Rocky Road

We facilitated a Leave No Trace Trainer Course in Acadia National Park earlier this year. It was a great course with lots of discussions about outdoor ethics! One conversation that came up during the principle of "Leave What You Find" was the practice of rock stacking. It was the first time that this issue had ever been brought up during one of our courses and opinions ranged from finding rock stacks beautiful to offensive. At the time, we had not given much thought to the carefully balanced rocks we had occasionally seen along trails.

So, why months later are we still contemplating the question of rock stacking? Well, we recently had the opportunity to hike in Bryce Canyon National Park and came across a portion of trail that was covered with thousands of rocks balancing upon each other. The sight immediately brought to mind the "Leave What You Find" conversation we had back in Acadia National Park and we could see why there had been such varied feelings towards the activity. While one artfully balanced rock stack can be quite beautiful, seeing these stacks in such a large quantity in a national park felt somewhat disconcerting.

What are your thoughts on rock stacking?

Hats off to JD and Emily

As we close the door on the 2009 Traveling Trainer season, we want to take a moment to celebrate our fellow Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer team JD Tanner and Emily Ressler.  JD and Emily have spent the past 3 years criss-crossing the country providing quality education and outreach to millions of outdoor enthusiasts.  They are truly a dynamic duo that we were fortunate to have been able to share this Traveling Trainer experience with.  We know that their dogs, Arnie and Aspen, will be happy to have them home, but life in the world of Leave No Trace will not be the same without them.  They will be missed next year and we wish them the best in their future adventures!

Did you have a chance to meet JD and Emily on their travels?  We want to hear about it!  Post a comment or shoot us an email (kateandtracy@lnt.org)  and we will post your stories! 

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

National Parks Waive Fees for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11

From the National Park Service ...

National Parks Waive Fees for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11

Date: November 5, 2009
Contact: Mike Litterst, Public Affairs Officer, 757-898-2409

Yorktown, Va. – To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has declared that areas managed by the department will not charge entrance fees on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11. Included in the fee-free day are all National Park Service sites, including the Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield units of Colonial National Historical Park.

“The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” said Salazar said “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee-free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harms way.”

As an agency of the Interior Department, the National Park Service preserves and protects 392 units representing some of the country’s most significant scenic and cultural places. The National Park Service website provides information on National Park Service battlefields, military parks, and historic sites that commemorate the service of American veterans.

Free entrance on Veterans Day applies also at other areas managed by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.

More Info ( + )

Picture of the Week: 11/06/09

JD Tanner in Capitol Reef National Park

Wrapping up 09 Season

Our travels have been gradually winding us back toward Colorado. Over the last few days, we have spent time in Minnesota and Nebraska as the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Season '09 begins to wind down.

Amidst enjoying the fun outdoor recreational activities that Minneapolis has to offer, mainly disc golf and bike riding, we toured the campus of Minnesota State University.  We provided an Awareness Workshop to the students in the Programming for Outdoor Settings course.  As they learned the skills and ethics that drive the Leave No Trace program, they also picked up a little bag of tricks on how to teach this information to groups they will lead in the future.

 

Onto Ralston, Nebraska for an evening with over 50 cub scouts for their den meeting.  These 6-9 year old boys learned ways to Leave No Trace through an energetic  game of What Principle Am I?, an activity available in the PEAK Pack.  The boys and their families took home education, as well as their very own Subaru/Leave No Trace tote bag.  The totes were a BIG hit with Halloween right around the corner!  For us, back to Colorful Colorado...

Sate travels...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the Week: Happy Halloween!!!

What better way to celebrate Halloween than a spooky hike in a remote locale?

We thought we'd do just that when we visited Goblin Valley State Park in Southern Utah earlier this week! We didn't see any goblins, but the erie rock formations and eroded cliffs didn't disappoint! Hope you all have a Happy Halloween and if you happen to be in Utah...keep an eye out for goblins!

Impromptu Awareness Workshop

Typically an Awareness Workshop with the Traveling Trainers is set up months in advance. The host contacts our Outreach Manager, Dave Winter. Dave puts the workshop on the calendar. We contact the event host and work out all the logistics well in advance. This is not a story about one of those Awareness Workshops.

Over the weekend we headed to Malibu Creek State Park for an event sponsored by Subaru. The evening before the event we showed up at the park's campground in hopes of finding a place to camp. As we drove around the campground loop we noticed that we seemed to be drawing more attention than usual (if you've ever seen the Leave No Trace Subaru, then you know it has potential to draw a modest amount of attention). As we commented to each other about all the staring, one camper waved us down for a quick photo (of the Subaru, not us). We pulled over and jumped out to chat while several people began photographing the car. As we chatted to the photographers we discovered that they were all part of the same recreation class at a local university. We also found out that this was their first camping trip as a class and that they had recently taken a test that focused on Leave No Trace...talk about perfect timing!

We got the whole group to take the Bigfoot Challenge! What a great group and the perfect opportunity for some impromptu Leave No Trace talk.

If you are interested in setting up an Awareness Workshop with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers for the 2010 season (and don't want to take the chance that we'll just happen to show up at the perfect time) please submit an online request.