The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program

Heading East...

2009-12-15T09:53:00.001-08:00

We are back on the road again...but just for a short trip! Although we are in the off season, we are heading east to Massachusetts for the holidays and to connect with the newest Traveling Trainer team, Jason and Agata Ketterick! We are looking forward to meeting up with them as they start their season off in January.

Since it is the off season, we are busy, busy, busy working on the 2010 schedule. Have you put in your request for 2010? This is a great opportunity to have a team visit and provide FREE outreach! Putting in a request is simple- just click HERE or go to http://www.lnt.org/programs/travelingtrainers Then just fill out the form for either Team East or Team West and click submit! It's that easy!!

We look forward to meeting you in 2010.

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the week

2009-12-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

**Let it snow!**Let it snow!**Let it snow!**

Stick To The Trail, Even When It's Muddy!

2009-12-03T13:01:00.001-08:00

There are a number of reasons why it is important to travel on durable surfaces and stick to the trail, in areas where there is an established trail. You want to travel on the trail even when you come to a puddle in the middle of the trail. Here are some of these reasons why Leave No Trace recommends this practice: (from www.lnt.org)

*Concentrating travel on trails reduces the likelihood that multiple routes will develop and scar the landscape.

*It is better to have one well-designed route than many poorly chosen paths.

*Trail use is recommended whenever possible. Encourage travelers to stay within the width of the trail and not short cut trail switchbacks (trail zigzags that climb hill sides).

*In winter conditions, stay on deep snow cover whenever possible; in muddy spring conditions, stay on snow or walk in the middle of the trail to avoid creating new trails and damaging trailside plants.

*If you are in desert environments, however, avoid traveling through puddles, as water is such a finite resource in these areas!

So, as you get outdoors this winter, remember to travel and camp on durable surfaces!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the week 11/27/09

2009-11-29T15:12:00.000-08:00

Taking in the view from Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park

Boulder Parks and Recreation fun

2009-11-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last week we visited the North Boulder Recreation Center to work with students in the Youth Services Initiative after school program. This program serves over 150 youth from Boulder and offer programs such as fitness, homework club, cultural awareness, and outdoor adventure trips. This was such an exciting group to work with! During our two visits, we played a variety of activities to explore the principles of Leave No Trace. On Tuesday, "How Long Does It Last?" sparked interesting conversation about the litter that is seen in the outdoors all too often. This was followed by a fun game of "Step On It", where the group explored durable surfaces. Friday, we got the kids up and running with a new activity we call "Impact Monster Swarm". Energy levels were high as we completed two fun-filled workshops with the Boulder Parks and Recreation Department.

As traveling trainers, we are doing a lot of workshops outside of Colorado. This was a nice opportunity to work locally with a dynamic and wonderful program. Thanks to Chris Schenck for all his efforts in setting up this event!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the week 11/20/09

2009-11-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

Hiking in the Mount Olympus Wilderness Area in Utah

A Few of Our Memories

2009-11-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Before we say our final good-byes, we wanted to share a few of our memories from the past three years with you...

Rocky Road

2009-11-18T21:03:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

JD Tanner in Capitol Reef National Park

Wrapping up 09 Season

2009-10-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-10-30T11:24:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

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.

350 at The North Face Endurance Challenge

2009-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday we joined Kevin from The North Face and over 1,500 runners and fans at the Kettle Moraine State Park in Eagle, WI for fourth stop of The North Face Endurance Challenge! After a chilly start to the day, the sun came out and warmed the trails for all of the athletes. It was a perfect day for a race!
October 24th was also the International Day of Climate Action orchestrated by 350.org. Currently the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere is at 390 parts per million(ppm) . In an attempt to bring that number to a healthy level of 350 ppm and to help spread awareness of the dangerous levels of carbon in the atmosphere, we collected 350 signatures on our poster about the Bigfoot Challenge. The big guy was honored to help us take action and be a part of one of the over 4,000 events going on world-wide. All of these events are meant to encourage world leaders at the United Nations to re-think policies at the final meeting of the Climate Change Conference in Copehagen, Denmark this December.
It was an honor to be a small link in such a huge chain of events. World leaders will be unable to ignore this grassroots effort to let the people be heard. We are one COMMUNITY!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the Week 10/23/09

2009-10-23T11:11:00.001-07:00

ONLY 8 MORE DAYS TO TAKE THE BIGFOOT CHALLENGE!

GSUSA Trainer Course in Mississippi

2009-10-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

This past weekend marked the final trainer course in the 2009 season for Team East. Held at Camp Wahi in Brandon, MS, the participants on the course were a dynamic group of girl scout leaders and volunteers from across the state. We spent our time exploring the skills and ethics of Leave No Trace, while experiencing no shortage of fun and laughter! All of the women on the course were enthusiastic about taking their new knowledge back to their councils to share with their fellow staff and scouts. A special thanks to Vera for coordinating this event and to Colleen for hosting us at the beautiful Camp Wahi!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Geocaching 101: Part Deux

2009-10-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

This morning we said our goodbyes to our recent travel companion, Wolfgang Von Pitterpat. As promised in our earlier post Geocaching 101…We Need Your Help, we dropped Wolfgang off at the first suggested location, the Travel Bug Hotel (N 36° 30.306 W 104° 55.241) in Cimarron, New Mexico. Before dropping Wolfgang off we tagged him with our newest ethics reference card on geocaching*. This being our first adventure into the world of geocaching, we weren’t sure what to expect. Turns out we had a lot of fun and finally took the time to learn how to use the GPS unit that has been sitting in our glove box for over a year! Here is a brief retrospective of our geocaching adventure...enjoy!

We found Wolfgang at the top of Boundary Peak in Nevada and decided to make him an honorary Traveling Trainer!

Wolfgang perched on the Subaru on our way to Cimarron.

JD and Wolfgang figuring out how to use our GPS unit.

We found the "Travel Bug Hotel" right next to the historic St. James Hotel, which is supposedly haunted!

*No Travel Bugs were harmed in the tagging process.

Picture of the Week: Marmota flaviventris

2009-10-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Whether you call them wood chucks, ground squirrels or whistle pigs, these furry critters always make us smile when we're exploring peaks in the western United States. We spotted this Yellow-bellied Marmot near the Deer Lake Trail in Olympic National Park...so cute!

How do you minimize impacts?

2009-10-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Following our last event at Radford University in Radford, VA, we were excited to discover that nearby Blacksburg, VA was celebrating Sustainability Week! As part of the celebration, a local theater was showing the documentary No Impact Man. This film is based on a man who decides to eliminate his environmental impact for an entire year. His wife and 2 year old daughter join him on his mission to be impact free. The film was very inspiring and doesn't demand that we all strive to eliminate our carbon footprint, but evaluate what we can do in our own community to do our part to take care of the resources on this planet.

How does this all relate to Leave No Trace? Although it is impossible to leave NO trace, through education and the understanding of our individual impacts, we can all do our part to preserve and protect the quality of the finite resources that are our outdoor playgrounds! So whether you are enjoying your backyard or your backcountry, consider ways you can minimize impacts on the environment!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Geocaching 101…We Need Your Help!

2009-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of the new Leave No Trace ethics reference card on Geocaching, we decided to pick up a travel bug on a recent hike on Boundary Peak in Nevada. He’s pretty cute and we’re having a tough time deciding where to bid farewell to our new traveling companion, so we thought we’d ask for a little help.

Here is a list of places we are going to be visiting in the next few weeks, first person to leave a comment with coordinates of a cache in the general area of one of these events decides the fate of our little friend!
• Outdoor Adventure Summit – Philmont, NM
• Subaru Ready for Adventure Event – Malibu Creek State Park, CA
• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics – Boulder, CO

Are You Ready for Adventure?

2009-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Silver Strand State Beach near San Diego, California for a Subaru-Ready for Adventure outdoor extravaganza. Subaru covered the fees and invited anyone and everyone out for a free day of fun and outdoor adventure at one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. In addition to learning about Leave No Trace, park users were treated to surfing and paddle-boarding lessons courtesy of Billabong, free food, and lots of drawings…think bikes, boards, and kayaks!

Another highlight from the event was the Animal Behavior Specialist from American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who was on hand to answer questions about pet behaviors. With the help of pups from the local animal shelter she demonstrated ways to train your dog to be an excellent adventure companion. It was a great event and the best part was that Subaru raised around $2,500 for Silver Strand State Beach over the course of the afternoon!
Join us at Malibu Creek State Park on October 24th for the next Ready for Adventure event!

Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge Week

2009-10-12T06:41:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we spent the day at Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge on Chincoteague Island in Virginia. We were one of many exhibitors there to celebrate the wildlife that lives in the park. The refuge is here to protect the native and migratory species of wildlife and their habitat. Local artists, wildlife and marine organizations, and wildlife enthusiasts gathered at the visitor center for a day of exploration and fun. There were activities, exhibits, and speakers to enlighten visitors of the abundant wildlife on the island. We were excited to be there to share with folks ways to Leave No Trace while watching the wildlife at the park. We reminded them to never feed, follow, or chase wildlife and to observe all wildlife from a distance.

If you are ever on the eastern shore of Virginia, be sure to check out Chincoteague Island!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

Eco-Camp

2009-10-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed to Long Beach, California to meet up with local Girl Scouts for their Eco-Awareness Campout. We had a great time and spoke with over 200 girls about Leave No Trace. Held in an urban park, the Eco-Camp was a great opportunity to talk about the importance of preserving and protecting our Frontcountry areas from recreational impacts. Litter, wildlife impacts, and dog waste issues were just a few of the topics that we discussed during our presentation. We were really impressed by the attitude that these girls had towards Leave No Trace and environmental ethics, which is a good sign for the future of California parks!

Picture of the week 10/9/09

2009-10-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

Team East visits their 39th National Park- Congaree National Park in South Carolina!