Leave No Trace Volunteerism

We are coming upon national volunteer month in another few weeks, so thought I'd take this opportunity to recognize our awesome State Advocate volunteers. These individuals serve as volunteer coordinators in their state, assisting Leave No Trace educators and volunteers with local efforts to promote and teach minimum impact outdoor ethics.

The State Advocate Program is sponsored by Keen Footwear’s Hybrid.Care, which helps fund community events and programs. This year, State Advocates will be instrumental in helping organize or promote the Leave No Trace "Backyard Sessions."

The "Backyard Sessions" are community social events to generate local support and volunteerism for the the Leave No Trace program. With successful Backyard Sessions having occurred already in San Diego and Houston, stay tuned for one near you in the coming months.

If you haven't already, check in with your State Advocate to find out what's going on in your area: http://lnt.org/01_community/index.php

If you notice a vacancy in your state, contact sarah@LNT.org to find out how to apply for this volunteer position!

Photo above: Our ID Advocate Paul Holle at a Sierra Trading Post event.

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!

Team East joins Alabama State Advocate Skip Essman

After a snowy couple of days in Atlanta, GA we traveled down to Prattville, AL, a small town outside of Montgomery, to be guest speakers at a Leave No Trace Trainer Course led by Alabama State Advocate Skip Essman. The course was held at Camp Tuckabatchee, a beautiful scout camp outside of town. We were asked to speak to the nine participants, as well as other Leave No Trace Master Educators and Trainers who were there to assist in instruction, about the Traveling Trainer program and new initiatives launched this year including Leave No Trace Hot Spots and the Bigfoot Challenge. We would like to thank Skip for inviting us to the course and for all his hard work throughout the year as the state advocate! We look forward to working with Skip again on Tuesday, when he will join us at the University of Alabama in Birmingham for an awareness workshop.

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy