Conference Craziness

We have spent the past two weeks in the Pacific Northwest talking with folks at two different professional conferences. First we attended the International Association for Experiential Education Conference in Vancouver, Washington. Over 900 experiential educators from all over the world used the conference as an opportunity to network, build community, and learn from one another. We were very excited to sit on a panel during a workshop that focused on trends and issues in experiential education.

A few days later, we drove over the Columbia River for the National Association for Interpretation Conference. NAI is a professional association for those involved in the interpretation of natural and cultural heritage resources. We spoke with interpreters from parks, zoos, museums, nature centers, botanical gardens, and historical sites about ways that Leave No Trace education can be incorporated into many different programs.
We met with some amazing individuals at both conferences and we are looking forward to working with many of the organizations that were represented.

"A Climate for Change"

We just left sunny San Diego where we were excited to be a part of the 2008 AORE Conference. The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education is one of our non-profit partners and aims to provide opportunities for professionals and students in the field of outdoor recreation and education to exchange information, promote the preservation and conservation of the natural environment, and address issues common to college, university, community, military, and other not-for-profit outdoor recreation and education programs.

The theme for this year's conference was 'A Climate for Change', which highlighted AORE's awareness and action towards environmental sustainability. During the conference we talked with hundreds of students and professionals about ways that Leave No Trace can easily be incorporated into any outdoor program. It was great to reconnect with many old friend that we have worked with during our time as Traveling Trainers and to meet new friends that we hope to see for the 2009 Traveling Trainer season.



Here is Leave No Trace "Wanderer" Member John Hill laughing it up at our booth. Check out the ink on John's left calf!!! Thanks for your support John and it was great to meet you.

Requests a visit from one of our teams in 2009! Here's how.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS of ‘EDUCATION IN MOTION’

Be a Part of the Celebration by Requesting a Visit from the
Traveling Trainers during the 2009 Season!

The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers Program celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2009. The teams will continue to visit a wide range of people including (but not limited to) outdoor retail stores, guiding services, educational institutions, national parks and forests, state parks, elementary/middle/high schools, open spaces, municipalities, youth serving organizations, and festivals. In 2009, the Center for Outdoor Ethics will have one team traveling the West and one team traveling the East from January through October. There will be a third team on the road from June 1st-September 1st.

Our Schedule:

The 2009 Traveling Trainer location schedule is set! In 2009, the teams will actually visit many states twice. Locate your state on the following schedule and plan accordingly. This format was chosen in an effort to regionalize our travel as much as possible and to travel to states during good camping weather. Please note that this is a tentative travel itinerary. If you don’t see your state listed and live in a neighboring state, we encourage you to still request a visit. All requests must be made online. Hope to see you in 2009!

Feb. 5 – March 25: AZ, NM, UT, CA, TX, OK, KS, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC and FL.

March 26 – April 30 : CA, NV, AR, AL, MS, TN, KY, NC, and SC.

May 1-July 14: CA, NV, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, ND, SD,CO, PA, DE, MD, WV, NY, VT, NH, CT, MA, RI, ME.

July 15 – Aug. 1: WA, OR, ID, MT, UT, CO, NV, WY, NE, IA, MO, KS, ND, SD, IL, IN, and OH.

Aug. 2 – Oct 1: WA, OR, NV, ID, MT, PA, DE, MD, WV, ND, SD, NY, VT, NH, CT, MA, RI, ME, IL, IN, and OH

Oct. 2 – Oct. 15: CA, TN, KY, VA, NC, SC, AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, and FL.

Oct. 16 – Nov. 1: CA, CO TN, KY, VA, NC, SC, AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, and FL. AZ, NM, UT, CO, NE, MN, IA, MO, WI, and MI.


To request an event:

Step 1 – Visit: http://www.lnt.org/programs/travelingtrainers.php

Step 2 – Select Team East for states east of the Mississippi or Team West for states
west of the Mississippi. All requests must be made online.

Step 3 – Fill out the online request form providing as much information as
possible about your event.

Step 4 – Wait for a reply from the Center’s Outreach Manager, Dave Winter