Southeast Send Off!

All over AR.  For the past three months, we have traveled all over the Southeast providing outreach and workshops to more than 25 schools, universities, organizations, and land management agencies.  All though Arkansas expands our reach to just west of the Mississippi River, we experienced some creative groups that are benefiting from the Leave No Trace Program.  We spent three days at Lake Dardanelle State Park, which provides interpretive programs to visitors at the park.  Take a look at the photo below:  The park rents out backpacks for families looking for interesting and educational activities to fill their time while at the lake.  Notice the Leave No Trace hang tag attached to the pack!

From there, we traveled to Northwest AR, where we worked with 8th grade students from Pea Ridge, who would be attending Outdoor School at Devil's Den State Park later that week.  Our workshop prepared them with a good introduction to how they can be stewards of the land and take responsibility for their choices while enjoying the park.  Following that, we met up with Jennifer Hazelrigs, Leave No Trace State Advocate for the state of Arkansas, at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, for the Arkansas Adventure Programming Conference.

Jennifer Hazelrigs and Scott Dirksen-Lyon College were excited to see Bigfoot come out for the Saturday morning trail run!  

This student-led conference drew faculty and staff from 6 colleges and universities from AR, KY, TX, and IA.  With over 80 participants on site over the weekend, and the majority of the programs led by student presenters, there were many opportunities to learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge of outdoor programming.

We led a three hour skills workshop, with a surprise guest!

Horseshoe Canyon had many goats, horses, dogs, and mules that call the Ranch home.  We were shocked to have two horses join us at our workshop, first time for that!  This would not be the last time we see horses this week...

Tracy, Jacque, Kate and Rob in Snowball, AR.

We finished up our time in Arkansas on horseback!  We spent the day with Rob Stephens, BSA/Leave No Trace all around champion, and Jacque Alexander, Leave No Trace/Backcountry Horseman of America advocate, as well as other members of BCH of Arkansas for a trail ride along the Buffalo River National Park.  15 miles later, we enjoyed river crossings, wildflowers in bloom, and riding along the painted bluffs, all the while making friends with everyone including "Dakota and Shorty".  Thank you to Jacque, Rob, and all of the ladies on the ride.  Oh what a day-Glorious!

As we head towards the Northeast, we reflect on all of our events the past few months since the 2012 season began and look forward with great anticipation for the next three months in the Northeast!

Respect the Resource...Kate and Tracy

Fat Tire Fun in Florida!

Ocala, FL.  This weekend we had a blast at the Fat Tire Mountain Bike Festival in Ocala, FL.  This weekend long festival, hosted by the Ocala Mountain Bike Association, is in its sixth year.  The festival provides an opportunity for riders from all over the southeast to get together and enjoy the beautiful trails near the Santos Trailhead.  With over 80 miles of trail of varying level, there is fun for all levels of riders. With almost 1,000 riders pedaling the trails, it is important to consider ways to minimize potential impacts to the land, and to take on pictures and leave only tracks!

   One of the highlights of the weekend was the Free Ride Demo at the Vortex Dirt Jump area of the park.  Here riders jumped, bounced, soared, and hit the dirt through an amazing free ride course.  In addition, there were numerous bicycle companies like Trek and Specialized, offering from demos of mountain bikes throughout the weekend.

After a day on the trails, 350 people camped out for the weekend.  The campground was swarming with bikes, trikes, and unicycles.  We even saw a Fat Tire Flyer (shown above) from our friends at New Belgium Brewery, based in Fort Collins, CO. 

Of course, no festival would be complete without a visit from the Big Guy himself.  Bigfoot was super excited to try out the fun park on a bicycle, weaving and bobbing his way around the dirt.  Above, Bigfoot meets Renee Blaney, former professional mountain biker and founder of the festival.  Bigfoot challenged the kids (and the "big kids") to slow down and ride through the middle of the muddy trail, instead of around it, as to not widen the trail and trample vegetation along side the trail unnecessarily.  

Finally, at the end of the festival, one lucky winner named Sunny, was jumping for joy as she went home with a brand new North Face Daypack.  Sunny became a member of Leave No Trace over the weekend and she couldn't help but be excited about all of the fun she had at the festival, and the good feeling she has from helping to support Leave No Trace programs.  Just look at her excitement!  Thank you to The North Face for their continued support of Leave No Trace, and a special thank you to our host Robert Arrieta, for a fun week full of outreach in Ocala, FL.
Respect the Resource...Kate and Tracy

Gladstone Elementary School Raising Environmental Awareness

Gladstone, OR. Today Team West visited the fourth grade classrooms of John Witter Elementary School in Gladstone, OR to educate them about Leave No Trace. The students have been learning about water conservation and protection during science and they even organized a recycling and composting station for the cafeteria, so our discussion during the activity "How Long Does It Last?" sparked lively conversations and thoughtful questions.

The students gained an appreciation for the principles of Leave No Trace in the activity "What Principle Am I?" They learned just how fun and easy it is to leave no trace and were proud of themselves in realizing that many of them were already practicing it without knowing it. In the photo above, Kate teaches the students about the rule of thumb- a way to gauge safe distances from wildlife. Their imaginations went wild in thinking about what type of animals they would like to see using the rule of thumb!

Wouldn't you know it, here we are in Bigfoot Country and sure enough, our friend Bigfoot came out to visit the fourth grade lunch. He was so excited to see their recycling/composting station and gave a high five to anyone that learned about Leave No Trace. A special thank you to Mr. Curtis B. Williams for inviting us to come today!

Explore Responsibly...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot visits Evergreen Elementary School

Cave Junction, OR

On Monday, Team West traveled to southern Oregon to work with students at Evergreen Elementary School in Cave Junction, OR. Each classroom that we visited was very enthusiastic about learning Leave No Trace. Pictured above, students from the first and second grade class, pose with their hang tags and their new fuzzy friend, Bigfoot!

The fifth grade students we worked with will be going to Siskiyou Field Institute, a partner of Leave No Trace, for an overnight campout in about two weeks. We introduced the principles of Leave No Trace to the students as they prepared for their night under the stars.

Also visiting the school that day was the program Farm to Market. This program educates students about fruits and vegetables, whole grains, farm animals, and how to make good healthy choices in their diet. For lunch, students helped themselves to an A-Z salad bar, which included fruits and vegetables starting with every letter of the alphabet. We were lucky enough to join them for lunch in between classes.

A special thank you to Sherri Graham at Siskiyou Field Institute for setting up our visit and working hard to bring Leave No Trace to southern Oregon!

Explore Responsibly...Kate & Trace

Bigfoot Learns to Bugle (like an elk)!

Hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts stormed the Sparks Convention Center in Reno, NV for the 27th Annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing, and Outdoor Expo, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. For four days, the exhibit hall was brimming with people young and old, and the sound of elk bugling filled the air. Even Bigfoot came out to display his skills of calling his elk friends, as he does in the wild!

We joined staff from Ninemile Wildlands Training Center and the US Forest Service to set up a Leave No Trace Hunting/Packing Camp at the show. This was a great opportunity to educate folks about minimum impact hunting and camping practices. We would like to thank Bob Hoverson and his crew for inviting us to take part in this event, and for all of their efforts to share Leave No Trace with the hunting community. You guys rock!

Explore & Hunt Responsibly...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot Madness at Outdoor Retailer

Salt Lake City becomes the outdoor mecca of outdoor retailers and enthusiasts every winter and summer as the Outdoor Retailer Market moves into the Salt Palace Convention Center. This past week we joined thousands of people to look at the hottest new gear and trends in the outdoor industry. One of the more exciting aspects at the show for the Traveling Trainers is the Great Gear Giveaway, sponsored by Backpacker Magazine and Subaru of America. Each afternoon, the Traveling Trainers randomly select six lucky winners to go home with a box full of gear that has been donated by partners of the Center including, but not limited to, Cascade Designs, Pacific Outdoor Equipment, Leki USA, Osprey Packs, and Falcon Guides. We draw such a crowd for the Great Gear Giveaway, you never know who will show up. This year, Bigfoot surprised us by showing up each afternoon to help us with the drawing. Thanks Big Guy!!

Explore More...Kate & Tracy

Outreach in New Mexico

Last week we traveled to Farmington, NM to spend time with students at San Juan College and to visit past traveling trainers JD & Emily. San Juan College has a fantastic outdoor program, which takes full advantage of the plethora of recreational opportunities in the area. We provided a two hour training for students of the Wilderness Pursuits class, as well as staff of the Outdoor Recreation Rental Center and others from the local community. Thanks to JD for setting up this event!

On Saturday, we worked with girl scouts in Aztec, NM. Over 30 girl scouts and their parents came to learn about ways to incorporate Leave No Trace into their outings. The girls had a blast playing a few of our PEAK activities, like What Principle Am I?, How Long Does It Last?, and Leave No Trace Draw. After the program, we went outside to get a group photo, and to our surprise Bigfoot came around the corner! All of the girls were so excited to see Bigfoot and get their picture taken with him. Thanks to Emily for helping to set up this visit!

We had a great time catching up with JD and Emily and look forward to seeing them again soon!

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot Sighting-Tahoe Mountain Sports

Bigfoot is at it again! Lately, it would appear that the illusive Bigfoot has been coming out of the woods to join in on getting the communities in the Sierra Nevadas to rally around outdoor activities and more importantly to Leave No Trace while enjoying the outdoors. His latest conquest was to visit Tahoe Mountain Sports on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Tahoe Mountain Sports spent the weekend sponsoring the 4th annual Lake Tahoe Disc Golf Tournament. Stay tuned for more information on how Bigfoot and Tahoe Mountain Sports will work together in the up coming weeks...

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy

Bigfoot sightings at Summer Outdoor Retailer

Lucky winners of the Great Gear Giveaway, sponsored by Backpacker Magazine and Subaru
Our youngest winner ever of the Great Gear Giveaway
Bigfoot entertains the crowd during the Great Gear Giveaway
High 5's for all of our daily winners
The eager crowds await the daily drawing

Rocky Grass 2010

The news reports were accurate...Bigfoot spent 3 days at the Rocky Grass Music Festival in Lyons, CO this past weekend. We compiled a lot a pictures of Bigfoot enjoying the music, spending time backstage, cooling off by the St. Vrain River, and at the Elements Tour (sponsored by Keen, Clif Bar, and Kavu) with all the children! What a busy weekend for Bigfoot! Did you catch a glimpse of the big guy?

Along with dancing and music, Bigfoot also signed people up for the Bigfoot Challenge. Over 150 people challenged themselves to practice Leave No Trace while at the festival, both on the festival grounds and at the campsites. He also encouraged campers to take part in our How Green Is Your Grass? Campsite Challenge. There were many sustainable, clean, and creative campsites out there. We had three random finalists selected: Camp Flipping Out, Camp Zero Hero, and the Grassy Haven. Although all three camps did a great job in the competition, only one can win the grand prize of a free camping pass for next year's festival. And the winner is...Camp Zero Hero! Congratulations to you all (all 20 people that stay at this camp)! This is the second year in a row that Camp Zero Hero demonstrated they can be sustainable, clean, and creative, even with a large group. With that said, the challenge is on...Who is going to beat out Camp Zero Hero at Rocky Grass 2011???

Keep it green...Kate and Tracy

Bigfoot Sighting!!!

...This just in... Eye witnesses report Bigfoot was seen at Rocky Grass Music Festival this weekend in Lyons, CO!! This elusive creature apparently loves Bluegrass and was encouraging all of the festivarians to Leave No Trace, just like he does. More to come later in the program...

Allegheny Outfitters Trainer Course

On Monday and Tuesday, we journeyed on a 10-mile paddle down the Allegheny River to train 5 participants to become Leave No Trace Trainers. Allegheny Outfitters, a partner of Leave No Trace, is just getting into the swing of their busy summer season and were thrilled to learn ways to share Leave No Trace information with their customers. We would like to thank Piper Lindell, owner of Allegheny Outfitters, for hosting the course and for her enthusiasm towards conservation and preservation of the Allegheny National Forest.
In addition to staff from Allegheny Outfitters, we also educated staff from the Girl Scouts of Western PA and Evergreen Outfitters in NY. All of the participants brought great energy and excitement to the course, which led to thoughtful discussions on the impacts that are seen in the outdoors and how we can mitigate those impacts! We had an awesome time paddling and camping on Thompson Island, especially hearing stories about Bigfoot from Grampa Dave.
Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Bigfoot on the Iron Goat Trail?

Last night, Team West spent a lovely evening with folks that were part of a volunteer vacation for the American Hiking Society.  This year marked the thirteenth consecutive year of this event taking place on the Iron Goat Trail, approximately 80 miles outside of Seattle.  During the awareness workshop, one of our favorite PEAK games-How Long Does It Last?, was the avenue for a lively discussion on the importance of disposing of waste properly and recycling.  We applaud the trail crew that is taking time out of their busy schedules to volunteer to help keep the Iron Goat Trail of the Cascades as beautiful as ever!

On the ride up to our workshop, we were shocked to run into a friend.  We were awestruck as we cruised down Stevens Pass Highway and out of nowhere, there he was.  It was Bigfoot himself!  He was just finishing up a day on the slopes and let us know that he was getting excited for the upcoming Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City.  He hadn't begun packing yet, but he assured us that he would be there.  He even offered to help us give gear away at the Leave No Trace booth.  The big guy is so thoughtful.  He is looking forward to the event, but if you are not planning on attending OR, he wanted us to remind everyone to take his challenge.  It takes less than 2 minutes and you could win some sweet gear from our partners. Sound good? CLICK HERE to participate.

Safe Travels...Kate and Tracy

Bigfoot in Portland???

Bigfoot on the front page of a Portland newspaper.  Potential sighting in the Northwest...

Bigfoot Sightings!

NEWSFLASH:  Bigfoot sightings have been reported across the country!  We have reports all the way from Illinois to Oregon.  Where will bigfoot be seen next?  Keep checking in to the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer blog to find out more!