In the Zone in 'Zona

From Flagstaff to Phoenix, we spent the better part of this week working with youth from school groups to the Girl Scouts! In a state with such a wealth in public lands, it was awesome to see young people so excited about the outdoors and knowledgeable about how to protect them using Leave No Trace!

Quinn and Bigfoot drop some Leave No Trace knowledge!

Our first stop was with the Alpine Leadership Academy in Flagstaff. This innovate magnet middle school focuses on outdoor learning. All of their students know about Leave No Trace from working with the local Forest Service and even Northern Arizona University Outdoors. Every student there goes on at least one four-night trip with the school. They excelled at one of our favorite PEAK games, Step On It! The students battled over which surfaces were more durable for travel in three aggressive match-ups. After we left they even were planning on taking Leave No Trace and using it in a writing assignment the next day. Nice work team!

In Phoenix, we stopped by Orangewood School to talk to some high-achieving eighth graders. In their class they have talked extensively about trash decomposition and were old-pros when it came to figuring out how long items lasted in the outdoors. After school, some of these students are involved in a legendary environmental club. One of their activities is collecting trash on the school's outdoor basketball court every two weeks, categorizing it, weighing it, and graphing the results. Sounds like the kind of research that would be useful for the Leave No Trace Center in Boulder. What an epic crew of young researchers!

Girl Scouts learn how to keep a safe distance while viewing wildlife with the Rule of Thumb!

Finally, on Saturday we kicked it with the Girl Scouts from the Cactus-Pine Council for Thinking Day! This year, on the 100th Anniversary of the GSA, the theme for Thinking Day was Friendship Around the World. These girls and their adult leaders were psyched to learn about Leave No Trace for their many campouts. As an added bonus, there was a Bigfoot sighting at the event! Before he snuck off to find some shade in the Arizona sun, he posed for pictures with Troops, dished out highfives, and showed off some epic dance moves. Way to go, Girls!

Stompin' on Durable Surfaces Like a Boss,

Quinn & Frank

Gettin' out the WHY in AZ!

Our week kicked off with back-to-back stellar sessions in Flagstaff and Sedona with the Northern Arizona University Trip Leaders and the Red Rock Ranger District in the Coconino National Forest. With both groups we got to really dig into the "why" of Leave No Trace -- talking about ecological and social impacts in their part of the country as well as how to message the information.  After an intense and snow-filled weekend of trip-leader training, we met with the students back at their awesome rec center. As a group, we got to play some fun games, including Plan Ahead and Prepare Charades and a great game focusing on different outdoor user groups. Two highlights of the afternoon were working with them to reflect on their experience in the field that weekend and discussing how to talk to individuals, both on their crews and people they encounter in the outdoors, about Leave No Trace skills and ethics. Students and leaders like these make it clear why NAU is such a great educational partner for the Center. They even lead Trainer Courses of their own throughout the year and are truly dedicated to practicing and educating the principles of Leave No Trace!

With Candice from the Forest Service in Red Rock Country!

In Red Rock Country, we met with a diverse group of Sedona-lovers including Forest Service personnel, volunteers from the Friends of the Forest, and outfitters. These groups are dedicated to protecting one of the most beautiful parts of the country. One clever technique they employ is having a marketing campaign to educate visitors about cryptobiotic soils -- both their fragility and their importance to the desert ecosystem. In addition to desert issues, we had a great discussion about the frontcountry program from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The area receives over four million visitors a year, most of them headed to day-use only locations. By focusing on educating these visitors in a myriad of ways, these frontliners are getting out the WHY to both first-time users and backcountry aficionados. We felt fortunate to spend the day with such impassioned individuals! Thanks for all the hard work you do!

From Red Rocks to Cacti,

Quinn & Frank

Northern Arizona University Outreach

Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona is one of the many nation-wide educational institutions that has partnered with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The mission of the NAU Outdoor Program is to facilitate experiential opportunities where students have the ability to learn the values of trusting one's self, intrapersonal communication, diversity, health, leadership, and the importance of creating life-long friendships while exploring and preserving our natural environment.

NAU Outdoors consists of a collection of programs designed to assist NAU students and others to explore Arizona and the surrounding area. Programs include Trips and Classes, San Juan River Program, NAU Challenge Course, Gear Rental, Rescue Medicine and the NAU Disc Golf Course. We had the pleasure of working 13 animated members of NAU community that were wrapping up a weekend of outdoor staff development. These eager leaders are preparing to bring students on adventures throughout the semester, and more than likely for the rest of their lives. This is why we are grateful to Matt Hartman for successfully implementing Leave No Trace into the NAU program. We would like to also thank each of the 13 participants for their thoughtful participation during our time together. We look forward to returning to the NAU campus in the future. If you or the outdoor recreation program at your school might be interested in becoming a partner of Leave No Trace, click here for more details. You'll be glad you did!

Explore Responsibly...Kate and Tracy