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.

Homage To Our Friends at KEEN Footwear

Since 2005, KEEN Footwear has played an integral role in the Center’s work to build a constellation of American communities dedicated teaching and spreading Leave No Trace. It all began with a KEEN-funded partnership that flooded Leave No Trace’s State Advocate program (the organization’s regional grassroots activists) with support, training, scholarships and educational tools. This did the quick work of solidifying a network of steadfast volunteers around the country.

The people of the Hybird.Care Program at KEEN Footwear did what few funders understand — they supported infrastructure to get these programs off the ground. They asked what it would take to build a mission-driven community from the ground up and recognized that what we proposed would take time to develop. As a result, KEEN-funded programs have impacted hundreds of thousands of people and have helped spread Leave No Trace to communities around the country.

After six years of funding, we are at a critical turning point. With a half-year dedicated to listening to Leave No Trace constituents and key stakeholders about Leave No Trace’s strategic direction, we are carrying all of the work that KEEN Footwear supplied into the next phase of Leave No Trace work. The Leave No Trace identified three critical issues that Leave No Trace should dedicate its future to — Again and again, we heard “focus locally and engage kids, close-to-home.

Thanks to KEEN Hybrid.Care, we’re ready. Because of years of generous support from KEEN, we are wholly poised to step up to this next phase. Check out Keen Footwear at: http://www.keenfootwear.com/default.aspx