Phoenix Partnership Kicks Off!

Leave No Trace and the City of Phoenix have partnered up recently and in order to celebrate we spent the past 6 days working with Park Rangers and volunteer park stewards from across the city.  Our first event was a press conference to kick off the partnership.  ABC 15 came out to interview us on the importance of a Leave No Trace Front Country program in the City of Phoenix.  As record numbers of people are coming out to enjoy the beautiful parks within the city, education is key in preserving and protecting these areas from being loved to death.  

The City of Phoenix has taken an ultra comprehensive approach to embrace the Leave No Trace program city-wide.  Not only have they created 10,000 hang tags to give to their park visitors, they also had 15 of their rangers attend the Leave No Trace trainer course and they are encouraging all their rangers to become a member of Leave No Trace!  Above are some photos taken over the 6 days we spent in Phoenix.  This partnership is truly impressive and will set a new precedent for future partnerships with the Center!  A special thanks goes out to Chrissy McFetridge for all her hard work in setting up these events!  

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

WORK-HIKE-PADDLE, REPEAT

As Subaru-Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers we are not usually in an area long enough to develop any kind of routine. That being said we have now been cruising around Arkansas for 10-days and we’ve started to establish a sweet little pattern of Leave No Trace events, followed by getting outside and exploring the “natural state.” We’ve had such a nice time we thought we’d share a little slideshow of some of the highlights from the past week. If we weren’t headed to Western North Carolina tomorrow, we’d be quite sad to leave!

Picture of the Week

Billboard in Joshua Tree, CA

Going Where No Goat Has Gone Before?

After a great Earth Day event in Fort Smith, AR, we headed over towards the Buffalo National River. We had heard about a great little hike to the 'Goat Trail', a 4 foot wide trail with a huge rock wall on one side and a 300+ foot drop to the other side. Check out the picture above and try to spot Emily.

Celebrate Earth Day: Locally is Globally

 

Although we like to think of Earth Day as everyday, the annual celebration is upon us.  This past weekend we had the pleasure of being a part of two Earth Day Festivals in Utah.  The first took place in Kanab on Friday.  The theme of the celebration was "Growing the Seeds of Change" in which 609 students from Kanab took part in an art project to share their ideas of what this years slogan means to them.  The students of the county were very creative with their depictions for a better planet and a brighter future!

Saturday was also a special day, as we celebrated our Mother Earth with the community of Springdale and Zion National Park.  The theme "locally is globally" was evident throughout the festival with local produce, local bands, local artists, and local products for all to enjoy.  On this Earth Day, get out there and enjoy the outdoors responsibly!  The world is a beautiful place.  Let's be sure to all do our part to love and protect it!  Happy Earth Day!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Pic of the Week

BEFORE...


AND AFTER...

Seeking: Community Outreach Intern

POSITION: Community Outreach Intern
CLOSING DATE: May 15, 2009 or until position is filled
SEND INFO TO: Outreach Manager, Center for Outdoor Ethics
P.O. Box 997,
Boulder, CO 80306
Email: info@LNT.org
(NO CALLS PLEASE)

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is seeking a motivated and conservation- oriented individual for a full-time (20+ hours a week) summer internship (June through August) for a Community Marketing project in Boulder, Colorado. Leave No Trace is a critical conservation movement that promotes sustainable outdoor recreation for the benefit of people and the natural environment.

The Community Outreach Intern will work closely with both the Outreach Manager and the Community and Partnership Coordinator to oversee the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer10th Anniversary Challenge using YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools, as well as completing administrative tasks as necessary. The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer program, launched in 1999, consists of two teams of highly skilled Leave No Trace educators that travel from state-to-state teaching and promoting Leave No Trace to outdoor retailers, youth serving organizations, land managers, hiking, biking and other user groups and individuals across the country.

In 2009, we’re celebrating their tremendous outreach efforts by encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to make a pledge to not only join a nationwide conservation movement, but to pledge to take Leaving No Trace ethics where it matters most - the places we play.

Qualified candidates should have some administrative and social media experience and have the ability to manage a variety of tasks. Knowledge of databases and Macintosh platform is helpful. Outdoor industry, conservation/education experience is a plus but not required. The Center for Outdoor Ethics is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people of all races, ages, ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Application information can be found here.

Learn more about the award-winning Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.LNT.org

Trash Talkin'

We spent last Saturday at Hawn State Park near Sainte Genevieve, MO. After hiking on some of the beautiful trails we got together with some of the holiday weekend campers to talk about Leave No Trace. "How Long Does It Last" is a great activity, found in the PEAK Pack, to talk with campers about the impacts of litter on the outdoors.

A MOG-tastic day!

MOG [Manufacturers of Outdoor Gear] Sale & Outdoor Fest is an outdoor community sale, festival and benefit event founded in 2004 by Jen Taylor, owner/founder of Mountain Sprouts. Gear was flying out of booths fast and furiously on Main St. in Grand Junction, CO this past Saturday.  This event is not only a super venue for gear-heads to purchase inexpensive products, but it is also an opportunity to chat with many non-profit organizations who celebrate life in the outdoors.  The day got off to a rainy start, but the sun came out later in the afternoon, just in time for the Telluride Mountain Filmfest to begin.  Following the adventure films, Loki sponsored a night of local, live music.  The event was a blast and Leave No Trace looks forward to returning next year and continue to provide outreach to western Colorado.  A special thanks goes out to Jen Taylor for all her hard work in setting up such a MOG-tastic day!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Ohio Advocacy Forum

This last weekend we were in Delaware, OH spending some time with local Leave No Trace educators and neighboring State Advocates. Over 40 people showed up for a day-long workshop on Saturday along with Laurie Harmon (VA State Advocate), Kim Beach-Shaffer (WV State Advocate), Debbie Dodt (IL State Advocate), and Don Nash (OH State Avocate). The weekend was full of networking, guest speakers, and Leave No Trace activities. We just wanted to say thanks to all that took advantage of this opportunity. It was great to meet and work with you all.

Southwest Conservation Corps

The Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) employs and trains a diverse group of young women and men and completes conservation projects for the public benefit.  During our visit near Mt. Taylor in northwestern New Mexico, the crew was working on a portion of the Continental Divide Trail.  The members will be out in the field for 8 weeks.  Upon completion of their field work, members of the team will be visiting local schools to speak about the SCC and will include a segment on Leave No Trace in their presentations.  Spending time in the field with the team made us feel thankful for the hard work that is put into to building safe and durable trails for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the country.  Thanks for all you do!  See you on the trails.  Safe travels...

Kate and Tracy