Outdoor Ethics Conference in KY

We arrived at Lake Barkley State Resort Park in Kentucky yesterday to gear up for the Outdoor Ethics Conference that is being held here this week. After taking in the splendors of this park (hiking trails, fitness facilities, bird watching, and enjoying our morning coffee on our private waterfront balcony), we were amazed at all of the recreational opportunities this park has to offer. It is truly a 'resort park'. Lake Barkley is one of the two lakes that surrounds the beautiful Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. We had the opportunity to host a workshop for staff from Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky State Parks, and the Army Corps of Engineers this morning at Lake Barkley SRP. During the workshop, we introduced the Leave No Trace program and had some great discussions about impacts that are seen in these areas and how educating visitors with the Leave No Trace information can help to mitigate some of these impacts. In the photo above, Kate is leading the activity "The Ethics Game", one of our favorites. This was a great platform for the park staff to share how they are impacted by some of the issues that are seen in the outdoors and how that relates to their personal ethic. Through these healthy discussions, the group realized the importance of education in the outdoors.

We are looking forward to speaking tomorrow at the conference to staff from the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corp of Engineers, and Tread Lightly. This will be an impressive meeting of the minds!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy