, which shall include the following:

1.  A Master Educator course agenda describing course content, progression and support materials, with a curriculum that meets the requirements outlined in the National Leave No Trace Training Guidelines.
   
2.  Organization qualifications, including organization purpose, risk management procedures, relevant accreditations/certifications, universal access considerations, structure, size, history of training in backcountry settings and staff qualifications (including staff knowledge of Leave No Trace outdoor skills and ethics, safety and first aid training, and expertise as educators).
   
3. Organization experience in various regions, environments and in various types of outdoor activities (e.g. backpacking, climbing, sea kayaking, stock use, rafting, frontcountry, canoeing, etc.).
   
4. Proof of liability insurance and permissions to operate on public or other lands (Master Educator courses require appropriate permits to operate on public lands).
   
5. Specific proposed course location(s), course size, student/staff ratios, tentative dates and estimated costs per participant.
   
6. A comprehensive plan for Leave No Trace course marketing and ensuring student enrollment (and screening process).
   
7. A description of any provided field equipment, facilities, meals or field rations. Proposal reviews will be conducted by the Center’s RFP Task Force, and final decisions will be made by the Center for Outdoor Ethics. Recommendations and decisions will be based on the degree to which interested organizations meet or exceed the core requirements and the expected need for additional Leave No Trace training institutions. The training institution(s) selected will be periodically reviewed and audited by the Center for evaluations of quality and compliance. Authorization as a Master Educator course provider may be canceled at any time if such reviews are unfavorable and adequate corrections are not implemented.
   

The Center is committed to equal opportunity and equal treatment for all qualified individuals. For all Master Educator courses, authorized providers agree not to unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other factors that have no bearing on one’s ability to participate in a Master Educator course.